C. Oliver Coffee & Flower Bar brings a unique concept to Maplewood

The coffee-meets-flower shop takes the coffee house concept for a spin.

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When C. Oliver Coffee & Flower Bar opened its doors in Maplewood for the first time last weekend, it brought a new kind of coffee shop to the region. Visitors can enjoy a coffee and leave with a bouquet.

The shop, which blossomed out of a longtime friendship between owners Olivia Medina and Alyssa Schuler, combines its partners’ creative passions. The longtime friends and Maplewood residents have both operated their own businesses in recent years. Medina started and ran Oliver M’s, a small coffee shop at New Destiny Worship Center in Maplewood. The idea initially sprung from her desire to provide a tutoring space where local students could gather, but it inevitably merged into her infatuation with coffee.

“I’ve always really, really loved coffee—not just for the taste, but I just feel like coffee has a vibe,” says Medina. But while she thought that she may one day expand into a brick-and-mortar space, she didn’t necessarily envision a full-blown coffee bar for the broader community. That is, until the right moment came with her best friend.

Schuler had been running a flower business on the side, decorating for weddings and events. Her love of flowers has roots in her childhood with a family—her father, in particular—that was constantly surrounded by gardens. “I just love flowers. It reminds me of my dad, and my dad’s no longer here,” says Schuler. “It’s kind of an homage to him. It helps me connect with his memory and his legacy.”

Her original business, C. Arthur Florals, was named after her father, Craig Arthur Schuler. That first initial carried into the new partnership with Medina, which came after Schuler had been making arrangements for about three years. Medina and Schuler were both going through difficult times personally, and clarity came as they were commiserating. As they both weighed what they wanted out of life, the idea of combining their business pursuits took hold. C. Oliver Coffee and Flower Bar was born. (Oliver, the male version of Medina’s name, is what she hopes to one day name a son.)

“It just clicked,” recalls Schuler. “People love coffee. People love flowers. They’ve been around forever. We just started going from there—it was like one idea after another.”

Medina had been eyeing the Orbit Pinball Lounge space at the corner of Hazel and Sutton for some time, even back when it was Artisan Caffe and House of Art. When Orbit closed last fall, she decided to go for it.

The space didn’t require heavy renovations, but it needed a face-lift to fit the owners’ vision. Their aesthetic, a natural outgrowth of their love for beauty and creativity, favors bright whites and light wood, a perfect backdrop for floral designs and smartphone snapshots.

 “With the way things are now, Instagram is huge and Pinterest is huge, and we wanted to basically give everyone a Pinterest and Instagram cafe,” says Medina.

That boutique feel translates on their menu as well, with offerings from Sump Coffee and specially made lavender- and rose-accentuated macarons from La Patisserie Chouquette. The drink menu includes brewed coffee, cold brew, a few espresso drinks, a strawberry latte, espresso tonic, and a kid-friendly (and coffee-free) “mock-tte.” Medina says they plan to add seasonal specials, new vendors, light food, and other menu items as business grows.

Schuler’s floral business will take up one side of the bar. Her floral stylings veer away from traditional arrangements toward earthy, artistic ones that favor wildflowers and unique combinations. “She does really cool things with weeds,” says Medina.

The partners want to create a space that serves the community and is open to everyone. With roughly 40 seats inside, another 15 on the patio, and a park and business district nearby, the shop is ideally situated to do just that. “I want people to walk in and feel comfortable,” says Schuler. “I want people to feel like they can be creative, they can get work done, they can talk to people, they can connect with people.” There will be no shaming for putting cream in your coffee, nor for bringing your kids into the café, Medina adds.

They also plan to rent the space for special events and use the patio for hosting a mini-farmer's market. Once business gets going, they hope to add later hours on the weekends to connect with the booming Maplewood nightlife.

The owners aren’t only excited about launching a unique concept, but being a part of an increasingly diverse blend of businesses—in Maplewood, St. Louis, and the coffee industry as a whole. The pair add another women-owned company to Maplewood’s mix, in which women currently run about 30 percent of businesses, according to Maplewood Director of Community Development Laura Miller. They’ve also opened a black-owned café in a city that just celebrated St. Louis Black Restaurant Week and within a coffee industry that hasn’t historically seen much African American presence.

C. Oliver Coffee & Flower Bar

7401 Hazel, St Louis, Missouri 63143

7 a.m.–7 p.m. Mon–Tue and Thu–Sat, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed

Inexpensive

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