The planning took a little over a year, but it's official; Duboce Triangle-based The Petaler (773 14th St.) is inviting customers to stop in on Friday afternoons.
Last fall, owner Rebekah Northway told us that she felt bad that her space is frequently shut.
"What I wanted to do for so long is to open the doors and share with the neighborhood and the community a little bit of our style," Northway said when we visited her at the store.
After conducting an informal survey of friends and neighbors, she determined that Friday was the most desired day of the week.
Monday to Thursday, Northway uses the space for a team of four to six people who construct floral arrangements. "Friday is really all we can do because on a lot of days we need the whole space," she said.
From 1 to 7pm on Fridays, she's offering specialized bouquets between $20 and $100 that customers can't find elsewhere. "We have these unique flowers and also some dry bouquets," she said, noting that she plans to add more products like homewares, "so it's also not too pretentious."
During the holidays, Northway said neighbors may find the studio accessible on Saturdays as well.
While The Petaler usually provides arrangements for restaurants and cafés, Northway said she's preparing dried table centerpieces for home holiday meals and celebrations.
In the meantime, shoppers can buy flowers on their way home from work on Friday afternoons, said Airyka Rockefeller, a creative consultant and photographer who's working with Northway on the store's concept. "We have these big visions, but it's too soon to talk about them all," she added.
Northway said people in the neighborhood encouraged her to open to the public. "When Church Street Flowers closed, that was more of an incentive," she added.
"There is not a good offering of flowers at all in this neighborhood. When you go to the Castro, there is a lot more," Northway said.
The Petaler will be open every Friday from 1 to 7pm. Neighbors who want to place orders can also contact the shop. To learn more about future events, follow The Petaler on Instagram.
