It is a garden/garage with a comfortable couch at the center. But the flowers—arrangements that blend blooming artichokes and kale stems—are the stars of Ampersand’s new minimalist space in Idol Vintage’s former unloading garage on Albion Street.
The floral celebrities outgrew the apartment start-up of Benjamin Boso, 29, and Emerson Boyle, 25, but today they are front and center at Ampersand’s official opening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Boso and Boyle credit their success to San Francisco City College’s Forestry program. “They have the best program,” Boso said, “the best teachers.”
When the couple found the space on Albion, Boyle said, “It was purple head-to-toe and it had layers of dirt, but we could see it had good bones.”
“I love the light coming in, the structure, the wooden beams and the shabby chic rustic look,” added Boso.
Friends and family helped the couple to clean the place up and give it a simple white paint job. The décor is minimalist: a few design lamps and a white couch.
The couple plans to bring in live poetry and open-mic nights as a way to “come together with the community and hang out.”
Ampersand opened on August 1st and will have an official opening today from 5-8p.m. They are open everyday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
fabulous!!!!
Very nice! 🙂
Thank you Mission Loc@l for coming by and for the lovely write up! We’re so happy to be a part of the neighborhood! We would also like to add that all of our flowers are Bay Area grown.
Our address is 80 Albion Street & our website is ampersandsf.com!
It’s supposed to be Floristry Program. Great article. Excellent job Guys!