Gena in our Sage Hemp Boiler Suit

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you came from/grew up and how you ended up in the city you live in.

I grew up in the bay area and moved to San Francisco when I was 19 to go to art school. I've been here ever since and can't imagine living anywhere else. However, I frequently find myself day dreaming about living in Paris part time.

Gena in our White Hemp Utility Jacket and Dusty Pink Hemp Crop Tee

2. How did you end up opening your business? what's the story behind it?

I fell into flowers about 4 years ago when I responded to an instagram story from Natalie Bowen Design who was looking for extra flower help. I had been interested in flowers for a while, but never imagined it could be a full time job. I remembered leaving Natalie's studio that day and thinking to myself 'I've found my people'. I was welcomed by such a friendly and loving community, and something just clicked. That's the same day I met Aubriana, by business partner. Fast forward to two years later when I was freelancing with Aubriana and we were chatting about our ultimate flower dream job. We discovered we had a very similar vision of creating a space where our community could gather and enjoy flowers and coffee in one space. The next day we met for coffee and chatted about our ideas, and it just kept growing from there.

Gena in our White Hemp Utility Jacket and Dusty Pink Hemp Crop Tee

3. Your arrangements always have this ethereal feel about it- how do you get inspired? Tell us about the process of putting these arrangements together?

I'm inspired by the color palette and different textures I'm working with, but ultimately, I like to tell a story within the arrangement that allows the eye to move around with ease. I feel comforted when looking at an arrangement that is light and airy, and love looking at something that's simple yet continues to surprise me. These are the feelings I hope someone experiences from my arrangements.

4. Tell us a little bit more about the Marigold storefront- how did you guys end up here and who designed the interiors?

We opened Marigold in June as a storefront and work studio. It was an old bodega that had been vacant for five years and needed a ton of work, but we had an amazing contractor who brought all of our visions to life. He didn't even flinch when we told him we wanted him to build a fully functional staircase in the middle of the shop that led to nowhere.

Aubriana and I designed the space together from top to bottom. A lot of the furniture is custom, and the other half is either vintage or a craigslist find. We were lucky that our style and vision melded so effortlessly that we would sometimes forget who picked out what. Our plan is to open a coffee bar in the space sometime next year.