Last summer, the “beautiful home,” Casa Bella, changed hands. Martha Murguia-Gomez became the new owner of the Casa Bella flower shop in Old Orcutt. For her, it’s a dream come true.
She’s always had a love for flowers; it started with her mother. Even in hard times, her mother made sure there were fresh flowers around the house. For the last 18 years, Murguia-Gomez has been creating floral arrangements for friends, coworkers, and family members celebrating weddings, quinceañeras, baptisms, birthdays,
and more.
“They liked what I did, and they were always telling me [to open a shop]. I said, ‘One day, when I retire,’” Murguia-Gomez explained.
While she worked as a county office assistant, she aspired to owning a flower shop, but it wasn’t something she was ready to pursue—until the county shifted her position and told her she’d have to spend most of her time in Santa Barbara.
“We have three kids, and my family is my priority, so I had to make a decision,” she said.
She decided that the time and distance were too much and began looking for something local. Around the same time, she heard that Karen Will, the previous owner of the flower shop, was looking to sell.
Murguia-Gomez used to spend her lunch break at Casa Bella checking out the boutique items and observing the arrangements staff members were putting together. She spent enough time there that Will recognized her when she came looking to buy the place.
“She said that she was happy. She wanted to see someone with the same passion that she had for this place. She said she saw that in me,” Murguia-Gomez said.
While keeping most of the shop as it was before she became owner, Murguia-Gomez hopes to add some services. In addition to doing flower arrangements, she has experience managing decorations, chairs, and tables for events. She would like Casa Bella to be able to provide such amenities for parties and to help photographers find just the right addition for their shoots.
In the shop, two towering, potted, angelic white orchids—Murguia-Gomez’s favorite flowers—stand among the gifts, jewelry, and home décor pieces.
“I like the fact that they will last a long time,” Murguia-Gomez said of orchids.
Don’t let the seemingly few flowers fool you; there’s more flora available. A full stock of fresh flowers stays in the cooler out back. (Guys, there’s no excuse for showing up to that date without a fresh bloom.)
Murguia-Gomez strives to meet her clients’ needs, be it a single pink rose for a child or 23 massive centerpieces. That’s why there are no prefab arrangements to be found. She said she prefers to listen to what a client needs and bring her vision of their vision to life.
“I don’t want to create something that’s like, ‘OK, make me this one, exactly like this one.’ I don’t want to copy what I did. I want to create something a little bit different. It can be similar, but … it has to be unique,” she said.
In the spirit of creating something new and working within costumers’ budgets, Casa Bella offers BYOV every Friday. Bring your own vase and Murguia-Gomez and her nephew Saul Gomez will help create the perfect arrangement for you.
“Nobody needs more vases,” Gomez said. “Everybody needs more flowers.”
All of the flowers come from local vendors, the farthest coming from Santa Barbara. Murguia-Gomez herself worked for Koch California Ltd., one of her rose vendors, as a grower for five years before taking her position with the city.
Casa Bella is at 221 S. Broadway, suite C, in Old Orcutt. For more information, call 938-5151.
Highlights
• Community Bank of Santa Maria and its division, Lompoc Community Bank, will be raising money for its 2012 Relay For Life team during a “Tip-A-Teller” event at Me-n-Ed’s Pizza in Santa Maria on Oct. 27.
From 6 to 8 p.m., Community Bank employees will be serving customers at the pizzeria at 560 E. Betteravia. In addition to tips and donations going to Relay For Life, Me-n-Ed’s will donate 10 percent of purchases that evening. The event is part of Community Bank’s “Celebration of Community,” commemorating the bank’s 10th anniversary.
The Community Bank Relay For Life team, named “Crazy 4 A Cure,” will be participating in next year’s nationwide overnight relay event, which raises millions of dollars for the American Cancer Society. Local relays will take place on May 12, 2012, at Huyck Stadium in Lompoc, and on July 7 at the Elks Unocal Event Center in Santa Maria.
For more information, visit yourcbsm.com or call 922-2200.
Biz Spotlight was written by Intern Michael McCone. Highlights are compiled by Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Oct 20-27, 2011.