UrbanStems CEO Meenakshi Lala fills her cart with handbags, Quince basics and unexpected florals

Lala did not start her career in flowers. She spent about 20 years working in fashion retail, building her career across brands big and small. She was born and raised in India and moved to New York at 21 with, as she puts it, “big dreams and big aspirations” about what she wanted to do. Now, she leads UrbanStems, which was founded in 2014 and has built its business around life’s big moments. 

Her move into flowers was, in some ways, unexpected. “I often joke that when I’m asked ‘Why flowers?’ I say, ‘I wanted to do something harder,’” she said.

She isn’t entirely kidding. Flowers are fragile. They have to arrive on time. And people usually send them when something really matters. But that is also the appeal.

“The idea of spreading joy and happiness and showing up for your loved ones is not something you can say you do at every vertical, so I’m honored to be doing that every single day,” she said.

Lala brings that same mindset to her own shopping habits. She tends to choose things that feel personal, thoughtful or tied to a specific occasion.

Unexpected blooms

Lala does not go for the obvious when it comes to flowers. Instead, she gravitates toward stems that feel a little more unusual or layered, both visually and in how they come together in an arrangement.

“My favorite flowers are the ones that are very unexpected,” she said. 

One of her go-tos is ranunculus, known for its many thin, tightly-packed petals that form a soft, rose-like shape. “They are just very complex, tons of layers, very beautiful and very, very delicate,” Lala said. Another favorite is Vanda orchids, a rarer cut orchid often sourced from Southeast Asia, with bold, saturated colors and large, open petals that give them a striking, almost graphic look. “Most people think about orchids as a plant, but these are actually floral stems,” she said. Lastly, Lala is also a fan of calla lilies because “they add so much dimension.”

When it comes to flower colors, Lala tends to steer away from the expected choices, even for major holidays. “I am not one to gift red for Valentine’s Day or want to receive red for Valentine’s Day,” she said. “I lean more towards neutrals. I love pale pinks. I love blush. I love peaches. I love whites.”

She also has a particular appreciation for purple tones, which she says are harder to get right than people may think. “I also love gifting purples. I think purples are underrated, especially blush, lavender, the lighter purples,” Lala said. “They’re a very, very hard color to achieve in flowers, and most stems get rejected at the farm levels because the color saturation does not come in right.”

Statement pieces

Lala’s background in fashion still shows up clearly in how she shops for herself. One of her guilty pleasures is handbags. She gravitates toward brands like Dior, Gucci and Chloé, and tends to buy a new bag when she’s traveling abroad. Lala jokes that her husband would argue that one or two bags would do the job, but she sees them as part of the outfit. “I can’t be using the same handbag for every outfit and every occasion,” she said.

But she isn’t a shopaholic. 

“I am not an impulse shopper anymore. I used to be in my younger days, but as I have grown older, I try to see and get things that I can get more value out of, that have more of a sentiment with it.”

One example is a statement necklace she bought in India from the designer Sabyasachi. The piece was a limited edition sold only at the brand’s flagship store in New Delhi, and it has become something of a conversation starter. “When I wear it, people come and approach me and talk to me about where it’s from.”

The online advantage

As the CEO of an e-commerce company, it’s not surprising that Lala prefers to shop online. For her, it’s less about browsing endlessly and more about having the space to think through what she actually wants. “I love the convenience of shopping in my home,” she said. “I have never been a mall girl or a department store girl. It’s challenging for me to go through racks and racks of things and shop. I just can’t do that.”

That habit of adding and editing is a big part of how she shops. Lala tends to build a cart over time, then revisit it and cut it down before checking out. Right now, that includes a few basics from Quince, a brand she turns to for layering pieces. Even then, she is second-guessing herself, toggling between her usual neutrals and a few more colorful options. “I often get excited with color, and I’m like, I want to get all the new colors, and then, like, I’m going to pause for a minute,” she said. “Ninety percent of my closet is black and blue and neutral.”

Lala is less interested in quick purchases and more focused on pieces that will stay with her. As she put it, “My thought process is about long-term staples, like what can really add to my closet and be in my closet.”