Florist Spotlights - Bloomin' Blog

Janet Frye of The Enchanted Florist

May 28, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

Flower Shop Network had a chance to find out what makes Janet Frye of Glendale Flowers & Gifts in Glendale AZ tick and why she feels the floral industry is a fun and exciting profession.

We asked her a few questions and found some very insightful information.

Flower Shop Network: How long have you been a florist?
Florist: Since August 1975, started in Palm Springs, Ca where I trained on-the-job & practiced on celebrities!

Flower Shop Network: When did open your flower shop in Asheville?
Florist: January 18,1985

Flower Shop Network: What are your floral specialties?
Florist: Creative designs & weddings. “Reading” customers desires & get impressions of what they want even when they’re unable to express it themselves.

Flower Shop Network: What is your favorite flower?
Florist: The one in front of me at any moment! Love boronia heather, hyacinth…. that first dandelion in springtime is a thing of beauty.

Flower Shop Network: What is your favorite wedding bouquet?
Florist: One in which the Bride gives us lots of input and allows us creative license to express her personality with flowers!

Flower Shop Network: What would you say are the top flower trends in Asheville NC?
Florist: Customers are becoming more floral-savvy; requiring & asking for more unusual flowers & designs. An interesting note is that a few are beginning to ask FOR carnations be included in designs, just used in more unusual ways. Our customers love curly willow and geometric, clear-glass vases (cylinder, square, rectangle). They want their designs to have some element of “special flair,” be it botanical, style, container or accent.

Flower Shop Network: How have you used the North Carolina state flower in your designs?
Florist: Dogwood, not unless I have too. Looks more beautiful on the tree.

Flower Shop Network: What has been the best part of being a florist in North Carolina?
Florist: NC is almost like 2 states: Eastern & Western. Being a florist in ASHEVILLE NC is like being a florist in heaven! Western NC is one of the most bio-diverse spots in the world! The biodiversity and natural beauty of this area gives us some many “toys” to play with…florally speaking. Each season has it’s own offerings. There are pussy willow branches, forsythia, bulbs, lily of the valley, viburnum, camellia, spirea, curly willow, peony, glorious locally grown dahlia, celosia, sunflowers, privet and many more. We have branches, mosses, foliages and flowers easily available. Asheville being such a wonderful jewel in the mountains attracts many destination brides so we get to share the area’s abundance of flora with many who’d not experience it otherwise.

Flower Shop Network: Do you have a floral design philosophy?
Florist: Yes, best expressed by a quote of Fredrich Law Olmstead, landscape architect of Biltmore Estate-AVL, NC and Central Park, NYC… “Doing by design what nature might by chance.”

Another favorite quote is “There are no common flowers, there are only common designers” heard at a show 20-some years ago, don’t remember speaker.

Flower Shop Network: What style do you specialize in — modern, traditional, romantic, etc.?
Florist: Being AIFD means I’m good enough to do any style our clients want. What I enjoy doing most is a more natural look: using branches, flowers, moss in a style invoking the spirit of nature.

Flower Shop Network: What makes your arrangements better or different than anybody else’s?
Florist: We strive to use local & natural elements and maintain the integrity & dignity of the flowers….and we’re damned good at what we do! Flowers for me are a passion! I love flowers, the beauty, color, diversity and smell…flowers feed my soul!

Flower Shop Network: Do you remember the first time you received flowers? Tell us about it.
Florist: Spring of 1969, cymbidium orchid wrist corsage at 16 for my first prom….I knew I was special & loved.
First floral memory: laying in a field of Queen Anne’s Lace (then known as chigger-weed) on a Summer day watching the puffy clouds drift by.
Most shudderingly memorable floral experience: testing for AIFD…stressful to the Nth degree!!!
Most recent pleasant experience: helping on crew/team of Bill Schaffer AIFD & Kris Kratt AIFD at the Philadelphia International Flower Show.

Flower Shop Network: How did you get started in the floral business?
Florist: Joined a community theater group (props, sets, bit part) where the director & set designer (who owned 2 flower shops) thought I was creative …..I needed a job & they needed help. Was a great experience, very creative guys with several celebrity clients so many opportunities to learn.

