Our owner and floral designer, Shayai Lucero, was born and raised on the reservations of the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna. She is a 2008 graduate of the University of New Mexico (B.S. Biology, Minor in Chemistry). She is also a former Miss Indian World (1997). In 2011, Shayai was named of Indian Country's "40 Under 40" by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED).
Shayai is a lifelong student of the traditional Pueblo medicinal plants. She began learning when she was 13 years old. In 2005, she began studying Curanderismo Medicine and received her Certificate in Traditional Mexican Healing. The certificate program was a multi-institutional program involving the University of New Mexico, La Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos (Mexico) and el Centro de Desarrollo Humano hacia la Comunidad (Mexico).
In 2016, Shayai was selected as a "Nominated Changemaker" to attend the United State of Women Summit hosted by The White House in Washington, DC. In 2019, Shayai was commissioned by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to create the Native Warriors Wreath to commemorate National American Indian Heritage Month.
Shayai has also learned floral design elements and techniques since becoming an owner. She has developed and nurtured her own quirky floral style that has recently been recognized by the international floral industry.
Ms. Lucero and her husband, Aaron Fry, are raising their two children in Laguna