By Salvador V.
Bleecker Flower Shop opened in March 2019 as a flower studio located on Bleecker Street in the West Village in Manhattan. It was founded by two Spanish friends, Valeria Castillejo and Bebes Ferrer, who bonded over a passion for flowers, nature and artisan work. When Valeria was looking for an apartment they saw this little townhouse which had a hidden jewel in its backyard: a terrace which would later become Bleecker Flower Shop.
Upon moving into the townhouse, Valeria and Bebes brought the Mediterranean style to this space and invited friends to enjoy themed dinners, later using it to prepare flower arrangements which their friends ordered as gifts. They were amazed at how, in a concrete and crowded city like New York, they could source the most stunning flowers and branches from all over the world—Holland tulips, Spanish fig branches, Japanese ranunculus, Colombian roses—which they combined to create unique pieces. The success of these arrangements was such that shortly thereafter they set up a small flower market, selling at the house front door to people from the neighborhood. Many local residents would come and buy them for their homes; and several nearby shops and pop-ups asked to start collaborations with them, now becoming their most loyal customers.
Valeria and Bebes’ relationship with nature comes from an old heritage of growing up surrounded by nature in Spain and a generations-old flower business. They believe there is something special and important about bringing nature into people’s lives. It’s very common in Europe for people to bring flowers into their homes. The best luxury hotels, the most tasteful homes, and careful artisan workshops all share something in common— being surrounded by flowers. New York is a non-stop city, but everyone can have flowers.
Bleecker Flower Shop combines the tradition of the cultural importance of flowers in Europe—creating floral arrangements that are elegant and sophisticated yet wild and seemingly effortless (as you might see them growing in your garden)—with the dynamism of New York City, wrapping the work of art in a chic and to-go packaging using a color scheme inspired by the West Village area. The studio offers an entry into a sumptuous world of colors, journeys, and textures. This is where the story of each flower creation will begin—drawing inspiration from the historical, the cultural, and the crafted, and from places where the flowers have grown. Every item Valeria and Bebes sell and every arrangement they create is handmade using traditional techniques carefully selected and arranged to bring color and joy to people’s lives.
