Native Flower Company
Address: 430 east 900 South (see map)
1448 East 2700 South
Telephone: 801-364-4606
Website: nativeflowercompany.com
District: Liberty Wells (see map)
Sugar House
“My purpose, my mission statement is to create the landscape in which we celebrate this big, beautiful existence,” said Morgan Simkins, owner of Native Flower Company. Inside, that purpose is visible everywhere. Both the Liberty Wells shop and their Sugar House location are bright and beautiful, filled with color and movement, with a small, well curated collection of gift items tucked between lush plants and artful floral arrangements.
Morgan (who prefers to use they/them pronouns) grew up in Davis County, born and raised for the most part in Utah, always drawn to color. As a child, Morgan loved anything bold and bright, making what they describe as “very outrageous fashion choices” and filling life with loud colors and loud laughter. At the same time, Morgan was a huge book nerd; any day with a good book to disappear into was a good one. That love of story has become one of Morgan’s favorite parts of parenting. Even now, some of their happiest moments are spent reading with their five-year-old daughter, Josie, watching her move from picture books toward her first sight words.
The deepest roots of Native Flower Company, however, reach back to a rose garden. Morgan’s great-grandfather kept a massive garden, with rows of roses that he grew for his wife after she went blind so that she could walk the path and breathe in the fragrance. Morgan was the only grandchild allowed to cut roses there, carefully making little arrangements from blooms that were planted as an act of love. Those walks through the garden, the different varieties of roses, the fruit trees heavy with peaches, plums, and apricots, and the tenderness between their great-grandparents shaped Morgan’s understanding of what flowers can hold. The couple raised Morgan’s mother, so they have always felt more like grandparents than great-grandparents, and Josie now carries the name of Morgan’s beloved great-grandmother.
By high school, flowers were no longer just a passion but became Morgan’s first job in a local floral shop - starting as a shop assistant and working their way up. At the same time, there was another passion: ballroom dance. For years, Morgan spent afternoons and evenings moving across dance floors, pairing the discipline and creativity of dance with the emerging artistry of floral design. Dance eventually fell away when Morgan became pregnant, but that sense of rhythm and movement still lives in the shapes and lines of arrangements.
Life moved quickly. Morgan married young and, at twenty-two, welcomed Josie. Pregnancy was difficult, and being too sick to continue in college, Morgan left school and focused on being a parent and earning a living. For many years, they worked as a pediatric dental assistant, a job well suited to someone who genuinely loves kids. After coming out as queer and divorcing, Morgan needed a flexible way to support themself as a single parent. They opened an LLC and began doing flowers out of their home: small weddings, simple events, anything that could bring in a little extra income while still allowing them to be present for Josie.
Flowers, however, had always been the first love, and it did not take long for that side business to open a bigger door. Native Flower Company’s longtime owner, Pam Olsen, had run the business for some twenty years when in 2022, she needed extra hands. A neighbor who worked at Native saw Morgan constantly carting flowers to and from the house and mentioned that the shop was looking for freelance designers. Morgan applied, joined the team for Valentine’s Day, and then found themself in the middle of major projects, including large-scale floral work for the NBA All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City.
The rush and creativity of those days reminded Morgan what they truly wanted. They went to Pam and said, very simply, that if she could match their pay, they would rather be doing this full time. Pam agreed, and Morgan joined Native Flower Company as a full-time designer. They quickly became lead designer at the downtown shop on 600 South and 200 West, handling more and more of the wedding and event work, building relationships with coordinators and clients, and accompanying Pam on site visits whenever possible.
Pam, meanwhile, was thinking about the future. The Sugar House Native Flower Company, a tiny neighborhood shop of about 400 square feet on 2700 South, had already been part of the community for roughly eleven years. The business had a decades-long reputation, loyal accounts, and a strong presence, but the years had taken their toll. The pandemic, in particular, had drained much of the joy out of ownership for Pam. When a new space in Liberty Wells came up as a possibility, Pam found herself torn between expansion and retirement.
Morgan encouraged her to take the space, thinking about what a missed opportunity it would be to let such a promising location go. The next day, Pam confided that she had quietly listed the business for sale but had not yet found anyone she trusted to carry it forward. That conversation changed everything. She put Morgan in touch with the building’s owner, Kathia Dang, and Morgan stepped into a new role: designing an entirely new Native Flower Company storefront in Liberty Wells and purchasing the business from Pam.
