This December, Éscolática Floral Atelier & Boutique quietly opened its doors in the Barton Creek neighborhood, making the area just a touch more floral and fragrant in time for the holidays. Its official soft opening starts in mid-January, followed by a full grand opening in February.

As the store's owner Anníe Colon-Whorton describes it, Éscolática is "not just a traditional flower shop," but rather, a "living, breathing space where flowers, ritual, and story come together."

What this means more concretely is that Éscolática sells hand-picked bouquets of flowers, all-natural grounding oils, body shimmers, hand-poured candles, handmade soaps, journals, and other small, meaningful gifts for women. Colon-Whorton herself studied floral design in Paris, London, and New York, and describes her approach as "deeply intuitive."

"We don't use recipes or count the stems," she says. Instead, "Every arrangement is designed, not assembled — guided by movement, balance, emotion, and seasonality. Each piece is one of one."

Colon-Whorton got the idea for Éscolática after years of studying flowers intentionally, and a desire to create something more meaningful and slow, and that honored her own lineage.

In fact, "Éscolática" is named after Colon-Whorton's late grandmother, Éscolática, who she describes as "the village healer."

"[She] ushered life into the world and helped guide people through their final moments. She held space for both beginnings and endings. That lineage is the foundation of this atelier."

The exterior of Éscolática looks as whimsical is it does European. Photo courtesy of Éscolática Floral Atelier & Boutique

The result is a shop that feels distinctly earthy, natural, and yet European in its aesthetic. Colon-Whorton's intention was to create a space that celebrates women, intuition, ancestry, and beauty rather than feel sterile or transactional.

The customers she describes coming in so far find the space serendipitously or by word of mouth, spend time lingering among items, and come away with things they've intuitively gravitated toward; things they need on some level, à la the strange magic in the movie Chocolat.

Colon-Whorton also wanted to create a space where she could pass along her knowledge in floral design, so Éscolática also offers floral workshop events, which she describes "unlike anything else in Austin."

"[These] gatherings include French chocolates, champagne, ceremonial cacao, palo santo openings, and feather blessings. These experiences are as much about remembrance, grounding, and connection as they are about design," says Colon-Whorton.

Éscolática also plans to expand its workshop calendar to include seasonal floral rituals, intimate gatherings, and other female-centered experiences that blend flowers, ceremony, and storytelling.