“We were young and confident. In one year, we opened Orchid Dynasty, got married, and I was pregnant.” Shelly Huynh smiled when she said it, remembering a time when everything seemed possible. Born in Vietnam, she arrived in the United States as a toddler in 1979, one of the “boat people” whose families risked everything to flee.

“Taking a three-hour flower arranging class made me so happy - it brought me a source of comfort and peace that I did not realize could happen to me,” shares Natalie Cruz, a native of Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Surrounded by flowers since childhood, thanks to her mother and grandmother, Natalie developed a deep love for blooms. This passion followed her to California, where it truly flourished during her college years. Frequent visits to local farmers markets and floral arrangement classes ignited a joy that eventually led to the founding of The Petal Coop.