Flower Shop Network: Favorite arrangements or other designs you’ve done?
Florist: Piece for opening reception, AIFD Southern Conference in Chattanooga, TN Mar. 2010. Large hand made “birdnest” basket of recycled holly stems & pussy-willow, with edging of 200 vibrant yellow callas, sitting on “perch” made of re-purposed cd racks woven with flax.

Filed Under: Florist Spotlights

Local Florist’s Mother’s Day Build-A-Bouquet Workshop A Big Success

April 13, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

After a stroke of brilliance last year, Sarah Ekberg of Lazy Acres Decor & Floral in Wakefield, NE, tried something a little different for Mother’s Day. She created a unique, “Build-A-Bouquet” Mother’s Day workshop for children to make their own floraldesigns for their moms.

“Anyone can come into my shop and point to a design, but to make one for your own Mom is priceless,” says Sarah. “My daughters, age 5 & 7 came up with they idea. They said they have so much fun making me flowers, they wish all their friends could too, and so it began.” Sarah advertised the Mother’s Day workshop in their local paper and on the radio. The kids had their choice of starting design packets in $15, $20 and $35, plus small add-ons available. “I had set aside time slots for kids to sign up on Friday. I had originally expected little girls from 3-10, but I was blown away by the response. Kids of all ages (3-19) and just as many boys as girls! The feedback from the Moms and Dads was amazing too! They are already asking about reservations for this year!”

“This year we are going to incorporate a Polaroid picture of the child making the design for Mommy too!” As Sarah put it, “[when it comes it Mother’s Day] I can make something beautiful, but you can make something exquisite.”

This post is brought to you by Flower Shop Network – your source for REAL local florists!

Filed Under: Florist Spotlights, Holiday Info, Marketing Tips Tagged With: Marketing Tips, Mothers Day, Mothers Day Flowers, Mothers Day Gifts

Local Florist on Winning Design Team at Philly Flower Show

March 17, 2011 by Flower Shop Network 1 Comment

Last July, when Janet P. Frye AIFD, CFD of The Enchanted Florist, Asheville NC was asked to join Schaffer Designs’ team of floral artists for the Philadelphia Flower Show, she never imagined the experience would be so grand.

The Major Exhibitor’s (category) entry won Best In Show; Display Gardens-Floral with an amazing 106 points, out of a possible 100! (The judges were so impressed they awarded the flower decked vignettes extra points.) The exhibit also took the Emile H. Geschick Memorial Award for distinctive orchid display, held for 191 years by horticulture groups. An amazing 3^rd prize was the Society of American Florists Flower Show Award, given for best artistic presentation of flowers and plants for public enjoyment..

Frye was part of a dream-team of 28 floral artists from across the US who converged on Philadelphia to create a floral fantasy. Working with gloved hands, bundled in layers to withstand the cold environment needed to keep the blooms at their freshest, Frye and the rest brought the vision to life.

Schaffer Designs’ owner Bill Schaffer, AIFD and partner Kristine Kratt interpreted the show’s “Springtime In Paris” theme with an exhibit celebrating a movie classic, An American in Paris, on it‘s 60^th anniversary. Show-goers experienced the classic movie in a way never seen before. The exhibit interpreted four, magical scenes of the film through a 360-degree diorama of vignettes. The true-to-the-period set added life to the spectacular floral designs. Designers created magical elements in moving, over-scaled designs, colors and incorporated original audio and video of the movie.

Most of the designers, including Frye, are Accredited and Certified with the American Institute of Floral Designers. To obtain Accreditation a designer must pass written and rigorous hands-on testing. Only the best of the best qualify to be inducted into full membership. Frye is the only Accredited AIFD designer in the Asheville, NC area. (More info at AIFD.org)

Frye also got news the same day that The Enchanted Florist Asheville had again received the Readers Choice Award for Brides Book magazine (for WNC area). This award is chosen totally by North Carolina brides and is awarded in each of NC’s major destination wedding areas. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Floral Conventions & Flower Shows, Florist Spotlights, Flower Memories Tagged With: Asheville NC Florists, flower shows, local florist, Philadelphia Flower Show

Meeting Florists Friends At ISFA Convention

March 16, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

Local Illinois Florist

While we were at the Illinois State Florist Convention, we had the pleasure of meeting some of our wonderful member florists. One of our most memorable encounters was with LaRonda Lambert of Country Creations Floral & Antiques in Marion IL. LaRonda does flowers a little differently than most florists. Her shop features floral and antiques, so she uses the vintage theme throughout her creations. She even uses some of her antique items as vases for flower arrangements.

