Chennai is home to one of the largest wholesale flower markets in the country, Koyambedu, where the day begins long before sunrise. As early as 3 am, vendors unpack sacks of jasmine, roses, marigold, and many others, readying them for retailers. For decades, it’s been pookaara annas and akkas selling uthiripoo (flowers before they are stringed together) and katunapoo (stringed flowers) on foot or on cycles, in bustling streets or outside temples. They meet the everyday needs of the city households — flowers for puja rooms, festivals and fashion purposes.
But a quieter and more aesthetic revolution is blooming. Mobile flower carts, also called ‘Flowers on Wheels’, once limited to Pinterest and European flea markets, has found its way into the city. A new generation of entrepreneurs is reimagining how flowers are sold, seen, and shared.
For the love of flowers
It’d be hard to miss this bicycle stationed near Anna Nagar Tower metro in the evenings. Packed with fresh flowers inside a minimalist rear basket, this cycle is turning heads. “I love flowers, and I want everyone who loves them to buy them without the hesitation of pricing,” says Sowjiknr, one of the co-founders of Poo Stories.
What started as an idea to sell flowers on a cart soon transformed their brand into being known as “bloom riders”. “We didn’t want to be just another cart on the street. The cycle felt unique, cute and practical,” she adds. Poo Stories debuted on Valentine’s Day this year, and the reception has been positive since then. “Some customers have come back over ten times to buy our bouquets,” she says proudly. They have recently opened up their second stop in Pondy Bazaar, one of the busiest shopping streets in the city.
The team of four — Rahul Knr, Sowjiknr, Madhuri, and Dhanush — source flowers primarily from Bengaluru and occasionally import unique varieties like hydrangeas. “We want our flowers to be fresh and big, so we import from Bangalore.” Yet, just like any other business, they too have had their downs. “Rain can ruin everything, the flowers will dry out in a day or two,” she says. Despite days when the cycle came back with unsold flowers, they never stopped. “My partners and I wanted to do something joyful, and here we are.”
With this very motive, another venture bloomed in late April. Floro Kadhai, run by a husband-wife duo, Fahima and her partner. Tired of their monotonous 9-to-5 corporate routine, the couple started the venture in pursuit of happiness. “One day, my husband got me a bouquet, and I was just over the moon. That moment made me want to give that feeling to others,” says Fahima.
The name itself resonates with Fahima’s personality. “I’m a big talker, so I wanted my bouquets to carry not only colours but a story.” ‘Floro’ means flowers in Latin, and Kadhai is story in Tamil, representing her dream of ‘flowers with stories.’ Besides staying on trend, Fahima makes her bouquets relatable. “We once sold twelve apology bouquets in one day,” she laughs. “So we declared it as ‘Apology Day’ and posted on social media saying that they can pre-book discounted bouquets to say sorry to their loved ones.”
Connecting people
Unlike Poo Stories, Floro Kadhai operates on bikes and is mostly seen near Besant Nagar Beach on just the weekends. “I don’t want to hire someone else because I love connecting with people. People usually share their story behind every purchase, and I believe that the connection I make with the customers brings them back to us.”
As the niche reaches a wide range of audience, Fahima states that the competition is growing faster than the trend, “Within a week or so, people started replicating our business in the very streets of Besant Nagar. Yet, we grew stronger. We started setting up stalls at an event in Amethyst, and did a workshop at an old-age home. We are planning to expand our business even though it has become a competitive market.”
Both ventures reflect a growing need for non-traditional flower gifting in the city. “People can buy flowers for anybody today—father to daughter, daughter/son to mother/father, wife to husband, boyfriend to girlfriend or even one friend to another,” says Fahima.
These sellers also have some of the sweetest stories that serves as a validation for their venture. Sharing one such experience, Sowjiknr says, “A customer called us at 11.50 pm while we were wrapping up for the day requesting a last-minute bouquet to surprise his girlfriend. He purchased the bouquet, went straight to his girlfriend and proposed to her right in front of our house. It was such a beautiful moment.”
While they are playing a major role in several lives, social media has enhanced their’s. “We didn’t ask influencers to promote us; the support came organically, which means so much,” Sowjiknr says. Floro Kadhai too relies heavily on Instagram: “We conduct polls to decide our pop-up location every weekend to meet customer requests,” says Fahima.
With their cycles and stories, the new-gen vendors are giving old-school vibes with a youthful twist.