Photography by Malaika Khan

Flowers are symbols of hope - of new life growing from the Earth, reaching out to connect with the surrounding natural world. As humans we can learn much from plants - beyond beauty; they represent what it means to be part of something greater.

In 2023, The Flower Library was founded by Judee Channaoui and Beyza Anil, two friends who bonded over their love of literature and florals.

Based in New Jersey, The Flower Library offers floral arrangements in meticulously thrifted jars for pickup, delivery, and pop-up events. What sets this business apart is the focus on creating change by using the beauty of flowers to fund important humanitarian causes.

MODEST sat down to speak with both founders on their business, reinvigorating hope when faced with helplessness, and the resilience of flowers.

MODEST: Can you share what inspired you to create The Flower Library?

JUDEE: As Lebanese-Palestinian, gardening is one tradition that is passed down in my family. During the COVID-19 lockdown, my mother and I bonded over a special project to create a huge garden in our backyard. This led to my passion for learning how to make floral arrangements and gifting them to friends and family. Beyza is my best friend and #1 supporter.

BEYZA: Judee is incredibly talented when it comes to flowers. She started The Flower Library Instagram in 2023 and pulled me in to manage the social media and assist with arrangement and events. We both do a little bit of everything. Our focus on flowers comes from an appreciation of beauty. We’re always planning dinner parties, hosting events, and taking normal things and making them more beautiful for the people in our lives. Plus, we see how happy people get when they receive flowers.

MODEST: Can you tell us more about what goes into one of your bouquets?

JUDEE: Naturally when you work with flowers, there is a deep love and appreciation for the environment. We try to follow ethical practices as much as possible, but this can be challenging given how the floral industry is set up. Our long-term plan is to grow everything ourselves. Until then, we offset any negative impact we may have by focusing on sourcing and reducing our carbon footprint by offering pop-ups and pick-up orders rather than driving all over the state. We are also big fans of thrifting and finding unique vases for our floral arrangements.

BEYZA: For events, we don’t have vendors we work with for decorations. Instead, we sell an idea with our flowers and work towards achieving that vision in the most ethical way possible.

MODEST: Speaking of vision, The Flower Library highlights fundraising for humanitarian causes. Where did the shift to philanthropy come from?

JUDEE: After the October 2023 escalation in Gaza by Israel, we felt helpless being in the US and watching the horror unfold. So, we shifted our approach through florals by starting a Valentine’s fundraiser in 2024 with 100% of the proceeds going towards The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Anera, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Palestine Legal, and Medical Aid for Palestinians. This was the kick-off to accepting orders outside of our friends and family, and we’ve been incredibly grateful to see the response we’ve received.
There is a part of us that feels selfish for doing this just to make ourselves feel better, but at the end of the day we are still donating to organizations that are directly helping on the ground with humanitarian aid.

BEYZA: Palestinian writer, Mohammed El-Kurd, published an article where he speaks about how intense guilt can feel, but that it’s essentially useless because it eats away at you till you become obsolete. He mentions how our mission as allies is to stay energetic and hopeful no matter what. That’s what we are trying to do with The Flower Library. It’s easy to lose hope after almost a year of genocide but our work keeps us energized and working towards something.

JUDEE: To add to Beyza’s response, our floral fundraisers resparked hope for us. We spend all this time watching the news and seeing how our government doesn’t care if you’re Muslim or Palestinian, but through our fundraisers we’ve seen public opinion shift from outside the Arab and Muslim communities towards Palestine. Because it’s not just an Arab or Muslim cause, it’s really about humanity. Seeing that people do care reinvigorated our activism. Right away, the energy levels were at 100 again, and we knew that we would keep going.

MODEST: What has the response been like at your pop-ups?

JUDEE: We love doing pop-ups at Erie Coffeeshop & Bakery in Rutherford, NJ. During one, a woman was inspired to donate directly even though we sold out of bouquets. Others donated on top of purchasing a bouquet. When you get this support from your friends and family it’s amazing but getting it from complete strangers is so affirming and makes you realize that there is a community that wants to help and see lasting peace.

MODEST: Have you faced any challenges as a Palestinian-owned business?

BEYZA: We recently had an event planned at a local university that we spent an entire day prepping for. The evening before the big day, Judee received a message in the vendor group chat that the event was canceled. The university canceled because the mantra of one of the organizers, the Students for Justice in Palestine, was against university values - specifically that the university did not stand against Zionism. That they were comfortable taking a stance like this was heartbreaking for us, and now we were at the risk of losing out on a couple hundred dollars worth of florals. Thankfully, our community showed up for us, and we were able to sell all the bouquets at Erie Cafe.

JUDEE: It’s definitely been an eye-opening experience, and we realize we’re going to have difficulties that other businesses don’t. Growing up as a non-white person in the West, you experience racism all the time. But now we’re seeing it on a financial and business level. There have been bumps in the road where being discriminated against because of who we are or what we stand for has felt like a smack in the face but we are quick to shift our mindset. At the end of the day, it’s their loss and something better always comes. Being able to lean on our community during these tough times has also been healing.

MODEST: What impact do you hope to make with your business?

JUDEE: We see The Flower Library as a creative outlet but one rooted in community. After you graduate from college, it’s hard to feel a sense of community with your peers. Through our fundraisers and pop-up events we hope to reach all parts of New Jersey and connect with others who have an appreciation for beauty, making change in the world, and a desire to be part of something bigger.

BEYZA: I really want everyone to romanticize their life as much as possible. Flowers are a huge part of that; they’ll always be a universal love language for me. Through our work, we want to make gorgeous things for people to enjoy that inspire awe in their space. Whether that’s a bridal bouquet or a table centerpiece - we want people to be able to look at their life and say, ‘How beautiful is this?’

MODEST: Lastly, what flower would you choose to represent you? Your business?

JUDEE: Flowers are a symbol of resistance in different parts of the world. For example, the poppy doesn’t have just one meaning, it’s all layered based on different factors. This nuance is what draws me to them. I currently love stalks. People underestimate their power in a bouquet since they are seen as filler flowers, but the minute you put them in, they become a focal feature.

BEYZA: Judee is a fan of the underdogs and is really skilled at making the flowers people overlook shine in an arrangement. For me, I love ranunculus!

JUDEE & BEYZA: As for The Flower Library, red and white anemones, as signs of resilience and remembrance represent the heart of our business.

Flowers are poignant reminders that just like them, hope can bloom again. At a metaphysical level, they represent beauty and change which compound when people like Judee and Beyza use them as a medium for their activism. From the Earth to the hands of beautiful souls like Judee and Beyza, and then to community, a ripple is created. Resistance in a flower, the world - towards a better tomorrow.

Follow and support The Flower Library on Instagram and stay tuned to the exciting things they are working towards (a floral tea party may be on the horizon…).

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Creative Direction: Ifrah Akhtar
Photographer: Malaika Khan
Featured Models: Judee Channaoui and Beyza Anil of The Flower Library

The Flower Library: Resistance and Hope in Bloom