There is a photograph of the two of them standing together in the bare bones of the Liberty Wells space, before any walls or fixtures went in. Morgan had never worked with an architect to build out a space before, so Pam’s experience was invaluable. She offered advice, talked through layout and function, and guided Morgan through the realities of turning a concrete shell into a working flower shop. When the deal was complete, Pam officially stepped into retirement in February of 2025, and Morgan took the reins of Native Flower Company. The two still meet regularly for coffee. Retirement is bittersweet for Pam. She admits that she was ready to step away, especially after Covid, but there are moments when being in this new space and seeing the shop evolve is understandably emotional.
Once both stories merge, Native Flower Company feels like a true collaboration between generations. Pam’s years of building a beloved business and network of clients now sit alongside Morgan’s fresh vision and community focus. The Sugar House shop remains a tiny, charming neighborhood fixture on 2700 South, revamped by Morgan with the same eye for color and warmth, while the new Liberty Wells location carries the brand into an expansive, light-filled future. Morgan moves between both shops each day, supported by two key team members: Erin, who has been working at Native Flower for years, and Mikell, Morgan’s best friend from childhood, who grew up across the street and now handles systems, HR, and the more analytical side of the business. Together, the team keeps both locations humming.
Community is at the heart of Morgan’s vision. Whenever possible, Native Flower Company sources flowers from local growers, recognizing that Utah’s seasons can be challenging but also rich in their own right. Morgan and the team work closely with local flower farmers, especially during dahlia season, when large, face-sized blooms in extraordinary colors fill the shop and become some of their most requested wedding flowers. Native’s arrangements are known for their artistry and shape, rather than for traditional, predictable bouquets. Clients seek them out when something more creative and sculptural is desired that might not be found at a generic flower shop.
Giving back is woven into the daily work. Morgan has introduced a program of special “wraps” – bouquets created to support a particular Utah nonprofit organization. Each featured wrap runs for two months, with all profits donated to the chosen group, and Native adds to those donations beyond the sales total. The shop has supported organizations such as the Black History Museum of Utah and the Utah Food Bank, with several other smaller nonprofits queued up. Morgan often reaches out to ask potential partners when they most need help and times the campaigns around those seasons.
Their activism and volunteer work outside the shop, particularly within queer and community spaces, now finds a home here as well. Native Flower Company is proud to be connected with the Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the ribbon cutting for the Liberty Wells grand opening. Morgan is a member and speaks often about the importance of community care, especially as a single parent who has relied on a village of support.
The Liberty Wells shop embodies everything Morgan hoped it would. The space is bright and vibrant, with polished concrete floors and color everywhere. Flowers line the central bar where arrangements come together in a kind of daily performance. Plants spill from shelves. A thoughtfully chosen selection of gifts - puzzles, tarot cards, seed packets for home gardens, candles, dried bouquets, orchids in season, and more - turns the shop into a place where visitors can find something for any occasion.
In a cheerful corner at the front of the shop, there is a children’s corner that was Josie’s idea. A low table holds pretend vases and faux flowers, along with coloring supplies, so kids can create their own “arrangements” while adults browse. It is a small detail, but one that perfectly matches the desire to make the shop welcoming to people of all ages. Morgan imagines neighbors bumping into one another unexpectedly, both having stopped in for flowers on the same afternoon, and the shop becoming a place where those casual connections, as much as the bouquets, brighten someone’s day.
Beyond arrangements and plants, Native Flower Company is known for its crates - gift collections designed around special occasions. The welcome-baby crate is a particular favorite of Morgan’s: a sweet swaddle of flowers, a stuffed animal, and carefully chosen treats that offer something for everyone in the family, including older siblings who might otherwise be overlooked. For out-of-state relatives or friends who want to send more than a simple bouquet, these crates are a way to wrap a moment of celebration in something tangible and thoughtful.
“I feel that flowers are used for the biggest part of everyone’s lives - weddings, funerals, new babies, birthdays, anniversaries, and, of course, holidays.” For Morgan, that truth shapes every arrangement that leaves the shop. Flowers become symbols people lean on during their most joyful celebrations and their hardest goodbyes, and Morgan approaches that responsibility with a big heart. They think about the person receiving the bouquet, the emotion behind it, and the moment it represents. “I feel the weight of them as I arrange flowers to send out to those people. It's very important to me - the emotional concept of something that you’re using to celebrate or to mourn."
