We had the good fortune of connecting with Florence Wadley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Florence, what do you want people to remember about you?
I founded FloetryShoppe, a whimsical gift store of handmade or curated treasures, in late 2019 as a response to a COVID19 pandemic layoff. Since then the motivation behind my small, but growing business, is to emulate lessons from my mother around dedication, self-sufficiency, and family.

It is estimated by The Philippine Statistic Authority that 2.2 million Filipino citizens worked overseas at some point in 2019. These workers, who paradoxically leave their families behind to support them, are officially called Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs. My mother was once one of them.

On and off from 1972 to 1986 she held jobs as a domestic worker in Japan and China, doing all manner of housework for her employers. Every month she sent most of her earnings back to her family still residing in the Philippines. In Filipino culture the family unit is of utmost importance; that includes extended family. Her financial contributions have gone on to pay for the education of her nieces and nephews, clothing, food, and many other everyday expenses. My mother, like millions of OFWs today, worked abroad, often dealing with social isolation, out of duty and love, and for that I truly admire her.

That is why I consider FloetryShoppe an ode to my mother’s legacy. Together, she and I are the makers behind the brand. Currently, our bestseller under corporate gifting is an indoor s’mores kit complete with a tea light for roasting mini marshmallows. We also often co-design and hand make products for personal gifting such as pet clothing, oven mitts, makeup and dopp bags. Our production process is an exercise in mother daughter bonding, which I like to think imparts much of the whimsy our products embody.

My ultimate vision for FloetryShoppe is to provide one alternative to the fast fashion mentality and mass production industries. Consumers will benefit from lovingly handmade and unique products, while workers, living in nations such as the Philippines, will benefit from a fair wage.

For now, my business is small and has a long way to go before it becomes an example of large-scale corporate social responsibility. I do employ one former OFW – my mom. We’ve also invited her friends who are retired Filipinas living in the neighborhood and moonlighting as nannies to their grandchildren, to work for FloetryShoppe during the busiest seasons. They, too, make the same monthly trips to Western Union, to assist their loved ones “back home.” If I can help them do that in any way in the future, through FloetryShoppe, I will, and I hope that makes my mother proud.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I founded FloetryShoppe in late 2019 as a response to a COVID19 pandemic layoff. Since then FloetryShoppe has blossomed into a self-sustaining business. You can find my storefronts on Etsy and on my website floetryshoppe.com. I specialize in corporate as well as personal gifting.

I’m immensely proud to be at the helm of a Black Filipino woman owned business, and I’m even prouder that with the help of my mom almost everything is handmade with lots of care and love. What sets FloetryShoppe apart is that our products embody a sense of whimsy and where it makes sense, nostalgia. I hope to emote such feelings with the use of playful colors and unexpected surprises. I also offer personalization on many of my products to ensure that the gift giving experience is as special as possible.

I’m also very proud that so far I’ve not only been able to help hundreds of customers gift the ones they love, but also that I’ve worked with at least a dozen well known companies on their employee gifting needs. I’ve had one heck of a year and I owe much of my success to my extremely supportive network, as well as to my ability to multitask, keep a positive attitude and that creating for FloetryShoppe genuinely brings me joy.

While I’ve seen a lot of success in a relatively short time, there have been challenging times and their accompanying lessons. The most important lessons I’ve learned to date are to celebrate even the smallest wins and that going above and beyond for customers is not only the right thing to do, but it is what keeps them coming back!

At the end of the day I want the world to know that FloetryShoppe provides a unique gifting experience for both personal and corporate needs and that ultimately, we are committed to making whimsical treasures, while being a socially responsible company!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my bestfriend were visiting San Francisco, I would make sure to take her on a street car ride, specifically the F line. The F line is unique because the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has obtained and refurbished historic street cars from around the United States. That means you may catch a ride on a street car that was once used in Detroit in the 60s or even one from San Diego from roughly the same time period. Once you step onto one of these historic street cars, it truly feels as though you have stepped back in time — it’s a phenomenal experience!

San Francisco is also known as a foodie city so I would definitely need to take her on a food walking tour around North Beach. North Beach is our historically Italian quarter so you can imagine all of the wonderful Italian restaurants serving delicious food. You can compare the tours to a food tasting menu in the sense that at each restaurant you get to try a small portion of their best selling dish. The main difference in my opinion is that you get to walk off all of the extra calories between dishes!

Lastly, I would absolutely take my bestie on a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. Our bridge makes many cameos in tv shows and movies, but there is nothing like seeing it up close and personal — it is majestic and truly an amazing sight to behold.

At the end of the day my favorite part of living in San Francisco is that it has a colorful past, present and future. You really can’t go wrong taking a trip to this great city!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mother, Ofelia Wadley.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FloetryShoppe

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floetryshoppe/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florencewadley/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/florencewadley

Other: www.floetryshoppe.com

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.