Our Story
As a kid growing up in the 1970s, David remembers going with his mom to what was then called ‘Heavenly Flowers’ in the Allied Gardens Shopping Center, and fondly recalls helping his grandma pick out flowers there to grace his great grandma’s grave.
Little did he know that one day he and his husband Issac would own it.
Nostalgically, David recalls the shop being a cute pink building when he was a kid, a staple of the neighborhood that everyone supported … where everyone went to get their flowers. It’s the kind of community where everyone sticks together, supporting each other.
Growing up in Allied Gardens — the quaint post-WWII neighborhood just a bit northwest of San Diego State University — David has called the community ‘home’ his entire life. In fact, he and Issac still live in the neighborhood, just a few minutes from the shop. Actually, David’s grandparents were some of the first homeowners in the early 1950s, then his parents bought the home where David grew up in the mid-1960s.
Soooo … how does one go from being a customer to an owner? Well, David continued to buy flowers there his whole life, for his mom and for Issac, and many other special people in his life. The owner — a longtime friend — needed some part-time help, so Issac started working there. Impressed with his innate ability to create stunning arrangements, little by little she gave him more hours. Completely self-taught, Issac soon mastered the art of flower arranging.
Continued…
When the owner was considering selling her business, David and Issac saw the opportunity of a lifetime. And they’ve never looked back.
Over the years — besides the name change to The San Diego Flower Shop and a new paint color — the flower shop continues to be the go-to place for flowers in the community. It’s still a staple of the neighborhood where everyone stops in to get their flowers. The local Allied Gardens support is so overwhelmingly positive, it’s actually been named Best Florist by the Mission Times Courier for several years!
While everyone in the Allied Gardens community loves the shop, one interesting thing has changed … their positive reputation is spreading farther! With delivery service — and creating florals for weddings, funerals and quinceaneras — admiration for the flower shop is growing throughout San Diego.
But the heart of the business still beats in the Allied Gardens community. People still know they can stop in and Issac will create the perfect floral arrangement no matter what the occasion and whatever they want to spend. Whether it’s a single rose or an entire special event — whatever the occasion — Issac, and his talented team of florists, will work with any budget.
And, as always, he’ll create it with a big smile.
From our family to yours…see you soon!
~The SD Flower Shop
Our Talented Florists
Meet our wonderful team!
Isaac
Florist/Co-Owner
A lover of all things beautiful his entire life, Issac was born to create stunning floral arrangements. He has always been attracted to flowers, taking photos of them and examining them. He’s totally passionate about flowers, treating them with the utmost respect and admiration — almost like they’re human. Totally in his element at the flower shop, he loves it all, but at the very top of his list is satisfying his loyal customers. Issac is passionate about creating the most stunning arrangements for them, no matter the budget or occasion.
Dalia
Florist
Named after a lovely blossom, it seems Dalia was destined to work at a flower shop. So when her Tios Issac and David bought the shop — and asked her to join the florist team — she knew she had found her calling. She credits her Tio Issac with the floral business skills she’s mastered, from determining where the flower’s ‘face’ is to how to interact with the clients. Dalia loves helping people turn their personal story into the perfect arrangement for the occasion, understanding that flowers symbolize such deep meaning to express feelings.
Mimi
Florist
With a lifelong passion for flowers, Mimi loves creating beautiful arrangements throughout the seasons. Having been trained at an Ikebana School in Okinawa, Japan, where she grew up — attaining an instructor’s degree — she often relies on the Oriental Style that she learned, adding natural elements to her clean and modern designs. No matter what style she’s focusing on for an arrangement, her favorite part of being a florist on the team is working in a cheery environment, collaborating with the customers to create happiness with personal floral designs.
