Single-use plastics are notoriously bad for not only our wildlife and the environment, they are bad for anyone that consumes the wildlife that ingest these plastics. We’ve eliminated one more single-use plastic from our shop, and we’re recycling in the process! Have you ever turned a rose upside-down to preserve it and noticed just how strong the stem becomes when it’s dried? We noticed that too!

It takes a bit of effort and vigilance, but the environment is so worth each sustainable step we can take. We often cut our long stem rose stems to accommodate shorter arrangements or remove them altogether for rose petal orders. Instead of throwing them away, we are saving these stems, drying them, and making slits at one end to hold the envelopes that carry message cards and care instructions.

The next time you receive an arrangement from us, you can compost the sustainable card holder right along with the flowers and greenery!

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We shortened our shop hours from 7pm to 5pm, even though our competitors were open later than we. This allowed (and continues to allow) us to have quality time with family each evening. When we were able to finally hire employees, we sought out individuals with the same qualities and values that we have as a family. We also sought out individuals that added to and improved the family atmosphere of our shop.

Our goal is to have a shop full of people that care about each other and our customers as much as they care about their own families. With big box companies gobbling up whole industries because they make purchases cheap and easy, we are able to do the one thing those companies can’t—treat you like family and offer you beautiful, artistic, unique designs.

Putting family first means offering our employees living wages. We are happier at work and kinder to our families when we get home if we are not stressed about money. We stay with companies longer when we feel valued and cherished. Most of our employees have been here for at least two years. There is so much value in that kind of longevity.

Our front of the house all know that Mrs. W is allergic to eucalyptus and Mr. S likes Ikebana-style arrangements. Our drivers know not to ring the B Sisters doorbell because it makes their dogs go crazy. Just text them, and they’ll slip out to grab the flowers. Casey talked to a long-time customer yesterday who was in a hurry. The call lasted 1 minute and 39 seconds because they knew his wife’s preferences and had all the information needed for a delivery. We’ve also had calls that last a half hour as we talk through options and offer suggestions to ensure we are creating the perfect arrangement for the occasion.

Our prices and delivery fees continue to be very competitive compared to other high-end florists (not Costco)! But the way and reason we structure our prices is founded in sourcing quality long-lasting flowers, supporting local regenerative (#sustainability #grownnotflown) family flower farmers, and putting family first by offering living wages. We continue to see the amazing benefits of this focus in our individual lives, the atmosphere of the shop, the quality of our arrangements, and the family-oriented customer service we extend to our customers. We all make choices to support businesses that focus on qualities and practices that align with our priorities. We hope knowing a bit more about our foundation and priorities reinforces the trust you have put into our wonderful family business!

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Dead Dirt

Years ago I read a book by chef, Dan Barber, called The Third Plate. It was shortly after my two sons were diagnosed with celiac disease. Managing the disease is super simple–just don’t ingest gluten! Discovering why celiac disease and other autoimmune disorders are on the rise was a little more complicated, but I felt a lot of clues were in Dan Barber’s book. Barber writes about living soil (as opposed to dead dirt) and thriving heritage crops (as opposed to genetically modified crops sustained by chemicals).

Living Soil

The more research I do, the more I am convinced that creating and sustaining healthy living soil through regenerative farming practices is the key to so much of what ails us and our planet. If you want some inspiration on how transformative healthy soil and regenerative farming can be, just watch Kiss the Ground and The Biggest Little Farm!

This blog post from Heirloom Soul Florals outlines these practices and the benefits that they bring: 

“Very literally, ‘Regenerative’ Farming means we are rebuilding and rejuvenating life on earth. The ‘re-’ is critical for our understanding, because our land, at one time, was full of incredible life. We humans have spent millennia, and most notably the past few decades, effectively destroying life on earth. Through Regenerative farming and gardening, we can restore that lost life. We won’t be able to fully restore it to what it once was, but we can make it 100-fold better than it is now and guarantee a habitable planet for our future generations.”

Local Flower Farmers

The local flower farms we purchase from through Old Dominion Flower Cooperative are all organic and many incorporate regenerative practices such as no-tilling and cover-cropping. This short but illuminating video by Grateful Gardners, one of our local flower farmers, does a great job of explaining how and why farms like theirs make a difference. 

By supporting our local family-owned flower farmers, we are supporting the bigger initiatives of regenerative farming and moving away from a dependence on flowers flown in from other countries. Local flowers are not inexpensive, but we feel the uniqueness and quality of the flowers as well as the monumental benefits of regenerative farming practices are worth every penny we invest. 

Stay tuned for part three!

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pixabay on stockvault

As winter melts into spring, the flower growing season is upon us! Here at Fantasy Floral, that means we start receiving shipments from Old Dominion Flower Cooperative, a group of local women-owned flower farms that practice organic sustainable farming. With most of our cut flowers coming from overseas, the US floral industry is in dire need of more sustainable practices. This is the first of three articles in our series on Sustainability.  

Buying Local

“Locally-grown” doesn’t just apply to the veggies you get from the farmer’s market! Supporting local flower growers is a big step towards sustainability in the flower industry. For a couple of years, Margie and Trevor imagined ways to work with local flower farmers as a source for cut flowers. None of the options seemed feasible, but it continued to be on our wish list.

