Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
A decade ago, Ruben Guerrero took a side job delivering flowers for Studio Petall. Now, he’s a full-time floral designer for the downtown San Jose business.
“Creativity, I’ve always had it and expressed it in different ways, but I think this has been the most fulfilling,” said the 43-year-old San Jose resident.
The independent shop along the Paseo de San Antonio, which borders the weekly downtown farmers market, is owned by Leyla Naderja.
Guerrero, who says he’s inspired by people’s outfits, loves to use dahlias in his floral arrangements because of their size, shape and color.
It all started in 2014 when he was working at Starbucks. That’s where he met Naderja, who asked him if he could deliver her flowers.
Guerrero worked two jobs, being a barista and a delivery driver. Then in 2017, Guerrero asked Naderja if she needed help in her shop.
He said to her, “Do you want me to? I can probably try making arrangements.” Naderja agreed, and that was the start of his floral designing career, Guerrero said.
Guerrero said that once he started designing, she said, “Why didn’t you tell me you could make arrangements all this time?” This newfound skill was a surprise to him as well.
Guerrero, who had taken classes in recreation and leisure studies at San Jose State University, said he still enjoys working directly with customers, except now he’s helping people who are planning their weddings and other celebrations.
One of the best parts of his job is when “they give you their idea, their concept, what they want, and then you are able to build their vision,” he said.
One of Guerrero’s challenges is that the shop has an unusual fish bowl design, which means it lacks a back room to hide raw materials and not-yet-finished projects.
“Everything has to look good all the time, because you can look into it all around the circle,” he said.
Although he enjoys his current job as floral design manager, Guerrero also has an ambitious goal for Studio Petall. He’d like to help the shop expand online and join the Teleflora ordering network. “We’re really working on creating our own brand,” he said.
Edkary Suarez is a member of the class of 2026 at James Logan High School in Union City.