Stockton’s La Floral builds beautiful arrangements

By Eduardo Pineda

Floral businesses have always been a great place to get arrangements for any occasion.

When receiving a floral arrangement, it always gives a person a feeling that not many things in the world can do. Whether the arrangement is big or small, simple or extravagant. A place where you can always get that kind of feeling is at La Floral.

La Floral is a Stockton-based floral shop where customers can order arrangements for all occasions.

Flora Manriquez is the owner and operator of the shop. She crafts for all occasions, including:

• Funerals: funeral stands and casket spreads
• Weddings: bridal bouquets, groom’s boutonnieres, and flowers for the flower girls
• Quinceaneras: she makes centerpieces, and other flower arrangements for the venue

Manriquez started La Floral as an at-home business in June 2020.

Before starting the business, she had several ideas of businesses she wanted to start. She wanted to start either a restaurant, beauty shop, floral shop or a coffee shop but ended up choosing a floral business.

When coming up with a name for the business she wanted something short. She was going to call her business either Blooming Fiore or La Floral but ended up choosing La Floral.

“I started getting my flowers from Safeway, Trader Joes, local street vendors, or any other store that sell flowers,” said Manriquez.

After making beautiful arrangements, she would post them on La Floral’s Instagram account for clients to check out her floral creations.

After a few years into the business, it has grown so much that she now gets help making arrangements from family members.

A Place of Love

Manriquez loves seeing the joyful reactions these different arrangements bring for clients. It gives her that drive to keep going to make her clients happy, she said.

Without the support of her clients, her business would not be where it is today.

Customers feel confident when they tell her what they want the arrangement to look like. They know that if anyone can bring it to life it would be her.

“She is very creative.. whatever ideas you have she will most definitely get it done,” said Destinee Money Munoz.

If a customer doesn’t have an idea of what they want their arrangement to look like they can always look at the Instagram page for inspiration.

She has bouquets for different occasions like Halloween, Mother’s day, Valentines day, Christmas, and Birthdays. There are also bouquets with only roses. There are also bouquets with a mixture of different flowers like red roses and sunflowers, white roses and pink tulips, stargazer oriental lilies with pink roses and pink carnations, and pink tulips with white and purple roses.

Besides bouquets, there are stands in the shape of a circle or a heart, arrangements with roses and Ferrero Rocher in the shape of a heart, boxes with roses in them with a number written out in Ferrero Rocher, vase arrangements with sunflowers, and tall number stands.

The customers also like the option of delivery of their arrangements.

“It is a must go-to spot to buy your flowers,” said Munoz. “Her vibes, the atmosphere she has around her store is so unique.”

Having such a welcoming atmosphere really makes for a wonderful place to come back to.

Ordering any floral arrangements can really bring people together whether that be for a gesture of love, kindness, or to bring a smile on people’s faces.

Having a physical representation of love can really make a moment feel a lot more special because when having it displayed in your home or wherever it is placed will remind the recipient of the floral arrangement and the memory and feeling behind it.