What began as a childhood fascination with petals and stems has flourished into a full-fledged floral business rooted in love, memory, and creativity.
Oakley resident Haley Jacquez has transformed her lifelong passion for blooms into a mobile flower bar called The Golden Tulip Co., which brings hands-on floral experiences to communities across the East Bay.
Jacquez’s journey into the floral world started early — inspired by time spent as a young girl in her godfather’s mother’s flower shop in Brentwood. “She’d let me wander through the flower coolers and help with arrangements,” she recalls, describing those early encounters with blooms as the seed of something special.
While her formal education took her into the world of neuroscience, Jacquez’s heart always circled back to flowers. That inner calling led her in late 2024 to launch her business: a flower bar on wheels where guests can build their own bouquets, attend floral workshops, and immerse themselves in the art of floral design.
Each bouquet built at The Golden Tulip Co. is a symphony of seasonal flowers — from long-stemmed roses to baby’s breath — sourced locally or from the San Francisco Flower Market when needed. Jacquez, who often begins her day at 4 a.m. to select the freshest flowers, says, “Flowers demand presence. They’re fleeting, beautiful reminders to slow down and appreciate the moment.”
Her business name is a tribute to her late grandfather — affectionately known as “Papa Golden” — whose favorite flowers were tulips. His memory lives on in every stem sold and every bloom arranged under The Golden Tulip Co. banner.
Jacquez offers everything from bridal bouquet workshops to community pop-ups, creating a floral experience that’s as educational as it is beautiful. “It’s not just arranging flowers,” said recent customer Juanita Sorrell. “Haley teaches us about each flower’s purpose — their seasonality, their strength, how best to highlight them.”
Jacquez’s workshops turn flower arranging into an art form. She introduces new, often lesser-known blooms and shares how different varieties contribute to balance and beauty in an arrangement — distinguishing focal flowers, fillers, and background greenery with thoughtfulness.
Inspired by other mobile florists like Kristina Lux of Hayward’s Sweet Pea the Flower Truck, Jacquez has found a community of likeminded flower bar owners across the country. These connections help foster creativity, growth, and idea-sharing — all centered around petals and stems.
Though her floral truck is blooming with success, Jacquez dreams of a future filled with even more flowers. “The goal is to open a brick-and-mortar shop — one filled with flowers, books, and coffee,” she said. “A place where people can come in to learn, relax, and surround themselves with beauty.”
Through all the arrangements, bouquets, and flower-sourcing trips at dawn, Jacquez remains grounded in her deep-rooted love for flowers. “Everyone has a personal connection to at least one flower,” she says. “And that’s what I love — creating space for people to rediscover that connection.”
In a world that often moves too fast, The Golden Tulip Co. reminds us to slow down, breathe in the scent of a fresh bloom, and find joy in the petals.
