The Floral Parlor encourages busy locals to ‘Petal It Forward’ with local businesses
PASO ROBLES — The Floral Parlor will be hitting the streets of Paso Robles on Wednesday, Oct. 16, handing out hundreds of flowers to locals in the downtown area to help brighten up their week, as part of the “Petal it Forward” program, in partnership with the Society of American Florists (SAF), of which The Floral Parlor is a member. The Floral Parlor is joining hundreds of florists across the country in Petal It Forward. This random-acts-of-kindness effort is in response to the release of data by SAF showing the positive emotional benefits of flowers.
According to their press release, university research reveals that flowers have an immediate impact on happiness and a long-term positive effect on moods. Now, a survey by SAF has found that, when it comes to flowers, it’s just as good to give as it is to receive. With this data in mind, the Petal It Forward team is not only spreading happiness to lucky Paso Robles residents who receive the flowers, but also arming these recipients with the tools they need to Petal it Forward and spread happiness to others: An extra flower bouquet to share with a loved one, coworker, or even a stranger.
“We see the positive impact day in and day out when we make our flower deliveries,” said The Floral Parlor founder Sunny Sheldrake. “People love to get flowers ‘just because’ so we wanted to create random smiles today and give people a chance to do the same for someone else. We have the best community and love seeing our locals happy. We knew our little town would be perfect to celebrate Petal It Forward.”
The Floral Parlor participated in Petal It Forward for the first time in 2023. Sunny and her team walked downtown Paso Robles with baskets of bouquets.
“A lot of people were apprehensive at first because they thought we were selling them something,” said Sheldrake. “But then once we explained what it was, they were overjoyed.”
Flowers were passed to residents drinking coffee or taking a walk and into local businesses, which Sheldrake said were all grateful and happy to receive.
“The impact of giving or receiving flowers is powerful and memorable,” said Sheldrake. “It can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary one.”
Sheldrake and the Petal It Forward Team will give away hundreds of bouquets to locals visiting popular downtown spots like Downtown City Park or grabbing coffee at AMSTRDM or Spearhead. After receiving their flowers, recipients are asked to spread the happiness by gifting their extra flower bouquet and sharing their happiness on social media by tagging @thefloralparlor and using the hashtag #petalitforward.
For more information on the benefits of flowers, visit aboutflowers.com and aboutflowersblog.com.
Feature Image: Floral Parlor owner Sunny Sheldrake (right) and team member Jilly Lade get ready to pass out flowers in Paso Robles as part of the “Petal it Forward” program in partnership with the Society of American Florists (SAF) in 2023. Contributed Photo
