Emily James, Owner of Florecita Flowers, in her new business in 4770 Montgomery NE. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis / magazine)
Emily James has spent the last decade in the flower industry and will soon be opening her very first storefront location with the opening of Florecita Flowers.
Florecita Flowers opens in 4770 Montgomery NE near San Mateo in November.
Florecita emerged from sister company Floriography Flowers and was first founded in 2018 as an event company aiming to offer high quality flower arrangements at cheaper prices than the sister company.
Although the company will soon be operating out of a physical store, James said she did not envision a retail business and originally intended to keep her business as a primarily event-driven company.
Florecista flowers at 4770 Montgomery NE. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis / magazine)
But pandemic-related disruptions in the event industry and rental problems at their former industrial site prompted them to rethink their operations.
James said she started looking for a new location and found the brick and mortar florists’ success during the pandemic.
“So many people sent flowers to each other because they couldn’t meet or were celebrating special occasions from afar, so they called their local flower shops across the country,” she said.
James said the shop gave the company an alternative source of income as much of the company’s revenue used to come from events.
Like most retail florists, James said, Florecita Flowers will enable customers to shop online and in person, and offer a variety of pre-made flower arrangements.
However, unlike other florists, Florecita only sells flowers grown in America based on the season, which means you may not always be able to pick a dozen red roses on a whim.
James said their staff are available for advice so guests can leave with a bouquet of flowers to their liking.
“We’ll make the most of what is currently in season and what is available to us from our suppliers at this time,” she said.
Many of the flowers are also grown in New Mexico.
James said the company is working with six to ten New Mexico-based vendors at any given time.
“Our # 1 priority is to support and maintain strong locally grown flower farms,” she said. She said it was important for the company to support local flower growers since her original company, Floriography, started out as a flower farm based in Las Cruces.
“The exciting thing for us was that we started as a farm, so we understood the importance of buying locally,” she said.
James said she looks forward to moving into a retail business as it will allow her company to connect more with the local community – right now, much of her work on the events side of the business comes from customers outside of the state.
She said local customers “can get flowers regularly to celebrate life, either mundane or really important moments”.
The company also plans to offer hands-on learning experiences such as workshops and flower collaborations like decorating cakes with flowers at some point.
In addition to flowers, the shop also sells gifts from local artists, manufacturers and pharmacists.
More information is available at www.florecitaflowers.com.
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