Bodega Flower Girl Curates Contemporary Corner Store Vibes

There’s long been a reliable corner store culture in Santa Barbara, where small markets like Presidio, La Bamba, Guadalajara, Riviera, and many others sell booze, snacks, household goods, and even, in some cases, prepared foods. But a new wave of contemporary mini-marts started to rise with the opening of The Eddy in the Presidio neighborhood three years ago, and now one of the city’s restaurant veterans is putting her own stamp on the scene.

This past December, Emma West Roldan — former cofounder of the lauded Julienne Restaurant, which closed in 2016, and founding partner/chef of Satellite S.B., which serves vegetarian cuisine and natural wines — took the next step on her culinary journey by opening Bodega Flower Girl near the corner of State and West Gutierrez streets. The name comes from her original idea of becoming a florist before she decided to do something more. 

“I love flowers and I do sell them,” she said. “But I think my comfort zone is food.”

The coolers at Bodega Flower Girl are full of her mostly vegetarian and vegan creations, which she makes daily in the adjacent kitchen she shares with Chocolate Maya. (Read about Maya’s new owner here.) On a recent afternoon, there was roasted cauliflower with herby aioli; “green” beans (gigante beans doused in pesto-like sauce), the Fruit, Nuts, & Seeds sandwich (her take on the PB&J); the BCR (brown rice, black beans, cheddar cheese burrito); and the Bodega Salad and Bodega Box (each full of all sorts of farmers market produce). 

For smaller bites, there were olives, pickles, and celery root soup, and for dessert, a slice of yuzu orange cake or a four-pack of cookie dough. Take it to go, or sit at one of the half-dozen seats inside and watch the passersby.  

“I’m trying not to compete with other things going on,” said West Roldan, which is one reason why she didn’t want to open a proper restaurant. “You can throw a quarter and hit a restaurant here. But where can you do grab and go? You can get a meal here in under five minutes. A lot of people are stoked on that.”

That’s just a fraction of her bodega, which was inspired both by Japanese markets — “they’re corner stores are next level,” she said — and the boliches of Chile, where her parents live half of the year. (Her mom is Chilean and went to UCSB.) “They kinda have everything,” she said of those South American bodegas. 

“Everything” at Flower Girl includes produce and pantry items, cookbooks and vegetable seeds, craft candy and incense packs, paper towels and handknit napkins, Hot Wheels and cat clocks. “We have fancy rice and regular rice, fancy pasta and regular pasta,” she said. “The thought is to be a grocery store for the neighborhood.” 

West Roldan is quickly growing her wine rack too, with plans to host tastings in the small space at some point. She’s started to host events  — there’s a how to grow and make the Bodega Salad class on March 26 in partnership with the S.B. Garden Project — and is now selling her own merch. But it’s not a T-shirt, hat, or tote bag — they’re Bodega Flower Girl socks.  

And that may be the most exciting part of Bodega Flower Girl. It’s a complete project-in-process, full of quirky surprises and devoid of some expected template to lead the way. The shelves will continue to fill with interesting packaged and prepared treats, the gatherings will grow organically, and this new Santa Barbara bodega culture will continue to blossom. 

There’s pretty much only one guiding light. Said West Roldan, “The intention is to have things for my two favorite places in my house: the kitchen and the dining room.” 

Bodega Flower Girl is throwing a grand opening party on April 18. The shop is located at 15 W. Gutierrez St. Call (805) 722-6555 or see bodegaflowergirl.com.