About The Florist 

Hello everyone, and welcome to Central Coast Floral Co. For those of you who do not know me personally, my name is Emma Paul and I was born and raised here in beautiful San Luis Obispo County. I have been obsessed with all things art and nature from a very young age. I was so fortunate to grow up in a house that overflowed with plants and flowers. They spilled out through the front door into an impressive garden. On the weekends, we’d often have company, and my mom would call me out to the yard to make floral arrangements for the kitchen and bathrooms. I fell in love with flowers and the way they brightened a space. After years of trying painting, drawing, and other art forms, I realized I had a niche for arranging organic materials. As a child I made dolls from plants, and play potions with petals. As I grew, I started making sea-glass jewelry, floral cakes, and succulent arrangements. In 2019 I kickstarted my florist journey by working for a flower farm up in Santa Cruz County. During the week I worked toward my Bachelor's degree at UC Santa Cruz, and on the weekends I’d build arrangements at the farmers market. My usual customers would stop by, give me a color pallet, or one flower to center, and then walk away to get their groceries, entrusting me to build a bouquet. The looks on their faces when they returned said everything. I remember thinking, 'this is what I love to do', 'this skill is a gift' , and 'people appreciate this art form'. In 2022, my sister asked me to do her wedding. I was eager to prove to myself and my community that this was the path meant for me. I practiced and practiced and though under pressure, I succeeded. All the arrangements turned out breathtaking, and my sister's bridal bouquet was a masterpiece. I knew I wanted to continue creating beautiful pieces like that one for other people to enjoy. It's an honor and a privilege to create art for this community and I hope to never take that for granted.