New flower and gift shop with stuff that ‘makes you smile’ opens in SLO County
A new flower and gift shop featuring funky cactus, homemade ceramics and quirky cards recently opened in San Luis Obispo County.
Sol Sisters Collective at 560 Morro Bay Blvd. in Morro Bay, carries an assortment of grab-and-go bouquets along with a curated collection of gifts sourced mostly from small, female owned businesses, owner Lacey Lomeli told The Tribune.
Sol Sisters’ first day in business was April 10. Lomeli said she crafted the new shop to be a colorful community-centered space that’s packed with blooms, books and unique gifts “that you won’t find in other places.”
“It’s not just stuff that fills shelves,” she added. “I hope that when you look at it, it makes you smile, and it takes you to like a sunny state of mind.”
New flower and gift shops opens in Morro Bay
Lomeli’s career has focused on nature and the great outdoors ever since she received a degree in landscape architecture from Cal Poly Pomona.
After graduating, she guided hikes in West Texas and spent the better part of a decade designing floral arrangements for weddings and events.
In the meantime, she took up ceramics, honing her skills to craft vases and pots to complement her bright bouquets.
“Sol Sisters just kind of happened,” Lomeli said. “I wanted all of my life experiences to just kind of come into this one little shop.”
Lomeli said most of her inspiration comes from Mexico, with its vibrant colors, intense temperatures and desert flowers and cactus. She and her sister take frequent trips down to Jalisco to reconnect with their family members across the border, Lomeli said, calling it her “happy place.”
“When you look at my ceramic pieces, like with cactus in them, they look very Baja Mexico, lots of waves and sunshine and color,” she said.
Ultimately, Lomeli said she chose the shop’s name to honor the women in her life who have empowered and uplifted her.
“I have lots of soul sisters in my life, and you know, without them, I wouldn’t be here, opening this place,” she said. “They supported me on making ceramics, doing flowers, being a hiking guide, doing all these things — they’ve always supported me.”
What does Sol Sisters Collective sell?
Sol Sisters Collective sells creative grab-and-go flower bouquets that tend to be comprised of bright yellows, oranges and pinks, Lomeli said.
“It’s not something that you will find at like a major grocery store,” she said. “Everything’s very curated and just has some movement and personality.”
Blooms are currently sourced from Salinas and Oxnard, but she’s eyeing getting flowers from local growers in the future, Lomeli told The Tribune.
The shop also carries books, cards that range from funny to thoughtful and an assortment of funky gifts like a dorky goldfish watering can, ceramic plates that mimic a tomato and candleholders shaped like plants.
Hours of operation at new flower and gift shop
Sol Sisters Collective is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Monday.
The shop will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday with a mobile bar and live music. Lomeli said there will be wine and beer along with a raffle giveaway for flower coupons and tote bags.
On Mother’s Day, Sol Sisters is also hosting a “Bagels and Buds” pop-up where people can purchase bud vases with blooms and Sasquatch Sourdough bagels.