It’s no surprise LaRonda put her own, classic spin on this years Land of Lincoln Cup competition. The theme was “Let It Rock!” and, while most people used actual rocks or went with a rockin’ music theme, LaRonda’s entry was completely out-of-the-box.

To LaRonda, rock is the slow creaking sound of her grandmother’s rocking chair on a country porch, and this is just what she created. LaRonda’s entry was more than just a pretty flower design, it was a true work of flower art that really made viewers think. The first thing to catch your attention was the screen door in the very front of the design. Looking through the screen you see the side view of a full-size rocking chair (It was actually cut in half to fit dimensions of the competition). Draped over the arm of the chair was a gorgeous, spring-color, patchwork quilt all made of flowers. For me, this floral work of art sparked great memories of going to Grandmas. She could always be found on her front porch knitting or crocheting something.

Watch The Video:

One thing about being a florist that is different than most professions is we get to mix business with pleasure. Incorporating our favorite hobbies into what we love further strengthens our passion for flowers and the business.

This post is brought to you by Flower Shop Network, your source for finding a REAL local florist.

Filed Under: Floral Conventions & Flower Shows, Floral Design, Florist Spotlights, Flower Memories Tagged With: Floral Design, Florist Videos, Illinois Florists, Illinois State Florists Association Conference

Local Florists Help Make Miss America’s Dreams Come True

March 1, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

Here she comes… Miss America!

For the last two years, Faith Lough and her team at We Luv Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada have designed the bouquets and flower arrangements for the Miss America pageant. “It’s exciting, very fun and very thrilling” she says.

We Luv Flowers is a real, LOCAL florist. “We have a small staff. It’s very intimate and quaint. When you call here, if you’re talking to me, chances are the next time you call, you’re going to get me again.”

So just how did a small-time florist get involved in this national event?

“They try to choose local florists for the pageant. It was exciting for us. Getting to go to Planet Hollywood and meeting everybody, after all the weeks and months leading up to it. You’re talking to everybody on the phone in the planning, so going down to meet everyone was exciting. They’re already talking about using us again next year.

They were very satisfied. They said they’ve never had flowers look so beautiful.”

“Last year, we did just the bouquets. This year we did: 85 centerpieces for a dinner, vase arrangements for the host, arrangements for the dressing rooms, arrangements for former Miss Americas, and arrangements for the parents luncheons.”

Faith and her team used classic red roses as their focal flower throughout their designs. Miss American traditionally always gets 24 red roses. “We used 4 foot freedom roses for Miss America’s bouquet. It was a huge! It’s a once in a lifetime event for her, so she deserves to have something special.”

At We Luv Flowers, they believe all of their customers are just as special. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a 40$ baby arrangement or a 400$ designer arrangement. I’m going to put the same personalized touches into both. It’s all about giving great customer service and making sure every arrangement that goes out the door looks it’s best.

We all try to pay great attention to detail and make sure every arrangement gets that individual touch and personalized service they are looking for. We always give extra value. If you order a 60$ arrangement it always looks like its 75$, customer service is the number one thing.”

It doesn’t matter if you’re Miss America, or Miss Smith from down the street, We Luv Flowers treats all of their customers like they are one in a million.

This post is brought to you by Flower Shop Network, your source for finding real, local florists.

Filed Under: Florist Spotlights Tagged With: Floral Design, Florist Spotlights, Nevada Florists

Rae Griffith, True Colors Artistry, Springfield Illinois

February 15, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 3 Comments

Flower Shop Network interviewed the wonderfully creative Rae Griffith, AIFD, ICPF of True Colors Floral Artistry in Springfield IL. She was chosen as our very first Illinois Florist Spotlight — congrats Rae!

Flower Shop Network: How long have you been a florist?

