JACKSON HEIGHTS — A new floral shop pop-up hopes to bring unique arrangements to the neighborhood, teaming up with a florist shop that's been open for more than 40 years.
Joanne Yun works in education tech during the day, but her passion is flowers — and she's turned her growing hobby into a weekend pop-up shop at Ho Florists, at 84-23 37th Ave.
Yun opened Tilde Floral at the beginning of September, taking pre-orders where shoppers can share their color inspiration for their dream mix of flowers.
The shop sells varying sizes of bouquets, ranging from $8 to upwards of $75, depending on size. And although she has her own style, she's looking forward to seeing what her neighbors like.
"It's been super empowering to be able to learn from great florists and to do it on my own," she said. "I want to make sure people are happy but I'm definitely putting my own stamp on things."
Yun, 33, approached store owner John Ho this summer about the collaboration, and he was interested immediately.
"It was something new, it was different and unique," he said.
He began running the shop after his mother, Sue Lee, died in May.
Although he often worked at his family's shop, his passion is in the food and beverage industry — and it's been a tough transition for him to keep the family shop going, he said.
His mother had a large clientele catering to Korean weddings and funerals, but he didn't "have the ability to do that," he said.
Yun's arrangements have been welcome breathe of fresh air among his bouquets and house plants, he said.
Her work mixes in various flowers, which are popular as the season picks up this fall. She came up with the name Tilde because of its many meanings, in math, logic and writing, she said.
"It's an interesting concept for me, that nuance of juxtaposition and similarity," she said.
She gleans inspiration from culture and fine art, and can "get down a rabbit hole on Instagram and Pinterest on florists," she said.
But a lot of her inspiration comes from the streets of Jackson Heights, too.
"I think Jackson Heights is such a beautiful and lush neighborhood, it's very easy to be inspired by the rose bushes on my walk to the subway," she said.
