The beautiful hydrangeas from Olimpia Florist

The history of a city never ends. Today, on the corner of Ronda de Sant Pau and Carrer de Aldana in Barcelona, you'll find Floristería Olimpia. It's been there since 1939. Do you know what used to be there? The fabulous Teatro Circo Olympia, a lavish building that was demolished in 1947 because they wanted to use the large amount of iron its structures contained.

"Money, always money," recalls Pepita Embid, who until six years ago ran the flower shop she inherited from her parents, who had been inherited from her grandmother, Francisca Gimeno, the founder of the business in 1939. Pepita and Raquel owned the Olymplia, a beautiful building that hosted shows of all kinds: clowns, beasts of prey, trapeze, revues, theater, etc. In one of the side doors, Francisca—who had just finished selling flowers on La Rambla—set up the flower shop's first location. It remained there until 1947, the year it was demolished. Until 1960, they occupied a small space right across the street, until they were able to return, now in the new building, to the location the shop occupies to this day.

"The Artists' Florist." This was the affectionate name Francisca kept all her life. And she lived for more than a hundred years, her granddaughter fondly recalls. A member of the famous Viennese, the theater and musical troupe of the 1950s and 1960s—perhaps Arthur Kaps, perhaps Franz Joham—was a regular customer at the Olympia, and he liked to pick the petals off the carnations he bought from Francisca and eat the center, which tasted sweet. Francisca still keeps a small photo of her grandmother with her father in front of one of the doors of the old flower shop in her wallet. The trade has been within her all her life: "I think I had a crib that was a flower basket."

Raquel took over the business six years ago, when Pepita retired. The story is beautiful. Raquel's mother-in-law and Pepita were schoolmates, and one day, when the owner was already planning her retirement, a connection was made: "My daughter-in-law might be interested in continuing." And so it was. Raquel had always been interested in floral art, and she had taken courses. And a year of working together was the journey up to the present moment. But, let's see, what does the profession of florist entail, what are its particularities, what is its special personality?

Pepita is clear: she is dedicated, attractive, sweet, and nervous. The last adjective is closely linked to the festivities, those days marked on the calendar that are inextricably linked to flowers. Essentially, Sant Jordi, Mother's Day, and Valentine's Day. And so are the Christmas holidays, which are now stretched out like a piece of gum, between the end of November and December 24th. Previously, they were concentrated between December 8th and Christmas Day. But, of course, things used to be a bit different, Pepita explains: "Think we even worked on Christmas Day!"

Flower culture

Flower culture was also different. It was common for people to set aside a portion of their weekly budget to buy flowers to decorate their homes, just as they would buy food and everything else they needed for everyday life. "For many people, flowers in their homes are synonymous with joy, optimism, energy, and good vibes." This is no longer the case, says Raquel. Her clientele is diverse. There are loyal customers who make these types of purchases, but they are mostly foreigners and celebrities. expats"Abroad, they preserve this culture of flowers as home decorations much more." Approximately 80% of sales are gifts for special occasions—holidays, but also birthdays and romantic relationships—rather than for oneself.

Raquel, like Pepita, likes to have seasonal flowers, although now, thanks to greenhouses, all kinds of varieties are available year-round. "Tulips are winter flowers, and I don't like to have them in summer because the customer won't last long. Now the hydrangeas are beautiful!" Fresh flowers reign supreme, as always, as do the plants, but since taking over the business, Raquel has also made a significant commitment to dried flowers. They also offer home delivery and gardening, and floral maintenance for hotels and offices. Before, during the time of Francisca and her family, they also worked on Christmas and All Saints' Day decorations, funeral wreaths, and weddings; Raquel still does this last one.

And what do we do with Sant Jordi? They're doing very well, with a very loyal clientele, signature roses, and the expertise to offer top-quality service and products. But they turn up their noses a bit at so much intrusion and unfair competition. And they give a figure: between six and seven million roses are sold on Sant Jordi, and only two million are sold in florists.