maureen Intro

[maureen]

* What is your website address?
GardenPartyToGo.com

* How long have you been in business?
3 years

* Do you have any formal floral education?
http://flowerschool.com/

* How were you referred to FlowerChat?
My friend who also does wedding flowers

* What do you hope to gain from membership?
I have technical questions (hydrangea problems) - want to search forum for other's experiences

* What do you feel you can contribute to the community?
Share what I have learned - new creative ideas, etc.

* Do you operate from a commercial building or your residence?
from home

 

[RWK]

Tell us a little bit about your business......and tell us about the friend who refered you to FlowerChat. A little bit more information can help with the vetting/voting process.

 

[concord]

Your web site is awesome!

 

[maureen]

I'm so sorry for that impersonal post - Didn't know it would be your only basis for voting, (or that there would be voting, even!) I thought the questions were just to make sure I wasn't a spam bot! Sorry!

Corncord, thanks so much for the compliment about my site - I need to update it - lots more fun photos to post.

About my business - it's just my husband and I, and I'm CRAZY about weddings! Passionately love making weddings gorgeous for brides on a budget, and am still learning something new with every wedding I do - new tricks, ideas, designs.

I got started doing wedding flowers when a friend (a broke friend - ha) was getting married in a garden & saw all the beautiful, romantic David Austin roses in my garden.

Her guest list grew out of control (evil mother in law) and she had to move the wedding indoors instead of the garden. So I created an english garden look for her indoors, with topiaries, using just the flowers from my garden. Hence "gardenpartytogo.com"

 

[RWK]

Other than your flowerchool training, what other experience have you with the professional floral industry. DO you see your passion for weddings as a hobby or as a legitimate career? At this point in time, I am assuming that with the turbulent economy, you and your husband both are involved in other careers? How soon do you expect to make the world of floral design your professional career?

Reason for the questions is that FlowerChat membership is composed primarily of people within the industry who are involved in one or more aspects of the professional side of the floral business.

There are places and forums for those who consider flowers a fun hobby.......and for those non-professionals, FlowerChat is not for them.

( Need to edit/clarify some things ) - First of all......No reason why flowers can't be enjoyed as a fun hobby........we would not be professional florists and involved in the floral industry if we did not love the flowers.
Secondly - there is more to the professional floral business than just your retail flower shop. We have members who have wholesalers and suppliers, people who are show designers and always in demand to educate, teach, and to help other florists grow their business, we have people who are merging flowers into their businesses, People who have moved from a storefront to their home in order to keep the business viable, we care about profits, the bottom line, taxes, wages, benefits, and the accounting aspects of our businesses, we have event professionals, we have floral publication publishers, mass marketers, and even the crazy florist or two who lives to stir the poo and be a rebel. Even people like me who have begun their careers in the professional retail shop and seen the focus change to where I am now involved in primarily permanent botanical and residential floral decor.

 

[Victoria]

Hi Maureen. Thanks for being more expansive with your answers to our questions.

Please tell us which flower friend told you about Flowerchat. That bit of information can really ease the way through the doors.

Am I correct in assuming your business is registered in your community... with all the bells, whistles and taxes that go along with that?

I've just visited your website and see where you advise brides to buy wholesale and you "help" them with that... I don't believe that will fly well here.

V

 

[maureen]

Please tell us which flower friend told you about Flowerchat. That bit of information can really ease the way through the doors.

V

Her name is Esther & I met her in classes at the Seattle Floral Design Institute - sorry, I don't have her business card, just her email address & phone number...

Am I correct in assuming your business is registered in your community... with all the bells, whistles and taxes that go along with that?

V

Correct

I've just visited your website and see where you advise brides to buy wholesale and you "help" them with that... I don't believe that will fly well here.
V

I go with them to Washington Floral Wholesale and let them purchase their extra ribbon, vases, candy containers, & other decor items with my account - I'm sorry if this is wrong - WFS doesn't mind me doing this - what would be your objection?

If they (or the MOH) are taking them home, carting them to the wedding and setting it up, I don't feel the need to charge them markup on it (these things are already so expensive...)

