Stanmore, Marrickville & Erskineville: Where It All Started

Where It All Began: A Flat Full of Flowers in Stanmore

Little Flowers didn’t start in a studio or a sunny storefront. It started in a flat in Globe Mills — a converted warehouse right on the Stanmore/Enmore/Marrickville border. We were working from home before WFH was a thing, trying to make something small and beautiful in a space that was… not designed for floristry.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we’d come back from the flower market with a van full of fresh blooms and buckets. Then came the real workout: dragging it all through the carpark, into the lift, up to the apartment. After bunching everything by hand, we’d load the boxes back into the lift, one by one, and head out for deliveries. It was messy, joyful chaos.

The neighbours were so kind. Someone would hold the lift doors open. Someone else would offer to carry a box. We’d leave any extra bunches in the foyer — no note, no explanation. Just a little gesture for whoever passed by next. And funnily enough, we still deliver a lot of flowers to Globe Mills. Maybe those early random bunches made a lasting impression. Or maybe the people in that building just have excellent taste.

There were deliveries to the Enmore Theatre, too — we’ve sent bunches to performers backstage more than once. And The Vic on the Park has definitely seen a few Little Flowers arrive for birthdays or breakups. But honestly, some of the nicest moments were the quiet ones — someone sending to a neighbour two floors up, or across the street, just because.

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Behind the Curtain: The Velvet Garage Era

When the apartment got too full (of flowers, boxes, and wild ambitions), we knew we needed a new home. We found it — unexpectedly — at a café in St Peters called Velvet Garage. It’s not there anymore, but it lives rent-free in our hearts.

We set up shop behind a deep red velvet curtain in the back corner. Out front, Caitlyn and her crew served up the best coffee, French toast, and lamb sambos in the Inner West. Out back, we bunched flowers, printed tags, and tried to figure out how to run a business — all while dodging dogs, espresso deliveries, and the occasional exploding bucket.

It was chaotic. It was wonderful. We’d hit gold.

Inner West deliveries are always a bit dog-friendly

Fuel for florists and couriers — Velvet Garage, St Peters

Velvet Garage was more than just a café — it was a hub. Local creatives and makers dropped in every day, and we got to know so many people from the neighbourhood. A few of them even became part of the Little Flowers team. People would poke their heads behind the curtain to say hi, leave us kind reviews on their blogs, or order flowers for their friends — not just to make someone smile, but to support us.

The couriers loved it too. They’d swing by mid-morning for a box of deliveries and a flat white to go. That café buzz, that sense of community, that genuine support — it meant everything to us in those early days. And honestly? It still does.

We still recognise names from those Velvet Garage days popping up in our orders. Every time, it feels like a little hello from the past. A reminder of where we came from — and who helped us grow.

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Courier pickup outside the café in the early days

Marrickville’s Little Gestures With Big Heart

Marrickville might just be the capital of the “just because” bunch. We’ve lost count of how many Little Flowers have headed down its leafy streets for no particular reason — just a feeling, a moment, a thought.

Some of our favourite tag messages have come from Marrickville senders:

“Saw these and thought of you.”
“Just because you love pink.”
“No reason. Just to make you smile.”

And they mean it. These aren’t flowers for big milestones — they’re for Mondays, for grey days, for walking home and finding something lovely on your doorstep. Sometimes it’s a gift between housemates. Sometimes it’s from one half of a couple who share a flat. Sometimes it’s from someone to themselves — because why not?

The little bunch was made for moments like this. Thoughtful. Low-key. Not too much, but never not enough.

There’s something about Marrickville that gets it. The pace, the people, the pride in small businesses. It’s a suburb that seems to understand what we’re trying to do — and keeps doing it right back, with flowers.

Erskineville: Jacarandas, Back Gates and Sweet Little Gestures

If Marrickville is all about the quiet “just because,” Erskineville adds a touch of family charm. The kind of bunches sent here often feel like they’ve got a hug tucked inside.

We’ve delivered to sandstone terraces and jacaranda-lined streets, to apartments near the station, and houses where you just know someone’s cooking something good. There’s a softness to the orders — a lot of “thinking of you,” “happy Tuesday,” or “just because I love you” kind of notes. They’re often sent between partners, or from kids with a little help from a parent. Sometimes it’s the other way around — parents sending to grown-up kids who’ve moved out but haven’t moved far.

There’s something lovely about the rhythm of it. A bunch turns up in Erskineville, and then a few days later we’re back on the same street — different door, same flower spirit.

And in spring, when the jacarandas are blooming, it really is something.

November in Erko — a bunch beneath the jacarandas

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Still Rooted Here

These suburbs aren’t just places we deliver to — they’re part of our story. Some of our very first customers lived here. Some still order today. And every time we see their names pop up, it feels like a quiet little full circle.

Stanmore, Marrickville, Erskineville — they’ve all got their own energy. But the common thread is care. Not flashy. Not overdone. Just thoughtful gestures from people who know each other well.

This is where Little Flowers grew up. And we’re still here, just around the corner in Alexandria — bunching and wrapping and delivering with the same feeling we had back then: lucky to be part of it.