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.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
The Insanity of Proms on Mother's Day Weekend
Prom should never be scheduled on the same weekend as Mother's Day for the following reasons:
1.) It's MOTHER'S DAY. It should about Mom, not about Mom running her butt off to get son/daughter ready for prom.
2.) See #1, and, if son/daughter is out really late Saturday night, they will not be getting up early to spend the day with Mom.
3.) again with #1, if son/daughter is involved in a car accident, Mom may be getting the worst phone call of her life at 2am.
4.) Mother's day is the Number #1 holiday for many retailers- Florists especially. Not everyone has a lover, but everyone has a Mother. Whether still among the living or deceased, they are recognized with flowers. Many people take their mothers out for dinner that weekend. I, along with other area florists had to stop taking prom orders last year- literally turning away money because we physically can't design that many orders. Corsages and boutonnieres take twice as long to make as a standard arrangement. How many area kids went to prom without flowers? How sad for them! How many couldn't get a dinner reservation? Again, very disappointing. And if you're wondering why we don't work later, we do. My design team were here very late Thursday and Friday. It was after midnight when I got home Thursday night. We can't work 24 hours around the clock. Sorry, but we can't. We need food and sleep to function too.
5.) If the students going to prom attend different schools and both proms are scheduled for the same night- that makes attending both proms very difficult.
6.) I really don't need any more reasons, the above 5 are all very good reasons. Hopefully the schools will plan accordingly for next year. This florist, along with the other florists in this town, and parents would really appreciate it.
1.) It's MOTHER'S DAY. It should about Mom, not about Mom running her butt off to get son/daughter ready for prom.
2.) See #1, and, if son/daughter is out really late Saturday night, they will not be getting up early to spend the day with Mom.
3.) again with #1, if son/daughter is involved in a car accident, Mom may be getting the worst phone call of her life at 2am.
4.) Mother's day is the Number #1 holiday for many retailers- Florists especially. Not everyone has a lover, but everyone has a Mother. Whether still among the living or deceased, they are recognized with flowers. Many people take their mothers out for dinner that weekend. I, along with other area florists had to stop taking prom orders last year- literally turning away money because we physically can't design that many orders. Corsages and boutonnieres take twice as long to make as a standard arrangement. How many area kids went to prom without flowers? How sad for them! How many couldn't get a dinner reservation? Again, very disappointing. And if you're wondering why we don't work later, we do. My design team were here very late Thursday and Friday. It was after midnight when I got home Thursday night. We can't work 24 hours around the clock. Sorry, but we can't. We need food and sleep to function too.
5.) If the students going to prom attend different schools and both proms are scheduled for the same night- that makes attending both proms very difficult.
6.) I really don't need any more reasons, the above 5 are all very good reasons. Hopefully the schools will plan accordingly for next year. This florist, along with the other florists in this town, and parents would really appreciate it.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Why choose a professional floral designer?....
Why you
should use a professional florist for your wedding or special event:
We are professionals. We design flowers every day, all day, for many occasions. This is not a “hobby” for us. We have spent years in college or other floral design programs, and also have industry accreditations that back up our expertise in floral design. (see www.AIFD.org, the American Institute of Floral Designers)
- We know the inside scoop on flower growing conditions/availability. We talk to our suppliers on a daily basis. Emails, Texts, Phone conversations. We will know when a particular flower is not available due to drought, flooding, insects, crop problems, etc. and are able to plan accordingly.We also know how long it will take to get this:
to look like this: .jpg)
- You want to know the person designing your flowers has done this before. A professional floral designer has designed numerous wedding bouquets, centerpieces; in every imaginable color scheme and style.
- Designing flowers is time consuming and labor intensive. The industry average from start to finish for a small arrangement is 15-20 minutes. Imagine the complexity of a bridal bouquet. Now you are talking 30-60 minutes depending on style and flowers. This is for a professional to design it. If you plan on DIY, double those numbers. Then add all the centerpieces, bouquets, corsages, etc into the time total and you may be looking at 1-2 days of designing. Do you have that kind of time prior to your wedding day? Probably not. Professionals know how to schedule their work load to accommodate designing multiple weddings, adding staff and working extended hours to make sure everything is ready for you special day.
- We will tell you Silk a.k.a. Permanent Botanicals will cost the same or more than their fresh counterparts. Why? If you want realistic looking flowers, that will photograph well, than you will want top quality silk flowers. The cheaper the flower, the cheaper it will look in your pictures. We beg you to not go to the big-retailer-who-will-not-be-named and purchase cheap discount silks for your wedding day.
- We know about budgets. We do. We want to give you the best possible wedding within a budget you are comfortable with. We are here to make your life easier, not more stressful.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Those special little packets we give you....
The floral preservative packets that we enclose with your arrangement are just one more step to ensuring that your flowers last a long time for you.
In these packets is a chemical mixture of a bacteria/fungicide, food for the flowers, and an acidifier/clarifier for the water. The more acidic or "wetter" the water the better for your flowers. The fungicide keeps mold/fungus at bay while the food is absorbed by the flowers.
What makes the preservative unique is the fact that it is a precise combination of those 3 components that work together.
Sometimes people think that they can make their "own" floral preservative out of odd things like bleach, sprite, sugar, aspirin, and even copper pennies. These things do not work and can even harm your flowers. If you put just bleach in the water, the flowers receive no food. Just sugar- say hello to funky chunky water (-yuck!-)
Another important step is mixing the packet with the correct amount of water- 1 pint of fresh clean water with 1 packet of floral preservative. No more, no less.
What to do when after the first water change and you no longer have a packet?
Change the water COMPLETELY every day. It's really that simple. Fresh clean water everyday will prevent mold/mildew from taking over the water which is one of the most significant problems people encounter with fresh flowers. I can't tell you how many of my friends homes I've been to where the vase was half full of cloudy, dirty water. Do you want to drink the water if it looked like that? Trust me, the flowers don't either.
Stems should be recut with a sharp pair of gardening pruners or a sharp knife. Not household scissors or smashed by a hammer (another old wives tale). A clean sharp cut will reopen the stem to uptake the new water.
Follow these steps and I'm sure you will see significant improvement in how long your flowers last!
In these packets is a chemical mixture of a bacteria/fungicide, food for the flowers, and an acidifier/clarifier for the water. The more acidic or "wetter" the water the better for your flowers. The fungicide keeps mold/fungus at bay while the food is absorbed by the flowers.
What makes the preservative unique is the fact that it is a precise combination of those 3 components that work together.
Sometimes people think that they can make their "own" floral preservative out of odd things like bleach, sprite, sugar, aspirin, and even copper pennies. These things do not work and can even harm your flowers. If you put just bleach in the water, the flowers receive no food. Just sugar- say hello to funky chunky water (-yuck!-)
Another important step is mixing the packet with the correct amount of water- 1 pint of fresh clean water with 1 packet of floral preservative. No more, no less.
What to do when after the first water change and you no longer have a packet?
Change the water COMPLETELY every day. It's really that simple. Fresh clean water everyday will prevent mold/mildew from taking over the water which is one of the most significant problems people encounter with fresh flowers. I can't tell you how many of my friends homes I've been to where the vase was half full of cloudy, dirty water. Do you want to drink the water if it looked like that? Trust me, the flowers don't either.
Stems should be recut with a sharp pair of gardening pruners or a sharp knife. Not household scissors or smashed by a hammer (another old wives tale). A clean sharp cut will reopen the stem to uptake the new water.
Follow these steps and I'm sure you will see significant improvement in how long your flowers last!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Gambling for the Holidays
Ordering and preparing for a busy holiday is a lot like gambling. Especially when dealing with fresh perishable product. Florists have to look at previous years sales, economic growth, weather forecasts, sales trends for the year to date. When we look at all of those factors we then have to "guess" how much to order. We don't want to run out of flowers too early. We don't want to be stuck with red roses after Valentines day.
Trying to figure out how many bunches of a particular flower to order is time consuming and stressful. How many arrangements with lilies did we sell last year? How many do we think we will sell this year? What is the cut off date from our suppliers to get the best price? The longer you wait to order the higher the price.
Most flowers are sold by the bunch. Each bunch is either a 10 stem bunch, a 5-7 stem bunch, or sold by weight with various stem counts. Baby's breath and other "filler flowers" are often sold by weight. Sometimes it comes with 5 stems with huge clusters of blossoms, other times it comes with up to 15 stems of sparse clusters of flowers. It is weighed using the Metric system which is even more complicated when trying to convert on an American measuring scale. Why weigh it? To sell at a more reasonable price.
Another factor is how the product has been arriving so far this year. Maybe there has been too much rain in South America and the gerberas have not been coming in as nice. Do you cut back? Do you delete it from your order?
Which supplier do you order from? Company A is selling carnations slightly cheaper than Company B. But Company B's product has been consistently good from their growers all year long. Do you save money with A or go with the consistency of B?
After all of this planning and gambling, I don't know if I've done a good job until after the holiday is over. And by then, it's too late to adjust or make changes, you're left with the choices you made. Much like choosing a horse on Derby day, you don't know if you picked a winner until the race is over.
Trying to figure out how many bunches of a particular flower to order is time consuming and stressful. How many arrangements with lilies did we sell last year? How many do we think we will sell this year? What is the cut off date from our suppliers to get the best price? The longer you wait to order the higher the price.
Most flowers are sold by the bunch. Each bunch is either a 10 stem bunch, a 5-7 stem bunch, or sold by weight with various stem counts. Baby's breath and other "filler flowers" are often sold by weight. Sometimes it comes with 5 stems with huge clusters of blossoms, other times it comes with up to 15 stems of sparse clusters of flowers. It is weighed using the Metric system which is even more complicated when trying to convert on an American measuring scale. Why weigh it? To sell at a more reasonable price.
Another factor is how the product has been arriving so far this year. Maybe there has been too much rain in South America and the gerberas have not been coming in as nice. Do you cut back? Do you delete it from your order?
Which supplier do you order from? Company A is selling carnations slightly cheaper than Company B. But Company B's product has been consistently good from their growers all year long. Do you save money with A or go with the consistency of B?
After all of this planning and gambling, I don't know if I've done a good job until after the holiday is over. And by then, it's too late to adjust or make changes, you're left with the choices you made. Much like choosing a horse on Derby day, you don't know if you picked a winner until the race is over.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Holiday Tips and Info just for you!
A few holiday tips and info:
1. Poinsettias are NOT poisonous. They are NOT. Every year this myth persists but it's simply not true. Granted, I wouldn't substitute Poinsettia leaves for lettuce on my BLT, but you won't die.
2. Holly berries rarely grow on the very tip of the plant branch. Much to florists' frustrations, the berries usually grow about mid way up the stem. Holly berries ARE POISONOUS and should not be consumed.
3. Mistletoe berries ARE POISONOUS. Also this plant is hard to find and most florists don't carry the fresh variety because of availability and cost.
4. Your florist's hands are going to be black from pine sap. We don't have a contagious disease, I promise. We wear gloves to protect our hands from the sap (which turns black and is extremely hard to get off). But with answering phones, waiting on customers, computer work, sometimes the gloves come off and we hustle back to work without them. Olive oil, lava soap, and the mechanic's orange soap are great at getting (most of) the sap off. They also dry out our skin to the point where it cracks and bleeds. The less glamourous part of the floral industry for sure. Most of us lather up with vaseline, bag balm or other moisturizers and put socks over our hands before we go to bed at night.
5. Flowers do not like temperatures below 36 degrees. Fresh flowers are comprised of mostly water, water freezes at 32 degrees.
6. Flowers also do not like 80 degree living rooms and direct sunlight. Either one of these elements speeds up the life cycle of fresh flowers. Try to keep your fresh flowers in a cooler room and away from heat ducts, radiators, and windows.
7. With all of the instant messaging, texting, etc in the world today, your internet order card message more than likely won't be edited. If you write it, we print it. We are under the assumption you want the message to say "I L U TC TTYL- Snickkers" Maybe you call each other pet names and if we correct the spelling, then we're in trouble for editing. Please proofread your messages before you hit "Next" or "Continue" on the order screens.
8. To keep your flowers fresh, if in a vase, change water completely every day, at the minimum every other day with fresh clean water. No aspirin, sugar, bleach, pennies, sprite, etc. Just clean H2O. If your flowers are arranged in a a container, add water to the arrangement everyday. The best way is to add water at the lip of the container so the oasis floral foam will soak up the water like a sponge.
Have a great holiday season!!
1. Poinsettias are NOT poisonous. They are NOT. Every year this myth persists but it's simply not true. Granted, I wouldn't substitute Poinsettia leaves for lettuce on my BLT, but you won't die.
2. Holly berries rarely grow on the very tip of the plant branch. Much to florists' frustrations, the berries usually grow about mid way up the stem. Holly berries ARE POISONOUS and should not be consumed.
3. Mistletoe berries ARE POISONOUS. Also this plant is hard to find and most florists don't carry the fresh variety because of availability and cost.
4. Your florist's hands are going to be black from pine sap. We don't have a contagious disease, I promise. We wear gloves to protect our hands from the sap (which turns black and is extremely hard to get off). But with answering phones, waiting on customers, computer work, sometimes the gloves come off and we hustle back to work without them. Olive oil, lava soap, and the mechanic's orange soap are great at getting (most of) the sap off. They also dry out our skin to the point where it cracks and bleeds. The less glamourous part of the floral industry for sure. Most of us lather up with vaseline, bag balm or other moisturizers and put socks over our hands before we go to bed at night.
5. Flowers do not like temperatures below 36 degrees. Fresh flowers are comprised of mostly water, water freezes at 32 degrees.
6. Flowers also do not like 80 degree living rooms and direct sunlight. Either one of these elements speeds up the life cycle of fresh flowers. Try to keep your fresh flowers in a cooler room and away from heat ducts, radiators, and windows.
7. With all of the instant messaging, texting, etc in the world today, your internet order card message more than likely won't be edited. If you write it, we print it. We are under the assumption you want the message to say "I L U TC TTYL- Snickkers" Maybe you call each other pet names and if we correct the spelling, then we're in trouble for editing. Please proofread your messages before you hit "Next" or "Continue" on the order screens.
8. To keep your flowers fresh, if in a vase, change water completely every day, at the minimum every other day with fresh clean water. No aspirin, sugar, bleach, pennies, sprite, etc. Just clean H2O. If your flowers are arranged in a a container, add water to the arrangement everyday. The best way is to add water at the lip of the container so the oasis floral foam will soak up the water like a sponge.
Have a great holiday season!!
Monday, November 18, 2013
In case you missed it....
The reporter asked many in depth questions and took a genuine interest in writing a meaningful article and not just hitting some highlights.
I could not stress enough in the article, and now in this forum, exactly how IMPORTANT it is for you, the consumer, to shop local. I realize you won't be able to buy everything you need local but what you do buy local helps you in return! To quote the 3/50 Project:
" ..For every $100 spent in locally owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through payroll, taxes, and other expenditures. If you spend that at a national chain, only $43 stays here. If you spend it online (on a national retailer website).. nothing comes home. "
Payroll supports families. Taxes support the local community and education system. The list goes on. Small business Saturday is Nov 30th. Any amount spent local is better than nothing. Support your friends, neighbors, and community this year!
For more information visit : http://www.the350project.net/home.html
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