 

[maureen]

Other than your flowerchool training, what other experience have you with the professional floral industry. DO you see your passion for weddings as a hobby or as a legitimate career? At this point in time, I am assuming that with the turbulent economy, you and your husband both are involved in other careers? How soon do you expect to make the world of floral design your professional career?

My husband has a private practice as a CMHT (certified mental health therapist) and no, I don't have another career, this is my full time occupation. I only do 30 weddings a year - as I mentioned before am still learning and will probably work up to more and hire additional help - I don't plan to open a retail shop ever, but might eventually rent a warehouse or R&D type space, as we don't have room on our property to build.

 

[maureen]

Guess I should have mentioned that this is my full time career - I do 30 weddings, 5 trade shows per year, spent $15,000 on flowers last year - will probably do more weddings as I get more confident at multi-tasking - ha

 

[maureen]

Oh and I buy mostly on flowerbuyer.com but some things from Washington Floral Wholesale in Tacoma, FSS in Seattle, and Pacific Wholesale in Seattle

 

[Victoria]

Thanks for your answers Maureen... much appreciated. Is Esther a member as well?

We tend to object to wholesalers who sell to the public. I'm one of those who object. However, it's your business, your choice, so welcome.

V

 

[Palms]

I have to say that i object completely to retailers providing the general public with wholesale prices. This is totally unacceptable and not good business practice imho.

The general public in general do not understand how a small business runs and therefore when they see the mark up on an item will immediately assume that they are being overpriced.

I am sorry if you are offended by my comments but this is a real passion of mine and people coming into this business do not need to be doing this.

I do not support any wholesaler who opens to the public FULL STOP..

 

[Connie]

I go with them to Washington Floral Wholesale and let them purchase their extra ribbon, vases, candy containers, & other decor items with my account -

If they (or the MOH) are taking them home, carting them to the wedding and setting it up, I don't feel the need to charge them markup on it (these things are already so expensive...)

How are you making any money on this? You are in the business to make money, aren't you?

 

[maureen]

Yes, I'm in the business to make money, this is how I make my living... when they are spending 2500 on flowers with me, I don't mind not taking a markup on extra ribbon or supplies that they need (things that I don't do any labor on)

 

[Palms]

So basically you are telling them what every florist gets their ribbon for, vases for etc etc.. Then they tell their friends, and they tell their friends and then before you know it, comments like "you just have to say wedding and the price goes up at a florist". I can get it for this price at such and such wholesalers.

Sorry but this is just wrong on every level and not very business like. It screams basement betty to me.

Offering someone a good deal is one thing and giving them something cheap but actually taking them to wholesale and advising brides to go wholesale is ridiculous... absolutely ridiculous.

speechless, well almost..

 

[Rhonda]

for the life of me, I can't ever think of a time I would need to take a customer to my wholesalers. Never mind letting them "buy" under my resale license (which is a violation of my resale license - no tax to an actual sale of an unlicensed purchaser? not sale for resale?)
I take swatches or color charts that the customer has shown me the colors. And I usually know or can find out what ribbons they are looking for. Usually they can find their own ribbon at AC Moore, JoAnn's Fabric or other stores anyway.
I, for one, cannot see "enabling" the public into my wholesale suppliers. It's bad enough some wholesalers sell to the public (with or without resale certificates)
BTW, I pass on voting

 

[TGDragonfly]

Does anyone think that accepting her will help actually educate her in the plight of the industry? Maybe she will begin to realize how her methods devalue our product. Persons who do this touch us all in some way. I don't know.

 

[Palms]

Does anyone think that accepting her will help actually educate her in the plight of the industry? Maybe she will begin to realize how her methods devalue our product. Persons who do this touch us all in some way. I don't know.

No, i dont personally think its worth it. Common sense can not be taught and i am not here to teach basic business practice.

 

[Connie]

Taking a customer to a wholesalers, and allowing that customer, who should be retail, to buy wholesale??? Well, I do admit that this lady has a lot to learn, but I'm not in favor of her learning it here.

 

[TGDragonfly]

I guess she told us off. "You guys are mean", the nerve...