Alameda Business Spotlight: Poppy Red Flowers & Gifts

Owner: Karim Preuss

Opening Day: November 5, 2011

What is available at your shop?  I like to buy what looks good when I go to the flower market. We are at the end of dahlia season, and we have a lot of fall foliage with the red and orange colors. I have a few staples like thistle, rosemary and mint to offer a little bit of green. When I make arrangements, I like to have more flowers and just a little bit of green to make it interesting. You’re buying flowers, not greens! We also have dried flowers.

We are still getting our merchandise in and plan to offer a variety of gifts. We will have T-shirts for men and women, all made by California-based companies. We’re going to have a lot more cards from Papyrus, candles, soaps and lotions. We’ve also invited local artisans to bring in their jewelry and quilts.

Are all of your products from California or the U.S.? Our flowers are locally grown in Half Moon Bay or Petaluma. Our suppliers are good friends and have been growing flowers for generations. I’ve gone and seen where the flowers are grown. They are cut the day before and brought right to the shop unlike some other flowers that are shipped for days without water. We have happy flowers!

Most of our products are made locally, but I bend a little for the French soaps. I believe we all need a little treat.

Do you do special events? Yes, I do weddings, dinner parties and other special events. It doesn’ t matter the size. We’ll make it work with your budget. I love to help make it happen.

How long were you located at Lauren’s Closet? A year and a half. I started in front of Lisa’s store, on the side walk. She is the godmother of this business. She made it possible for me to move in here. From woman to woman, mother to mother, she gave me a chance.

Poppy Red is located at 1428 Park Street. Hours are: Monday-Wednesday, 10-6, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-7 and Sunday 11-4.