SDSU Flowers is the newest owner of the campus flower shop next to the San Diego State Bookstore and is hoping to make some changes around the stand.
The former campus flower shop, known as Flowers by Sandy Alvarado, closed due to the owner’s retirement. SDSU Flowers recently opened in its place under the partnership between owners Efrain Chavez and Elissa Vela.
“We opened up about a month ago, we’ve upgraded the logo and are adding a new canopy,” Vela said. “We’ve also added a new countertop and all new graphics on everything.”
Vela said in celebration of the opening of SDSU Flowers, they will be hosting a grand opening at the stand where students can get free flowers.
“We’re planning on having a grand opening, but we’re not sure of the date yet,” Vela said. “We are giving away free sunflowers to all students on that day.”
Vela said the stand primarily sells and delivers flowers to students and faculty on campus, as well as providing arrangements for events. They also are associated with S&E Wholesale Flowers that operates throughout Southern California.
Vela said the stand provides a variety of flowers that have been popular among students with a relatively cheap price.
“We’ve been selling lots of little succulents for $3 and bouquets and available for pick up for $10,” Vela said. “Sunflowers have also been really popular for students, we sell five stems for $5.”
Mechanical engineering sophomore Alex Smith, who purchased flowers from SDSU Flowers on Valentine’s day, said he was overall pleased with the bouquet he bought and that it appeared the stand was a popular stop on the romantic holiday.
“The flowers were nice and the selection was good, but it was probably better before I got there because there were a lot of empty bouquet buckets,” Smith said.
Vela said ordering floral arrangements can be done in person at the stand or through the SDSU Flower Kiosk website that is currently being developed.
“We hope to have that up and running soon so parents that are far away can send their kids an arrangement through us,” Vela said.
Sue Pantoja said she recently purchased an arrangement through SDSU Flowers for her daughter who attends SDSU and was happy with her experience.
“Elissa made a beautiful arrangement that my daughter was very pleased with and enjoyed,” Pantoja said. “She was very attentive and made one within my budget.”
When it comes to pricing the flowers, Vela said she tries to keep student’s tight budgets in mind.
“We try to keep our prices reasonable because we know they’re students and they’re paying for school, so we want to make sure we can work with any budget,” Vela said.
Vela said their hours of operation are on Mondays to Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are open on Fridays by appointment or order only.
“If someone needs something delivered on a Friday, then we’ll open up,” Vela said. “When ordering at least two or three days in advance is sufficient for preparation.”
