Local florist to ‘Petal It Forward’ in downtown Paso Robles
Founder Sunny Sheldrake of The Floral Parlor.
The Floral Parlor is joining hundreds of florists from across the county for the random-acts-of-kindness effort
– The Floral Parlor will be hitting the streets of Paso Robles on Oct. 18, handing out hundreds of flowers to locals in the downtown area to help brighten up their week, as part of the ‘Petal it Forward’ program, in partnership with the Society of American Florists (SAF), of which The Floral Parlor is a member. The Floral Parlor is joining hundreds of florists across the country in Petal It Forward. This random-acts-of-kindness effort is in response to the release of data by SAF showing the positive emotional benefits of flowers.
University research reveals that flowers have an immediate impact on happiness and a long-term positive effect on moods, according to the Floral Parlor. Now, a survey by SAF has found that, when it comes to flowers, it’s just as good to give as it is to receive. With this data in mind, the Petal It Forward team is not only spreading happiness to lucky Paso Robles residents who receive the flowers, but also arming these recipients with the tools they need to Petal it Forward and spread happiness to others: An extra flower bouquet to share with a loved one, coworker or even a stranger.
“We see the positive impact day in and day out when we make our flower deliveries,” said founder Sunny Sheldrake of The Floral Parlor. “People love to get flowers ‘just because’ so we wanted to create random smiles today and give people a chance to do the same for someone else. We have the best community and love seeing our locals happy. We knew our little town would be perfect to celebrate Petal It Forward… The impact of giving or receiving flowers is powerful and memorable, It can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary one.”
Sheldrake is an independent florist in Downtown Paso Robles, a mother of four grown children and grandmother of 3, and an Orange County native— although she prefers to say she was “raised in the hospitality industry.” Her resume includes everything from rebranding and remodeling a Catalina Island Victorian hotel built in 1891 to leading in marketing and facilities for a Southern California restaurant group with over 30 units. She also belonged to the marketing executive group of the National Restaurant Association where she learned and made lifelong networking connections.
Q and A with Sheldrake:
What made you come to Paso Robles to open the shop?
In 2017 one of my daughters attended a wedding in Paso Robles and envisioned this as a place for me to land, but at the time I brushed off her suggestion. Some time later I was going through a transitional period where I wanted to get away from corporate life and venture out on my own. After losing a lifelong best friend to Melanoma and learning the hard way that life is short, I had a real shift in perspective and priorities. I knew I was ready to escape the high pressure and traffic of my location for a more peaceful lifestyle with a slower way of living. Growing up I would spend weekends and summers at our family ranch in the San Joaquin Valley, and I’ve always known at some point I wanted to get out of the city and closer to agriculture and nature.
One day I was driving from Orange County to San Francisco on the 5 freeway and noticed the 46 turn off. I took the turn on a whim, walked around downtown, and just liked the feeling of the town and the friendly people. I checked In to the Paso Robles Inn and when I woke up the next morning, I walked to get a coffee, and then began a search to find a place to live. Three weeks later I was living downtown and super happy, meeting wonderful people and glad I made the change. Since then, I’ve nestled into the Paso Robles community and called it my home. Paso is close enough to drive south to visit friends and family, and of course everyone loves to come visit me in Paso- not that the wine tasting has anything to do with it!
A few years later, I took a leap of faith and decided to open my very own floral and gift shop near the square. I found the place she would later call The Floral Parlor and started the long process of updating the space. As if opening a new business on her own didn’t come with its own complications, the pandemic brought its own set of obstacles—especially as a fully independent florist who chose not to partner with bigger wire services in order to offer more unique stems and fair pricing. There were times I doubted what I was doing, and was unsure of how the traditional town would receive her modern and sometimes quirky style, or how I would make it as a brand new small-business owner through the pandemic. But I continued creating floral designs from the heart, making personal connections with the community with a “sunny” disposition, sourcing quality florals, and adding value to each and every design or event she touched. Fortunately, all of this resonated with customers and, three years later, with the help of the amazing Paso Robles community, The Floral Parlor is an established florist in the greater Paso area.
How would you describe the Floral Parlor?
We like to say we’re “not your grandma’s florist” – we describe our style as playful, whimsical, and modern, which sets us apart from some of the more traditional florists within the community. You can come by the shop at any time and grab a fresh floral design or bouquet wrap from our cooler, or call us, or order online for delivery. In the shop, you’ll find lots of fun floral-themed goods like candles, table books, gifts, cards, and decor, and we LOVE decorating the shop for each season- if you’ve walked by the store window you know we go all out! We do daily flower deliveries all over the Paso area and do floral designs for weddings, corporate events, winery parties, you name it. We also have a floral subscription option where you can get recurring deliveries of fresh blooms delivered to you or purchase as a gift.
How do you stay involved with the community?
The Floral Parlor believes strongly in giving back to the community. One of the ways we do this is with our auction donation item of “Flowers a month for a year” which has been a key in raising charitable funds for The Paso Robles/Templeton Chamber of Commerce, RedWings Horse Sanctuary and Rescue, Saint Rose Catholic School, PRHS Boosters, Cheers to Charity, Paso Robles Elks Lodge, Paso FFA, Lumina Alliance, Paso Robles Youth Arts, Paso Robles Children’s Museum, and Woods Humane Society just to name a few! We also donate over-the-top bouquets for the mid-state fair pageant that the lovely court is presented. The Floral Parlor is very excited to promote and contribute to our newest nonprofit, Applause Children’s Theater (ACT) of Paso Robles.
What sets the Floral Parlor apart from others?
Aside from our modern floral designs, The floral parlor is solely independent and local, meaning we do not work with large floral wire services. This allows us to control our costs and create unique luxury florals for great value to our customers. We source flowers daily and keep them fresh. We have heard more than once from clients that they have never had flowers last so long! Our goal with every design we create is to deliver exceptional beauty, value, and freshness for maximum enjoyment.
Sheldrake and the Petal It Forward Team will give away hundreds of bouquets to locals visiting popular downtown spots like Downtown City Park or grabbing coffee at Amstrdm or Spearhead. After receiving their flowers, recipients are asked to spread the happiness by gifting their extra flower bouquet and sharing their happiness on social media by tagging @thefloralparlor and using the hashtag #petalitforward.
For more information on the benefits of flowers, visit www.aboutflowers.com.
Comments