Florist: About 23 years, although it’s been in my heart/mind since I was a small child. Flowers have always been a passion.

Flower Shop Network: When did open your flower shop in Springfield?

Florist: Dec 3, 1993

Flower Shop Network: What are your floral specialties?

Florist: Weddings, events, and everyday… in that order. Design wise, non-traditional vased work, tropicals (I have a tropical cooler). Bright and colorful.

Flower Shop Network: What is your favorite flower?

Florist: Gardenia, although in the spring, French tulips can give the gardenia a run for the money.

Flower Shop Network: What is your favorite wedding bouquet?

Florist: Lots of silver wire, bling and crazy! Very non-traditional.

Flower Shop Network: What would you say are the top flower trends in Springfield Illinois?

Florist: Fun, bright and lush. Gerbs are the hands-down favorite, still, but customers are looking for familiar flowers with an artistic twist.

Flower Shop Network: How have you used the Illinois state flower in your designs?

Florist: I have not. It’s the wood violet. Although, I did make a large violet out of rice paper and cover it with cutup purple statice (ala rose parade float) for one of our state senator’s inauguration parties.

Flower Shop Network: What has been the best part of being a florist in Illinois?

Florist: Hmm… probably my customers. I like being close to the St. Louis and Chicago area (all within a short drive), and our floral association. I think it is one of the best in the United States.

Flower Shop Network: Do you have a floral design philosophy?

Florist: Don’t know if it so must a philosophy as a attitude. Never stop learning. I take classes, go to conventions and try to read all that I can about what is going on in the world, as far as floral design trends. To be a relevant and growing business, you must keep changing with the times, or you will be left behind. You cannot continue to do things the same way year after year and expect to grow your business. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Florist Spotlights Tagged With: Floral Design, Illinois Florists, Rae Griffith, Springfield Illinois Florists

Pensacola Florist Blooms A Million With Local Flavor

February 10, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

With the Pensacola Beach only 20 minutes away, its easy to see where this Florida flower shop gets it’s inspiration. The fantastic designers at Blooms A Million in Pensacola are passionate about involving local flavor in everything they do. “Oh My Gosh Yes!” was owner Rodney Canady’s reply when asked if he used influences of the ocean in his design work. “We use starfish, fishnet, canes, tiki torches — you name it, we do it!” Rodney says, “We have a different outlook than most other florists. We are not stuck in the more traditional aspects of our industry. Of course, we do traditional, but we don’t limit ourselves to that.”

Rodney is a Texas Master Florist, Florida Master Designer and a 3rd generation florist. He also employees another Florida Master Designer and 3rd generation florist in their shop. “We have a wealth of talent here.” Being located in a city with so many different styles and influences, diversity is this flower shops biggest asset. Rodney and his team can create fun and funky arrangements for a casual beach wedding, then turn around and design something magnificently formal for one of the very old churches in Pensacola.

Blooms A Million also encourages the arts in their city by supporting the local Pensacola Opera. They work hand-in-hand with the opera house on all of their biggest events! The most recent production was of Little Women. “For Little Women we did very traditional flowers and their colors were red and gold. I thought it would look like Christmas, but it didn’t. It really looked cool.” Rodney and his team at Blooms A Million do the flowers for the Meet The Artists parties, the presentation bouquets for the stage, and all of the centerpieces and flowers for the big dinners of the opera. “It’s always very exciting and usually happens when we have a big wedding weekend, which makes things really fun!” he jokes.

“The Pensacola Opera lets us do anything we want, but usually give us some type of criteria. For instance, when they first start up in September, they do a Jukebox Gala. We use those little jukebox accessories, and usually design in hot pink colors to go with the 50’s theme. We use a lot of Gerberas for that!”

“I think the one we designed for that was the most fun for us, was when they did a really short version of Showboat. We used a new mesh product to cover vases, funky ostrich feathers and lots and lots and lots of red roses — it was really showy. Showboat was a little bit more modern than you would think of as an opera, and it was really, really enjoyable.”

From traditional to modern, thinking outside the box is a way of life for this Pensacola florist. At Blooms A Million, “We try our best to accommodate folks and to work with them. We take ideas they see all over the place, but may not have a budget for and make it affordable to them.”

