CAPITOLA — For more than three decades Ana Ortega has been making folks happy. As the owner of Ana’s Flowers, a modest flower tent adjoining the long-standing Capitola Produce, she has thrown her talent and keen eye into making dazzling flower arrangements for everyone from everyday passersby to grand-scale events.
While her business has dotted the map from 7th Avenue at Capitola Road to Portola Drive (both in Live Oak), she has run the tent in Capitola for the past 10 years.
“I just tried it once and I learned this was something I was good at,” she said recently while assembling a colorful bouquet of star-gazers, sunflowers and dahlias.
A longtime Watsonville resident, Ortega said she once worked in a flower company in her home town. At one point her manager asked her to toss together an arrangement to display at the front office, something she’d never taken on.
“I put together what I thought would look the best,” she said. “And someone wanted to buy it right away. That was how this started.”
Her business is shared with Events by Nancy, which is owned by her daughter, Nancy Mosqueda, also of Watsonville. Mosqueda’s 13-year-old business specializes in party rentals, catering, weddings, quinceañeras and other gatherings.
“We try to customize our events and we put together something that is different every time; not one event is the same,” Mosqueda said. “My mom and I partner nicely together because we both help each other out with making contacts, learning of events and teaming up from there.”
Mosqueda said her specialty is working within people’s budgets.
Ortega said word of mouth is what largely keeps her business afloat. She said she focuses on providing a wide variety of fresh flowers and working with each customer’s wishes. From a few loose flowers to giant bouquets, Ortega said she finds creativity in each sale.
“I just try my best to make people happy,” she said.
Her business is at 700-A Bay Ave.
