We love hybrid retail concepts that explore multiple themes under a unified design aesthetic. From a grocery-meets-restaurant in Barcelona to a cafe-meets-retail micro-market in Healdsburg, creative ventures in a smaller footprint often show a unique kindness for their community. 

After a brief visit to Flowerboy at Freehand hotel in December, we made a beeline to their flagship coffee/flowers/goods concept at their flagship location in Venice, CA., where visionary designer Sean Knibb marries worldly materials and mindsets with a refreshingly low-fi twist.  

Take, for example, the use of colorful plastic magnetic letters on a whiteboard. The playful mix of the menu alongside inspirational messages balances the factual and the emotional at a glance. Or, the industrial ladder “posts” that provide the foundation for the long “beams” of natural plank shelving where the cheeky, feminist ceramic sculptures by artist Meegan Barnes are displayed with an assortment of vintage and new items.  

As our friend Virginia Bunker, a freelance creative and popup entrepreneur, remarked after a recent visit: “There’s an unpretentiousness at Flowerboy that is increasingly rare in retail experiences today. You can’t help but love wit when it intersects with a killer sense of design.”

We love the flexibility, humor, and sophisticated eclecticism that pairs day-to-day Los Angeles essentials and colorful blooms alongside home goods and gifts that satisfy distinct cravings.