At the same time, local flower farmers imagined ways to work with local florists, but none of the options seemed  feasible. This is one of the silver-linings of the pandemic! It inspired creative solutions and thinking-outside-of-the-box. In this case, a local flower farmer cooperative was born. By combining their farms, knowledge, and resources, flower farmers overcame the two biggest hurdles–reaching enough florists and offering enough variety.

According to Modern Farmer, in 2015, “80 percent of all flowers sold in the U.S. [were] imported, primarily from South American industrial flower farms that have a history of using harsh chemical fertilizers, toxic pesticides and unfair labor practices.” 

From a sustainability aspect, buying local eliminates the need for airplanes and the chemicals needed to preserve the flowers during transport. From an economic aspect, buying local strengthens the local economy by keeping our dollars here instead of sending them overseas. From a humanitarian aspect, buying local means supporting families, not large corporations with questionable labor practices.

Buying local also increases a sense of community. We are meeting our neighbors who supply the flowers and learning what goes in (or more importantly what doesn’t go in) the flowers we are purchasing. We learn about other florists in the area who are also embracing more sustainable practices. Through social media, we are connecting with the larger flower farmer and florist community–one farmer and florist at a time–throughout the country. It’s a larger community than we imagined and totally dedicated to sustainability. We’re proud to be part of it!

Douglas Perkins on Wikimedia Commons

Higher Quality

Imported flowers are sometimes harvested weeks before florists receive them. This leads to a decreased quality and vase life according to Farm Bureau Financial Services. You can especially witness this decline in quality during Valentine’s Day. Because of the high demand for red roses, farmers start cutting their red roses weeks earlier than normal in order to meet the demand during Valentine’s Day week. The result is red roses that often do not meet our normal standard for longevity. This year we actually steered our customers to other arrangements for that reason. 

A recent arrangement by Kristi!

In contrast, flowers coming from local farms are harvested just days before we receive them. Partnering with local farmers through Old Dominion Flower Cooperative allows us to use the freshest possible flowers in our arrangements. When we do have to purchase from overseas farms, we carefully select the farm for flowers with the highest quality and longevity. When cared for properly, our flowers last much longer than those purchased at the grocery store!

In the same article, FBFS outlines some other benefits to buying local. One in particular is access to seasonal flowers that thrive in your climate! This is super important to us at Fantasy Floral, as we love the variety we get from ODFC. You can read more about what we do with flowers from the co-op in Margie’s blog post! 

Hussein Twabi on Wikimedia Commons

Protect our Pollinators

Local flowers also help sustain pollinator populations. Many species of insects, especially bees and butterflies, are going extinct at an alarming rate. According to Brightly, habitat loss, pesticides, climate change, and disease all contribute to declining pollinator populations. Local flower farms help ensure that bees and butterflies have flowers to pollinate, and they also ensure that those flowers aren’t sprayed with harmful chemicals! 

Buying local is just one step! Stay tuned for the next two blog posts in our sustainability series!

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Drivers

Every successful delivery starts with a stellar driver. For quite a while, our drivers were family members. We inherently understood what it meant to be the face of the family and the family business. We employ drivers now, but the quality of being the face of the family business is still primary.

Everyone that works at Fantasy Floral becomes a part of our Fantasy Floral family. We strive to create a family atmosphere. First, because it creates a very warm and rewarding work-environment. Second, because we feel it’s important for each customer to feel they receive the same care and attention to detail that family members do.

The service industry is not for everyone. Because of this, those who become a part of our Fantasy Floral family receive a very competitive salary. We want our co-workers to know and feel they are valued and cherished. Happy people create a happy and productive work environment. This includes our drivers.

Deliveries

Drivers that are paid per delivery are motivated to deliver quantity, not quality. We want our drivers to drive safely, have time to carefully load and unload arrangements, and be willing to take that extra moment to smile and make each recipient feel special. Our customers notice this. Recently, one Google reviewer shared, “Most recently they actually handed the flowers to my sister and wished her a happy birthday. Not only great service, the flowers are exquisite.”

We also have a dedicated van that is outfitted with equipment specifically for delivering flower arrangements. Whether it’s a small bud vase or a large vase brimming with 60 roses, we are able to secure the arrangement so that it will not fall over and damage the flowers. You cannot do that with some arrangements in a personal car. We also discovered that it can hold at least 80 balloons!

Additionally, we ensure that the arrangements smell like flowers. I recently had a friend tell me she received an arrangement that made her whole kitchen smell like cigarettes. The driver was smoking in his car while delivering.

Family

Some details might seem trivial, like a driver that smokes. When it comes to family though, no detail is trivial so we pay attention to them all! We can’t imagine operating our business any other way, but we also think it’s what sets us apart. Our deliveries and delivery fees reflect this attention to detail. It starts with family and a desire to make sure each arrangement and customer is cared for!