This post is brought to you by FlowerShopNetwork.com, your source for finding a REAL local florist.

Filed Under: Florist Spotlights Tagged With: Local Florists, Pensacola Florist

Florist Takes Designs To New Heights At The 2011 Tournament of Roses Parade

January 20, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell 4 Comments

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do” says local florist Heather Miller-Beldsoe from Heather’s Flowers in McDonough, GA. Heather was one of the hundreds of volunteers to help with Cal Poly’s (California Polytechnic State University) award-winning float at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. FlowerShopNetwork.com had the wonderful opportunity to talk to her about her experiences. Her friends back in Georgia told her, “You’re either crazy or stupid to be going to LA by yourself!” but that didn’t stop this Georgia girl from fulfilling her dreams.

“It was March or April of 2010 when I first started getting involved with it.” Heather would constantly check on the progress of the float via their website. She submitted pictures and YouTube videos of her work, and in August it was official. She was definitely going to be apart of this iconic American tradition.

Heather left for her Tournament of Roses adventure on Dec. 27th. She was joined by residents, parents and students who take weeks off work every year, just to come out and help during Deco Week. (Deco week is the time when the flowers are actually applied to the float.) Most sponsors pay companies to create their floats, but Cal Poly’s is always 100% volunteer. They work all week under a head designer (this one happened to have just finished designing for the Oscars!) to create this mega floral creation!

“Whenever I go to events that have these kinds of things, most of the people are older. It was kind of nice to see that there were younger people still interested in learning this craft, because I think it gets lost.”

Cal Poly has two sister universities, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly, Pomona, and each built half of the float. So, the front half is built by one campus, and the back is built by another. They bring them together only one week before Deco Week! The Cal Poly campuses are technical colleges so, of course their float had a lot of creatively-animated parts, which proved quite the challenge for float decorators. No part of the float can be seen raw. Everything has to be covered with 100% natural materials: some kind of dried flowers, seed, bark, fresh flowers. No part of the actual float can be shown.

Galactic Expedition was the theme of Cal Poly’s 2011 Rose Parade float. According to their website, it features seven childhood friends building the rocket ship of their dreams and taking their imagination to soaring heights. An operative crane, a spinning planet, moving child workers and a full complement of tools and toys were all situated on an airy cloud high above the earth’s surface.

California had such bad weather right before Deco Week, so the designers didn’t even know what they had to work with until about 48 hours before. The flowers did not even arrive until 24 hours before the judging! “We were trying to trade off other items to just to start, at least greening up.” But once they were ready, the float creations took off.

“I was like a sponge. I learned to do a lot of things, from petalling, to doing dried flowers, to the different types of glues they used. Plus the whole concept of how the mechanics work,” Heather says. “We designed more down than up, and as a florist we normally design up.”

“I [also] had the opportunity to work with genista. We can’t get it in Georgia, but it’s native to California. It was the first time I was able to really work with it.”

“I did all of the fresh flower designs on the crane. That whole piece moved two different ways, side to side and the girl went up and down! So all of the flowers had to be secured. I ended up using floral zip ties. It was the only thing I could think of to hold it all in place!” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Florist Spotlights Tagged With: Cal Poly Rose Parade Float, Floral Parade Designs, Genista, local florist, McDonough GA, Parade, Rose Parade, Tournament of Roses

Best of the Best With Carolyn Kay’s Flowers

January 6, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell Leave a Comment

With over 20 years of service, everyone has heard of Carolyn Kay’s Flowers in Chickasha, OK. It comes as no surprise she has won Reader’s Choice, Best of the Best for 3 years in a row! (And hopefully 4 in 2011~!) So how does she do it? She says it’s simply great customer service and word of mouth that works for her, and that’s no problem when you are as active in the community as Carolyn.

A very touching project Carolyn has started is her work with the local nursing home. Every month they have a big birthday bash for all of the residents with birthdays, and Carolyn is always there with a special flower arrangement for each. She says,“They really appreciate it because so many of those people never receive anything. It’s a great feeling. A lot of the residents, if they’re able, will call and thank me, and that is very rewarding.”

