Flowers to me…
… have always been a sentiment of love, a way of expressing yourself and a way of showing your appreciation for others. I grew up getting flowers delivered to our house by my dad every year for his anniversary with my mom. I received a huge bouquet on my 18th birthday from my best friend at the time. I have even gone to a flower garden at Reid Park a couple times last year. Whenever I’m at Trader Joes or even Fry’s you will find me admiring the endless bouquets. What more exciting than to write about a local flower shop from one of the most liveliest places in town – the historic Fourth Avenue?
Meeting Pati
The Flower Shop on 4th Avenue is located next to the patio of the Mexican restaurant Boca Tacos y Tequila. Already walking past it, you feel the livelihood and the welcoming atmosphere come forth. Prior to visiting the shop myself, I had researched Pati’s shop. 5 stars across the board. So many amazing reviews, full of happy customers admiring and thanking Pati for her hard work. As I dove deeper into her website, I learned that this was a woman ran business, and that Pati grew the business herself, that is when I knew I had to see this place for myself.
Meeting Pati the first time, I caught her on an extremely busy week. She welcomed me into her store with open arms. Right away, she grabbed her flowers from her flower cooler, and began her work. Her multitasking took me away. She was fast with her work, you can see the passion through not only the finished product but through her hands as she created the bouquets. She finished one whole design in almost under 8 minutes. Her hands were like an automated machine, but in a natural way. Much like it was programmed into her hands, she knew exactly what she was doing and what had to be done.
The Process…
I met up with Pati on two different days. Both days she was in the middle of creating her designs and deliveries. Our second interaction, she was working on three orders that were due in the next hour. Again, her speed was unbelievable, her sense of style when it came to the flowers were so admirable too. She was creating a bouquet for someone’s birthday. She started off the process by gathering all her materials on the table. She began cutting the stems off so effortlessly, much like cutting strips of paper. As one, two, three leaves fall onto the ground you can see her work coming through.
She was very precise with how each flower was laid out in the bouquet. She then placed the flowers into a vase, all fitting perfectly, like missing puzzle pieces coming together. You can tell Pati has been doing this for a while. The brightness of the colors stood out and all complimented each other. The bright red, the yellow sunshine color, the shining white color of the Baby’s Breath as well as the dark green stems and leaves of the flowers all drew my eyes in. The warmth of the colors coming together definitely shows that it’s someone’s birthday.
Pati started working full time at the flower shop around 4 years ago. The shop itself had been open for 8 years, and her family friend at the time owned it and Pati bought it 2 years ago. I had asked Pati what it’s like working there, she kept it real and let me know that it isn’t easy. She explained to me the high demand and growth of business during COVID 19. Surprisingly I thought it would be the opposite. Pati told me that because of people being away from family and not being able to visit each other with the high risks that came with the pandemic, flowers were their way of showing their care and love towards one another. In her words, “Flowers are emotion.” It truly is a simple way of showing your emotion, appreciation and love. She even encouraged me to practice self love and to treat myself with flowers more often.
We spoke a little about what it was like to run a business all by herself. She talks about how she sometimes faces criticism but she never lets that stop her. She told me, “I will let my work speak for itself.” It most definitely did. Her speed and determination as well as her resilience, hard work and her humbleness shines through her work. The Flower Shop on 4th Ave has been nominated as Bloomnation Best Florist in the past 5 years. With that, her business has also been nominated Number 1 in the state for flower reviews and deliveries. Alongside these two nominations, Pati herself was also nominated as one of the Top 30 Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs in 2021.
As a young woman myself, I see Pati as an inspiration. She knows the importance of believing in oneself and how that itself can get you far. It all starts with you! I will definitely be back, enjoying more time with Pati, and admiring all her hard work, and of course.. Flowers!
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Francesca Empedrad is a freshman at the University of Arizona. She is majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences.