Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Q & A with a florist

I thought I would answer a few questions for something different for a Blog post- if you have questions for me that you don't see here- message me and I'll be happy to answer them on another post!

Q:  How early did you start in the floral industry?

A:  I started taking Floral Design classes my sophomore year in High School in Westerville, Ohio.  I was extremely lucky that my high school had an extensive horticulture program.

Q: What did your family think of your choice in taking design classes?

A: My dad actually thought I should take Home Ec instead because he thought I would need cooking classes more than flower arranging classes when I graduated. (The joke's on him as he now is the owner of our flower shop!)

Q: How many flower shops have you worked at before managing your own?

A:   5. Technically 6 if you count working for the previous owner of Snellings before my family purchased the business in 2003.

Q: What was the hardest shop to work for?

A: I worked for a company in Columbus that was one of many shops in the city owned by one huge corporation, Gerald Stevens (some of the old Blockbuster Video CEO's).  At that shop it was all about production numbers.  I worked some holidays for 14 days straight 12+ hour days.  The design room was a long cement block room with 2 tiny windows and about 20 designers. When the electric went out one winter during the work day, I complained it was getting cold, one of the managers told me, " work faster and you'll stay warm".  He was a real peach.

Q: What do you enjoy designing the most?

A: It's a tie between weddings and sympathy work.  Weddings are always custom made, always different from one another and face paced.  They are also stressful!  I want everything to be absolutely perfect for the bride when it comes to her flowers. I do enjoy the planning and coordination it takes to go from the original bouquet idea in my head and make it real.   Sympathy work, when it's larger custom pieces, always make me feel a great sense of accomplishment.  Translating someone's emotions into flowers to dedicate to a loved one is very rewarding.

Q: Why do you dislike dyed flowers?

A: With so many beautiful flowers that come in so many various colors I really don't grasp the point of dyeing them to match like a paint chip.  And I don't find dyed "blue" roses attractive...at all.

Q: What type of arrangement do you dislike?

A: Anything that resembles a cake or poodle.  Flowers are too pretty to cut them off and make them into "birthday cake" shapes.  Just a personal opinion.

Q: What's the most difficult part of your job in today's industry?

A: Social Media and Internet Management.  Most people do not know how much time it takes to resize and upload images, format categories, add links, update status, keep posts interesting and engaging, price and adjust product descriptions, ...the list goes on and on.  The floral industry has changed so much over the years and to stay relevant the internet is a big factor in day to day business.  Running a flower shop is so much more than just "playing with flowers" all day. 

Q: What is something most people don't know about florists?

A: That sometimes we cry right along with a family that comes in after losing a loved one to place their funeral order.  Young kids and children are the hardest to design for because it never seems quite fair when a young life is cut short.  Even though we deal with funerals and grief on a daily basis, and they are always sad, it drives home how short life is and how precious the time is you spend with your children and loved ones.  So on those days I go home and hug my kids just a little harder.