Carolyn also spends a lot of time decorating houses in her community with flowers. She says she does a tremendous amount of silk work, especially for houses on her city’s Tour of Homes. Of course for Christmas, but also for the changing seasons. She says people will often bring her a pillow or wallpaper scrap to match their flowers to their decor. It’s a great way to meet and get to know people in her community on a more personal level.

When asked about her most memorable wedding of 2010, Carolyn cited a romantic, military wedding at a local country club. It was an outdoor wedding and “110° in the shade” she told me. The guys had on their dress blues, and her bride carried silk flowers down the aisle. The best part? No wilting! Carolyn recommends silk flowers for outdoor weddings, especially for bouquets and arches. Inside, guests were greeted by fresh and fragrant flowers for the reception.

What’s in store for next year? Carolyn predicts that mixed bouquets and garden flowers are going to be hot in 2011. Brides are loving the assorted flowers, beautiful colors and even the foliage this year!

This post is brought to you by Flower Shop Network, where you can find real local florists in YOUR home town.

Filed Under: Florist Spotlights Tagged With: Florist Spotlights, Oklahoma Florists

Innovative Florist Working To Make Flowers A Staple In Her Community

December 15, 2010 by Mandy Maxwell 1 Comment

Flowers On Main in Placerville CA has been doing some wild and crazy things in their shop! Twice a month they invite their community into the shop for a hands-on flower workshop. Each guest has the rare opportunity to (with helpful guidance) build their own floral design to take home and enjoy.

Judie, the owner of Flowers On Main, says the classes are an absolute hit in her community. The program has been running for about 3 years now and she has seen guests of all ages and from all walks of life. Many are regulars and attend every single class.

Each class normally has a theme of either a season or holiday. For Thanksgiving, they do centerpieces; at Christmas, wreaths. Spring gets spring flowers and for Easter, they do Easter basket arrangements. Halloween is the best — they actually bring in pumpkins to use as their flower arrangement container.

Judie says, “I teach them the techniques that [florists] use. It’s not rocket science, and it’s certainly not secret. Martha Stewart has given out all of our tricks over the years. I’m not teaching anything they couldn’t learn elsewhere, it’s just giving them the opportunity to do it.”

The classes are around $25-$35 per person depending on the arrangement. Judie admits, “I don’t make a lot of money from it up front, but all of these women become customers, and all of their husbands buy flowers for them.” It’s her way of getting her flower shop’s name out into the community. It’s “not so much about promoting myself; it’s about promoting flowers. Promoting flowers in the house — to everyone. The more they have flowers around them, the more they’re going to want flowers around them.

Flower classes at Flowers on Main instill a deep love of flowers, as well as a special respect for them. Judie teaches her students the details of how to take care of the flowers and how to make an arrangement last longer. She shows them the right way, and students are “often surprised by what it takes to make a nice arrangement, and are always impressed at how long they can last.”

For one special class, she pitted her flowers against those from large, chain stores. She asked each of her students to bring in a mixed bouquet they bought at the grocery store. She supplied the vase and a few extra flowers and showed her students how to make it look right. The results? “They’ve all learned that grocery store flowers don’t last!”

Judie says she loves the teaching aspect of it all. At the beginning of the year, the group gets together and collectively decides what they want to learn that year. She says, “I’ve never trained anyone who wanted to work at a flower shop — but I have a couple of them that could do that! It’s fun and we have a great time doing it. When it becomes not fun, then I won’t do it.”

Judie also does a similar workshop with the girl scouts a few times a year. The girls learn how to arrange a bouquet, then take the flowers to convalescent homes.

Judie’s main goal is to promote the awareness of flowers in her community. She says, “I wish the United States was like Europe; anytime you go to dinner, you bring flowers.” She wants flowers to be a bigger part of our every day lives, and in my opinion, she’s well on her way!

So, if your in California, then check out the flower classes at Flowers On Main in Placerville.
And if you’re not, use Flower Shop Network’s handy directory of local florists to find YOUR local florist, and ask about flower workshops in your area.

Filed Under: Florist Spotlights Tagged With: Floral Design Classes, Floral Design Workshop, Flower Classes