We’re looking forward to introducing you to Meg Blancato. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Meg, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
It depends on the day, but typically my days are filled with a lot of meetings – either internal syncs with my team or discovery calls with new connections. I spend a lot of time in my email and on Slack, and turning the dials behind the scenes. One thing that is pretty consistent is that I rarely touch flowers anymore if you can believe it!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Native Poppy is a woman-owned boutique floral company with 3 rad shops that delivers flowers and gifts all over sunny San Diego. We specialize in wild and whimsical flower arrangements and do everything from workshops and weddings to flower subscriptions, ecourses, and even have a flower farm! Whatever the occasion – what drives us is our motto and our mission: Sharing love through the power of flowers! My name is Meg and I’m one of the owners of Native Poppy. I’ve had an almost 10 year journey in the flower world, and it’s been quite the roller coaster! I’m so proud of what Native Poppy has become, and am excited for it to continue to evolve – our next big chapter is a floral DIY book coming out in January of 2027!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My Dad. He was an incredibly smart business man and entrepreneur who passed away when I was in college. He raised my sister and I to see things most often from the owner’s perspective so long before I had ownership in Native Poppy, I was fascinated by business. He would actually play “business owner” with us where we’d all come up with our little businesses and play sales person – he was big on teaching us to “ask for the order!” He was actually in the plant business, so it feels special that my path led me to something similar.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Oof, when our Mission Valley Studio flooded with 4 feet of water, Natalie and I had a moment of – can we really bounce back from this? Our South Park shop had a car crash into it 18 months earlier and we were still adapting from that, and this was just such a mess. Plus – we found out we had no support from insurance. The whole thing was just SO daunting, but our community and team showed up in an incredible way, and here we are almost two years later!
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
To be kind. I believe you can, and should, say how you’re feeling, what you believe in, and stand up for yourself – but you can always do it in a kind way. And if your emotions overrun you and you’re not kind, you can always repair.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
I think it would be the shops. Watching people come in and marvel at the flowers, the installations, the smells – it’s something I never tire of. The shops really are magical and I know our community would miss them dearly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nativepoppy.com/
- Instagram: @native_poppy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/native-poppy
- Facebook: Native Poppy
- Yelp: Native Poppy
- Other: Tik Tok, Native Poppy
Image Credits
Nila Buchanan, Hale Studios, Jenn Wojcik
