Meet Kathleen Rose Reyes

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathleen Rose Reyes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathleen Rose, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I was working as an RN for San Francisco Department of Public Health during the pandemic, I had a breakdown moment in late 2020. I was burnt out as a nurse and I remember sitting in in my car frozen by fear, not being able to leave for work. Because of the strict regulations for shelter in place ordinances, there was a heightened trend in indoor plant collecting. People needed a breath of life and plants provided a source of hope for many, especially myself. I had always been a plant enthusiast and collector even before the pandemic and it delighted me to see the growing interest of others for plant parenthood. I mean, who could blame them? People were stuck indoors and as humans, you yearn to be connected to earth or a piece of nature somehow.

In 2021, I took the biggest risk in my life and quit my position as an RN to open a small plant shop in Berkeley, California. I named it Nurture State because it represents the mental state one holds when they are in the presence of nature. I believe that when we look after a plant – or any living thing – it calls in our nurturing spirit. And that in itself is healing. The healer becomes healed in the process of caring for something. Its that nurture state of mind.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what sets me apart from others is the fact that I am self-taught in floral design. I’m still learning about techniques and styling and I love seeing experienced florist work their magic. I am proud to say that passion and staying authentically curious about floral art guides my style. Being open to all possibilities and having that “blank canvas” with new projects is the most exciting.

Today I am focused more on floral design. It started when I leaned into creating small wedding orders during the pandemic. My small plant shop became a hybrid between a plant and flower shop and when everything reopened again, including full scale events, the opportunities and requests to for larger floral design orders also bloomed.

It was definitely difficult, especially since I did not know how to scale at that time. I lost important people in my life too, and many times I let others down because I lacked the leadership knowledge. Learning how to value my services and to charge fairly was a challenge for me. Being a nurse, I was so accustomed to earning money on an hourly basis. I had to switch my mindset constantly and understand the high value I offered.

Hard lessons I learned along the way:
1. Trust your team and their strengths. Delegate tasks so you can focus on the creative process. Teamwork makes the dreamwork.
2. Create a system so you can scale. It takes a big chunk of the mental load off as well.
3. Learned how to rest. Big projects require the most amount of creative energy. And in order to be in a flow state, you have to give yourself a generous amount of time to literally disconnect and restart the blank canvas.

I want the world to see that you don’t need formal training to share your passion with pride. I want to world to understand that there is no shame in starting at zero again, that it is never too late to start something new. We all fear venturing into a new passion project or business because we dislike the feeling of being new or being a rookie. Have the courage to start and make mistakes, the grit builds resilience in the entrepreneurial game.

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.
I love touring my friends and family who visit me in the Bay Area. I am a sucker for views and know all of the best scenes of the city. I’ll also stay on brand with the plant themed places because there are so many gems and indoor jungles to share!

Monday – I get really into the fresh start of the week. Start off with coffee at The Mill SF. They have a nice collection of plants that are nicely styled too! I would also take them around Golden Gate Park to visit the Conservatory and the Gardens. For golden hour I would take them to a short hike around Baker Beach and the Presidio to take photos of the the Golden Gate. Its the most picturesque scene of San Francisco, in my opinion.

Tuesday – Visit Salesforce park to visit the beautiful garden and do some morning lawn yoga. Then have oyster happy hour at Waterbar to get a beautiful view of the Bay bridge.

Wednesday – I would take them to Ciel Creative Space in Berkeley for one of their Wellness Wednesday events and a dose of their beautiful hanging garden. I would also take them to the Clairemont Hotel to enjoy the sunset and early dinner overlooking East Bay.

Thursday – Explore neighborhoods in the city like the Castro. Have brunch at Cafe de Casa which is this delicious Brazilian cafe that bakes the most authentic Brazilian pastries. Japantown to visit my favorite lowkey plant shop Katsura Gardens and have a matcha treat and then end it at the Mission to enjoy a glass of wine at the beautiful Arcana and then lounge with views at The Line hotel.

Friday – Friday would be for dressing up and going out. We would start with enjoying happy hour at Propagation Bar. Then dinner at Bodega and then The Felix or Chinatown for Cold Drinks bar for a surprise speakeasy experience. Friday would be a good night to sample late night pizza at Goldenboy.

Saturday – Ferry Building Farmers market to enjoy the bustle of the ferry building, enjoy sampling the foods at the market, people-watch, buy beautiful flowers from local growers, and have my favorite ferry building meal: Roli roti porchetta sandwhich with a side of roasted potatoes. We’d walk down the entire Pier through to Fishermans Wharf to enjoy afternoon ice cream at Ghiradhellis and dinner at Abaca.

Sunday – Rooftop brunch at Kaiyo restaurant to overlook the beautiful San Francisco skyline before we say good bye.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many individuals who have helped me and amplified me. I’ll just list them. Gina Mariko, Event producer extraordinaire was the first to put me in the spotlight and hire me for her big events. it gave me the opportunity and exposure to large events in the community. She believed in me the most. Cecilia Apelin, owner of Ciel Creative Space, gave me the freedom, inspiration and the beautiful venue to showcase some of my largest floral installations. Julie Chelli, my gal and fabricator. She is a bad ass builder who was there with me in the trenches. We got the work done!

Website: nurturestate.com and nurturestatefloristry.com

Instagram: @nurturestatefloristry