The Artpace Alliance is a group of local businesses and organizations that offer exclusive discounts to Artpace members. Each week, we’ll be introducing you to a different member of the Artpace Alliance. Not an Artpace Fresh Art First Member? Sign-up today!
Fresh Urban Flowers is among the oldest of Artpace’s Alliance Members, entering their 7th year as a member. I interviewed Tricia Hamil, President and Creative Director of Viridian Design Studio, and Brooke Harris, Founder of Fresh Urban Flowers, to discuss the story of the business and its relationship with Artpace and its members.
Starting up a business during an economic recession isn’t ideal, but that didn’t stop Harris from founding Fresh Urban Flowers in 2010. Passionately working with flowers at “every chance” and as an artistic medium has carried the company through a slump and beyond, bringing a clean, modern, and one-of-a-kind approach to floral arrangements.
Thinking of herself as a “local artist,” Harris felt the need to remain close to the art community. As a way to incorporate the company and her own involvement into the “art culture” in San Antonio, Fresh Urban Flowers joined the Artpace Alliance in 2010. On Fridays, Harris and her associates would come to Artpace to enjoy the food trucks, “promote the alliance” and “show others art things that they could do in the city.” The reason for joining lies with Harris’s relationship to art: “Art was a big part of who I was, and it was something that I really wanted to be a part of my company.”
After five years of crafting floral arrangements, Harris sought to expand her abilities and opportunities. She left Fresh Urban Flowers in 2015, and ownership transferred to Viridian Design Studio. Fresh Urban Flowers has been in their hands since, bringing to it their variety of designers, tastes, and resources.
With this change, the flair of the store has been refined. The ambiance of Fresh Urban Flowers is now distinguished, while the products and services astound. Each designer takes time to get to know their clients, choosing “the most unique, beautiful, fresh” flowers and materials that accommodate the clients’ tastes. Whether or not it’s for a special occasion, Fresh Urban Flowers shows equal and extraordinary attention to each customer.
They continue to thrive as a botanical bonanza for artistic, distinct, and picturesque floral arrangements. Currently, they are expanding into gift packages and greenery selections, keeping emphasis on the personalization of each product. Like Hamil says, “[We’re] doing it because they have a real appreciation for floral design as an art form.”
Artpace Members receive a 10% discount off of any delivery, and delivery in the downtown area is absolutely free! If you’re ever in need of a floral purchase, stop by Fresh Urban Flowers, and pick up your art piece.
-Carlos Lewis, Artpace Bexar County Intern
