I don’t know about you, but I kept singing “Little Shop of Horrors” every time I saw the title of this game. And I was going to write a big, elaborate introduction that referenced LSoH. Then I realized that I haven’t actually seen it, and that it would probably fall flat, and it just wasn’t going to work out.
But since I couldn’t come up with anything else, then I’ll just tell you about my bad idea, and let that serve as the introduction. That seems reasonable.
Little Shop
The Little Flower Shop is a card drafting game that was released by Dr. Finn’s Games back in 2018. Each player has, well, their own little flower shop. You are trying to set up a window display of beautiful vases and baskets, accumulating as many petal points as possible along the way.
You will start the game with a few vases, and then acquire new cards by drafting. Similar to Sushi Go! or 7 Wonders, each player starts with a big handful of cards, chooses one, and then passes the rest to the left or right (depending on the round). You’ll have the chance to acquire new flowers, vases, or flower baskets, or even money or customers.
Flowers, vases, and flower baskets are all placed on the player board. There is room for 8 vases and 3 baskets, so players have to do a little bit of managing to ensure that they maximize their space. Vases have specific flowers that they need to fill them, and flowers can only be displayed in vases. Flower baskets are worth big points, but you’ll need cash in order to acquire them.
Bop Sh’bop
So where do you get this cash? Well, cash cards are an easy way. If you play one of these, you’ll add dollars right to your cash register. You also can use customer cards, which allow you to sell extra vases or flowers for money. If any of these items can’t be used right away, up to four cards can be stored off to the side of the player board to be used later.
Players will add cards and money to their collections for three rounds. At that point, players will count up their petal points on their vases and baskets, and whoever has the most wins!
Watch ‘em Drop
The artwork of The Little Flower Shop will catch your eye right away. It seems elegant and almost formal, and I think it’s a great match for the theme of the game. The flowers, especially, are intricately detailed, and I appreciate the little touches like baby’s breath on some of the cards.
The artwork is also very functional. Flower cards fit nicely behind the vase cards so that the flowers look like they are in a vase. In addition, all of the cards lay out very well on the player board. It seems large when you initially unfold it, but there’s just enough room for the vases and baskets without needing dotted lines or anything to show where cards go.
All of this artwork is a highlight on a simple and straightforward card drafting game. If you’re familiar with this mechanic at all, you can probably get started in a minute or two. Newer players may take a little longer, but they’ll pick up on the rules within a few minutes. There aren’t too many variants on strategies, so this game works really well for newer board game players.
Call a Cop
So who is The Little Flower Shop for? Well, if you’re a family that’s really enjoying Sushi Go! but wants to try something else, this works. It could also be a nice addition if maybe a younger child isn’t quite ready for that Japanese culinary experience, as this is simpler and more straightforward. 
For others, it could just be about the theme and the artwork. If you’re looking for a filler game, and you think that this one looks pretty, then give it a shot. You’re not going to find groundbreaking mechanics or anything that you haven’t done before. However, it sure looks nice on the table as you’re playing it, and you’ll probably leave the table satisfied after a game or two.
You can find a copy of The Little Flower Shop on Doctor Finn’s website or at your favorite local game store.
Highs
- Good introduction to card drafting for kids – even simpler than Sushi Go!
- Beautiful artwork and good components
Lows
- Not a lot of opportunities for strategy
Doctor Finn’s Games supplied us with a retail copy of this game. We have done our best to prevent this from affecting our review of the game.
