The do-and-design-it-yourself (DIY) maker movement is about to take a flowery direction this fall in Brentwood with the imminent opening of a trendy, innovative flower bar.
Fleurish will be breaking boundaries and filling gaps at the same time as it revamps the century-old flower industry.
Co-founded by Amy Marella, Allyson Arons, and Alex Frost, Fleurish will be the first of its kind to dedicate itself to kinesthetic learning, as customers are to be the “fleurists” by picking and arranging their own bouquets under the direction of an expert.
However, Fleurish will also be filling a huge void that exists in the world of floristry.
Celebrity florist designer Amy Marella of the Hidden Garden in West Los Angeles serves as president of Fleurish, and with 15 years of experience in the industry, Marella elaborated on the current state of the flower industry.
“The flower industry as a whole is a growing industry,” Marella said. “It’s not a dying breed by any means.”
She continued on to explain that there was a catch: business within brick-and-mortar flower shops is declining, as customers tend to gravitate toward either high-end flower shops like the Hidden Garden or the convenience of grab-it-and-go grocery store bouquets. Marella is well-accustomed to celebrity clients who wouldn’t mind putting down thousands of dollars for quality floral arrangements at a wedding, but she is also very aware of the appeal of dropping by Gelson’s or Whole Foods to easily pick up some flowers.
“We want to bridge the gap between high-end florists and grocery stores,” Marella said. “Fleurish will be filling in the blanks.”
Fleurish will be able to provide customers with the value, quality, and customer service that is often absent at typical grocery stores.
“The quality of the flowers will be apparent because the customers will be picking it themselves,” Marella said. “There’s no question of how long a bouquet has been sitting in the cooler.”
Needless to say, Fleurish does not take the quality of its flowers lightly. The founders source their flowers from as far as Ecuador to as close as San Diego, ensuring that each and every floret has been grown with the proper technique and care. To accommodate the changing seasons, the set of available arrangements will appropriately change according to the time of year so that the most ideal and timely flowers will be making an appearance.
“Our vases won’t have filler flowers,” Marella said. “There will be a bunch of high-quality flowers that customers will feel good about making. I’m excited for everyone to touch and feel and really be a part of this experience.”
This emphasis on kinesthetic learning stemmed from Marella’s constant interaction with her clients at the Hidden Garden, which allowed her to realize the prevalence of her customers’ curiosity and willingness to learn about floristry.
As Fleurish’s CEO and technology expert, Alex Frost came up with a similar “design-it-yourself” concept to address the needs of the customers, as there did not exist a dedicated space where an interested client could come by to make their own arrangements.
By combining their ideas, Marella and Frost were also able to incorporate an exclusive technology platform for their future customers, with instructional, one-of-a-kind “iFleur” tablets available in-store with step-by-step tutorials for guests to access.
“This all started out with a common request I received: ‘How do I make this?'” Marella said. “People are truly curious. It’s obvious that they want to learn.”
The informational and instructional classes at Fleurish will address the smorgasbord of topics within floristry, from the origin and history of the flowers, to the tending process, to the design element of proper placement within the floral arrangement.
Also available at Fleurish is the opportunity to rent the high-end, aesthetically-pleasing venue itself: Fleurish provides the ideal space to celebrate a special occasion, such as baby showers, birthday parties, and girls’ nights out. For children and teenagers, Fleurish will also be offering Petite Fleurish events for 8-to-16-year-olds.
To complement the hands-on aspect of Fleurish, there will be a line of original products available within Fleurish’s very own boutique with signature items and floral tools. For example, the first-ever DIY flower arrangement floral kit (the FleurKit) will include all of the components to create unique floral arrangements. Likewise, the three-piece tool kit (the Fleurish Bouquet Basics) will consist of three professional must-haves — a rose stripper, floral scissors, and a floral knife — for floral designers.
“I view the kit as a set of the treats that we get to work with,” Marella said.
With such creativity and trendiness radiating from the concept of Fleurish, it’s no wonder that the trend-setting neighborhood of Brentwood was the location of choice for the three founders. Though the shop is still under construction, the eagerness and excitement of Marella, Frost, and Arons could not be stifled. Their passion for floristry and desire to serve their clients lit up the walls of the soon-to-be flower bar as if it were already ready for its first customers to enter its doors.
Marella worded the Fleurish founders’ sentiments in a short and sweet way.
“Flowers make us happy,” Marella said.
Fleurish’s very first flagship location will be located at 11906 San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood. This highly anticipated flower bar is set to open sometime next month.
For more information, visit youfleurish.com.
