Everyday People features the people who make the greater Ingleside neighborhood a special part of San Francisco.
The Leos bundle bouquets with care at A Flower Shop.
Leo R. and Leo Lim work 12-hour days to craft their classic, signature and luxury bouquets made up of the locally grown blooms and fulfill 15 to 20 orders per day.
The tiny boutique florist on Ingleside’s Holloway Avenue was opened by Lim’s mother, Nancy, in 2015.
Once Leo Lim learned the ins and outs, he took over but Nancy still helps with floral arrangements.
“We have locally grown blooms, and we only do a seasonal mix, so our bouquets are pretty simple,” Lim said as Leo R. worked. “We don’t do individual stems. We source whatever’s in season.”
Despite the long hours, Lim said he enjoys getting to work with flowers all day and is grateful to the customers who keep him motivated.
A Flower Shop on Holloway Avenue. | Anne Marie Kristoff/Ingleside Light
“We like it,” Lim said. “We’re basically a neighborhood store, so we like to keep it small and in the neighborhood.”
The Ingleside Light talked with Leo Lim about the flower biz.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What does a typical shift look like for you?
We start around 6 a.m. and we end around 6 p.m. In the mornings, we source our flowers from the flower market downtown and we come back around 8. We cut the flowers and start working on the bouquets around 9 or 10.
Do you have any insider secrets, things about the flower industry that people may not know?
You have to get to know your suppliers. What’s unique for us is that we work mainly with local growers and local wholesalers.
What’s one piece of advice you have for someone who wants to be a florist?
Anne Marie Kristoff (she/her) is a recent graduate from San Francisco State University's journalism program. She enjoys writing about the arts, entertainment and nature.
