Popular Elk Grove floral boutique has out-of-business sale, closes after two decades. Why?

Laguna Flowers , located at 5030 Laguna Blvd. in the Laguna Creek Town Center, is having a closing sale after more than two decades of business in Elk Grove.

Sohaila Murtaza, who has owned the business for 11 years of its 23 year existence, said she’s shutting down the floral boutique because of the financial struggles the business has endured.

“It’s time for us to move on,” said the semi-retiring Murtaza.

She’ll still work because she has to. But the floral business, she said, has taken many losses in a rough economy for small businesses.

“These are hard times as well financially as far as the economy and all. Our walk-in cooler broke and many things. We decided, ‘okay, that’s enough,’” Murtaza said. “Because of inflation there, as you know, the price has gone up. Customers are not buying as much as they used to. I mean, business is not as good as it used to be, especially after COVID-19. So, yeah, things are getting tough nowadays. And (there’s) rent.”

Murtaza said she sees her closure as part of a trend of other small businesses closing . She’s having an all-out, everything-must-go sale.

“I already gave our notice at the end of this month we’re going to close doors,” Murtaza said. “So I’m hoping that we can just get rid of things and be done.”

Shoppers like Alex Morton were trying to help Murtaza do just that.

Morton, an environmental educator with Sacramento Splash , made her first-ever visit to Laguna Flowers Thursday because she saw signs about the sale and wanted to see what she could find for her students.

“I was just coming by to get flowers for one of our field trip activities,” Morton said. “We do hands-on pollination activities. Also, you know, hands on bee demonstrations, agricultural stuff.”

Similar to Morton was first-time store visitor Alexis Limon, who grew up in Elk Grove and said she never had a reason to go into the flower store until Thursday.

“I’m planning for a wedding right now. And so this is super useful, because we’re DIY everything,” Limon said. “(It’s) November 9. I’m a teacher on a budget so we’re just trying to get creative.”

Laguna Flowers will close on October 31.