Eder Flores Luxury Flowers: An Interview with Eder

Eder Flores, originally from Acapulco, Mexico, opened his first flower shop in Cancun, Mexico, in 1999, and in 2004, opened a flower shop in Mexico City. In 2010, he moved to Puerto Vallarta, just a short distance from Sayulita, and opened another flower shop. However, last year, Eder ventured out on his own again, opening his current store, Eder Flores Luxury Flowers.

How did your interest for floral design develop?

Well, I first started in this business almost 18 years ago, and at the time I was going to invest in a sushi restaurant with a friend. When we went to see the owner of the building to rent the space, he told us he didn’t want a restaurant in the space. So, he asked us what kind of business we wanted to open, and I blurted out from the bottom of my heart, “a flower shop.” At the time it surprised me. I had never been interested in flowers and I didn’t know anything about them or the business. At that time, I was actually at University studying administration. Now, the floral business is my life.

So, how did you gain experience in floral design?

The first florist I hired didn’t teach me a thing about flowers, and business wasn’t good. One year later, I decided I needed to close the shop, but the week I made the decision, a woman came in asking to have floral decorations for her father’s business. This was my first very important work in Cancun – the man was the owner of the national television network. About a week after the wedding, I received a thank you card saying that everything was perfect and they were going to recommend me to others. After that, my business really took off.

I went to Paris from 2001-2003 and studied at the Natura-Dis school to become a professional flower designer. After that, I went to Mexico City and opened a flower shop. I began working with Los Pinos, the residence / office of Mexico’s president, as well as the major television networks, becoming somewhat of a celebrity.

What types of products and services does Eder Flores Luxury Flowers offer in Sayulita?

We make flower decorations for weddings and other social events. We do everything from table centerpieces, wedding ceremony decorations, personalized gifts and bouquets for every occasion, to floral car decorations. We do everything possible with flowers. For some of the floral designs, we also incorporate fruits for decoration.

You do exclusive and original floral designs. Will you share more about this?

I have two lines of my work – one line is the flower arrangements that we make for events and special occasions, and the other line is something I do to that makes me feel happy, an interpretation of nature, and is not for sale, just demonstration. Every year I have a gallery show in Puerto Vallarta and last year the theme was Infinity. We worked on eight pieces, all having to do with the sky, because the number eight is infinity. In one week, more than 1,000 people came to see my work.

I also have participated in Mexico City’s Fashion Week and made a floral dress, consisting of only petals, leaves, and branches. It was a lot of work, but very beautiful.

What do you like most when it comes to doing floral arrangements at Eder Flores Luxury Flowers?

As a florist, I do a lot of bouquets, which are very personal, and I like to capture the personality of the girls, or the boys, who carry the bouquets. Through floral design, I can interpret the feelings that they are feeling in the moment and how they see their lives through colors and textures, and it’s wonderful to make these bouquets.

What do you find most challenging about working with flowers in the Sayulita area?

Flowers aren’t grown in this area of Mexico. Some come from other areas of Mexico, and others are imported. It is very stressful. When flowers arrive, they may be too old, may not have opened, may be the wrong color, etc., but it is all very exciting.

Eder Flores Luxury Flowers is at the Sayulita Mercado del Pueblo on Fridays. Will you tell me more about this?

My helper sells flowers in bunches at the market – they are ready to be bought and put in a vase. Most of the flowers come from Mexico, but some come from Columbia, Brazil, Holland, and Costa Rica.

Will you describe one of your favorite floral designs you’ve done for an event in Sayulita? What makes it one of your favorites?

Three months ago I worked at Villa Amor for a wedding. The bride was very surprised with our work because we didn’t meet in person until the day of the wedding. We had been doing everything through emails and phone calls. But, all the centerpieces, bouquet, etc. were perfect and she was extremely happy, saying they were all 1000 times more beautiful than she had even imagined.