Meet Jazmin Olvera | Florist & Creator of Time of the Season Flowers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jazmin Olvera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jazmin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from San Francisco State University in 2020 right as the pandemic struck and I had to make the difficult decision of moving back home to be closer to my loved ones. I started applying to jobs in museums and art organizations but wasn’t having any luck. Additionally, I’ve been working in the service industry throughout my entire adult life and came to the realization that I didn’t want to work for someone else forever- I wanted something of my own.

Floral design has always intrigued me. Growing up on a ranch in Ventura County, I was surrounded by nature everywhere I looked- from orange and avocado orchards to the rose bushes in my dad’s garden. However, it wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles and visited the flower market in downtown that I seriously begun to contemplate pursuing a career in the flower world. I created Time of the Season Flowers shortly after my move to LA in hopes of finding community and as an avenue where I could let my inner child play and be creative and share moments of joy and love with others during a time where everyone felt so distant.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Time of the Season Flowers is a small floral design studio based in LA. We offer florals for anything from a single birthday arrangement to full-service weddings and corporate events to editorial photoshoots- whatever it is, we’ve got you covered! We are known for our colorful and playful style and never miss an opportunity to include unique elements in every piece we create. Besides our untraditional designs, what sets us apart from others is our sustainability efforts and outspokenness when it comes to social and political issues. The floral industry produces a huge amount of waste and generates a rather large carbon footprint. Not to mention, mechanics like flower foam that are one time use only are still widely used throughout the floral industry. Time of the Season is proudly foam free and recycles, composts, and reuses things when we can. Being a queer and Latina woman myself, I am very excited to scale Time of the Season Flowers to a place where I can give back to BIPOC communities that are most impacted by environmental issues and to organizations that support additional causes that I’m passionate about.

Starting a business is not easy and there are roadblocks at every corner, but I am so proud of myself for doing this for me and my future. Many people think that being a florist is just playing with flowers all day but that is definitely not the case. As a small business owner, you have to be your own social media manager, accountant, bookkeeper, etc. I didn’t know how to do any of that at the beginning of this journey and am still constantly learning something new. I also get imposter syndrome a lot and often question if I have what it takes to be successful enough to pursue floral design full time. However, I am a true believer in divine timing and know that everything will fall into place as long as I keep putting in the work. I also have an amazing support system of flower friends and loved ones who are in my corner and constantly reassuring me that I am doing a good job.

I want the world to know that if I can do it, so can you! Time of the Season Flowers is the product of a little brown girl’s efforts to break the mold and every single floral piece is created with so much love.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For obvious reasons, we are definitely hitting up the Original Los Angeles Flower Market in DTLA to start (sorry friend, you’re gonna have to wake up early). For breakfast, we are absolutely waiting in the long ass line for Courage Bagels, because it is so so worth it! Coffee at Dayglow in Silverlake, Black Elephant Coffee in Atwater Village, or South LA Cafe. Lunch would be at Porto’s Bakery on Magnolia Blvd in Burbank- we’re ordering spicy chicken milanesa sandwiches, potato balls, and guava and cheese strudels! Then we’d walk down Magnolia for a bit to check out the vintage shops and thrift stores. Hot take but I think a lot of the hip restaurants in LA are pushing a fun ambiance and aesthetic but unfortunately fall short when it comes down to the actual food so we’re supporting small BIPOC-owned restaurants for the rest of the week because they serve the tastiest and most authentic food. Here are some of my favorites: Flavors of Thai in Pico-Union, Biriyani Kabob House for Indian food, Ktown Pho, or Papa Cristo’s for Greek food all in Koreatown. Crawford’s is the one spot we are most definitely going to for the BEST spicy fried chicken basket you’ll ever have + $4 Budweiser on draft!

For drinks we’ll go to Bar Flores, Gold Line, Mama Shelter, All Seasons Brewing Company, Angel City Brewing, or Art’s District Brewing Company- also for sure having one too many drinks and dancing the night away at Cumbia Fever night which happens every Thursday at La Cita Bar.

If we have time after eating and drinking our way through the city, places to visit would include: Griffith Observatory, LACMA, the Broad, Huntington Library, Museum, and Botanical Gardens, Little Tokyo, Shatto 39 Lanes, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and Lake Hollywood Park. For a daytrip, I’d take a friend to visit the ranch I grew up on in Fillmore to eat oranges picked right off the tree then drive up to the coast and hang out in downtown Ventura.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my parents for immigrating to the United States from Mexico all those years ago so that my siblings and I could have a better life. I have always thought of myself as the black sheep of the family and I’m pretty sure that at some point, my parents might have wished that I would’ve pursued a more traditional career path, but that has not stopped them from showing me unconditional love and support.

I’d also like to shoutout my partner, Bryan for pushing me and inspiring me in every aspect of life. He has believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself, and when I decided to start pursuing floral design, he was always down to wake up bright and early to hit the market to snag the most unique blooms.

Above all, I would like to shoutout all the vendors and flower farmers all over the world who work insane hours and in difficult conditions to supply us florists with the best quality product. There’s no us without them.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timeoftheseasonflowers/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/timeoftheseasonflowers

Other: Email: timeoftheseasonflowers@gmail.com

Image Credits
Bryan Rosas