It’s not a stretch to say Vancouver’s Railtown is blooming. The historical industrial district has a European quality about it—cobblestone and brick roads intersecting with long-lain train tracks and industrial buildings that have withstood time. Here you’ll find a handful of industrial warehouses-turned-art studios such as Viva Alliance and Subject Railtown, along with locally revered eateries Railtown Cafe, Pallet Coffee Roasters and the Belgard Kitchen. The neighbourhood is teeming with creative energy, and it recently got another addition—Designer Blooms.

Now finding its home at 339 Railway Street, Designer Blooms is headed up by Isa Garcia-Sicam and her sister, Marie. Its legacy, however, was conceived over 35 years ago in Vancouver, when Rica and Ting Garcia started a home-based flower business.

“My mom was the creative force,” says Garcia-Sicam. “She always had this really clear vision for design, and my dad had this impeccable business sense. It was the perfect yin and yang.”

The husband-and-wife duo took the business from Vancouver to the Philippines during the post-martial law boom, opening 27 stores at its peak. When COVID hit, it devastated the retail scene in the Philippines, and the Garcia family was forced to rethink everything.

“Retail just couldn’t survive,” says Garcia-Sicam. “So [Marie] and I stepped back in. Our mom had passed away just a few months before the pandemic, and it really pushed us to take the reins and look forward.”

Bringing things back to North America, the Garcia sisters made note of a gap in the floral industry.

“There wasn’t a single high-end flower brand doing things consistently,” says Garcia-Sicam. “We wanted to create the Starbucks of florals, but for a more discerning market. Same-day delivery, beautiful packaging, every detail consistent.”

Ultra-fresh flowers make for consistent blooms and bouquets. Credit: Sophia Hsin Photography.

That idea came to life first as an e-commerce operation from a studio in Burnaby. Orders were fulfilled in-house and hand-delivered in a signature designer bag; no third-party couriers, no boxes.

Now opening their flagship boutique in Railtown, the brick-lined, minimalist retail space makes luscious floral arrangements and hearty bouquets stand out—but it also acts as a showroom for the company’s design collaborations, like that with ceramic artist Jess Portfleet.

“When I saw her work, I felt there was a lot of alignment when it came to design, because some of her pieces are a little more modern and sculptural which works well with our florals, and the colours were on point,” says Garcia-Sicam.

Jess Portfleet’s ceramics are for sale in the Designer Blooms retail space, but can also come as part of a bouquet package. Credit: Sophia Hsin Photography.

Collaborations for the future include Vancouver-based chocolatiers Kasama Chocolate, who also share Filipino heritage. Together, the brands will host a series of workshops that connect the experiences of taste and scent.

“When you smell flowers while tasting chocolate, it actually changes the flavour,” she explains. “It’s such a rich experience.”

The new spot will be home for these immersive workshops (flower design and chocolate making, anyone?), plus a place to showcase floral installations.

“Railtown felt right,” says Garcia-Sicam. “There’s so much talent and history here; fashion, food, art, design. It challenges us to do our best work.”

The flagship store’s grand opening party proved just that, with Garcia-Sicam likening the soiree to a fashion runway.

Live, floral sculptures were on display at the Designer Blooms’ grand opening party, which Garcia-Sicam likened to a floral “runway show.” Credit: Sophia Hsin Photography.

“Most of our business is online, so this was our way of saying, ‘Here we are.’ It was about showing our capability in a real, tangible way. This is like our runway show, right? In fashion, there’s runway and then there’s ready-to-wear, so we wanted to sort of flex our design muscles, and we thought this would be a perfect [spot] for that,” she says.