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So Much Color

One of my favorite things in the world is color; my pencil case is filled with pens of every color under the sun! One of the first things that stood out to me when I started working here was just how colorful everything is. Even now that I’ve been here for a few months, I still find myself wowed by especially colorful arrangements like No Clouds in the Sky and Sunny Shine. It’s not just the flowers; the shop’s decor is vibrant, bright, and fun! I never have to worry about my mood drooping at work; all of the color in the shop always puts a smile on my face.

Letting My Creativity Flow

In addition to working at Fantasy Floral, I’m also a musician; last year, I graduated with a degree in Music Theory & Composition from Westminster Choir College. One might think that working “outside my field” might put a damper on my creative spirit, but it’s actually quite the opposite! There’s lots of opportunities for me to exercise my artistic and aesthetic senses here at the shop; one of my favorite things to do here is decorate! Finding new ways to make the shop look beautiful is just as satisfying as writing a beautiful sonata.

Upbeat, Fun Energy

No matter if the shop is dead quiet or wildly hectic, there’s always positivity and excitement to be found here! All of my coworkers are wonderful people, and even if we’re all stressed out, there’s never any uncomfortable tension. And even though I definitely count myself as an introvert, the energy in the shop encourages me to open up and show my chatty side! Plus, our Alexa is always playing music; if you come into the shop one day, you might just see me dancing!

Learning New Things

When I started working at the shop, I knew next to nothing about flowers except for the fact that I liked them! For the first couple of weeks, it felt like every sentence out of my mouth was, “What kind of flower is that?” Every day I came in, I would learn the name of a different flower, and by now, I’ve gotten pretty good at recognizing all the different kinds! Nobody’s perfect, though; I still have a little scrapbook in my journal of several common flowers and their names. Just in case! 

New Appreciation

Looking back on my senior voice recital program this past year, I realized that many of the pieces I sang mentioned flowers at least once. Heck, I even sang a whole song about a rose! Now that I’m around flowers for most of my week, I have a new understanding of just why all of those composers wrote about flowers so much. I’ve sung those words hundreds of times, but now that I’ve spent so much time around the flowers, the language has new meaning. Each day in the shop instills a new appreciation for the beauty around me. 

Making People Smile

Without a doubt, the best part of a day in the life of a flower shop worker at Fantasy Floral is making people happy. Whether I’m on the phone with a pleasantly surprised recipient who didn’t know they were getting flowers, handing a beautiful arrangement to a customer on a delivery run, or even greeting someone at the shop and seeing their eyes light up at the decor, a smile on someone’s face is the most beautiful sight in the world. Seeing other people happy is extremely fulfilling to me; it’s what drew me to music, and it’s what now draws me to flowers !

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Did you know that 80% of the flowers in cut flower arrangements in the US actually come from outside the US? We understand the need to source our food locally. For the last year, Trevor and I have been discussing ideas to source our flowers locally.

We want to source flowers locally for all the same reasons we subscribe to CSA’s for our fruit, vegetables, and eggs. As fewer flowers are flown across the ocean, the carbon footprint is reduced. By incorporating organic growing practices, local flower farmers focus on healthy living soil, not chemicals. As family owned and operated farms, they add to the local economy. In addition, by supporting them we help them survive and thrive! Sourcing locally also means less time being transported. This translates to more time in your vase!

We are researching local organic flower farms. Our hope is to incorporate local flowers into our arrangements this summer. I’m so excited by this new adventure into sustainability practices! Local flowers—good for us, good for the farmers, good for the planet!

(photo courtesy of local flower farm, Wild Blue Farm)

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Low Demand

Last spring when the whole planet went into lock-down, florists all over the world closed. Additionally, events that use flowers such as weddings and corporate events were cancelled. Dutch flower growers destroyed their flowers by the millions because demand evaporated overnight.

Demand for flowers since last spring continued to be lukewarm until this spring when the vaccine has allowed many countries remove COVID restrictions. Here in the US, not only are florists opening back up for business, families are getting together again to celebrate Mother’s Day. The demand increased so quickly, farmers have not been able to keep up.

Worker Shortage

South America is one of the biggest suppliers of the world’s flowers. As COVID cases in the US drop, COVID cases in South America surge. This is having a huge effect on the availability of workers to plant and harvest flower crops.

Extreme Weather

Climate change is causing extreme weather around the world. Severe droughts and record rains are diminishing and/or destroying flower crops. These weather events have added to the already low supply of flowers.

Transportation Issues

When the world-wide lock-down first occurred, we experienced supply chain issues because passenger airlines no longer flew so cargo space was limited. Throughout the year, more and more consumers placed online orders which increased the need for cargo space. Currently, the need to replenish inventory as stores open back up adds to the transportation demand. Finally, the Ever Given became a funny meme as it blocked the Suez Canal, but the delay the blockage created will be felt for months. All of these events have led to a nationwide flower shortage and shipments being delayed on a weekly basis. Sometimes the delays are so long the flowers are unusable when they finally arrive.

The Good News!

The wholesalers we work with have been incredible throughout this last year. They monitor their supply chains closely, anticipate potential delays, and forecast price increases. Because our wholesalers keep us updated regularly, we can order early and make informed choices.

Our wholesalers in turn have cultivated loyal relationships with their farms who have bent over backwards to fulfill orders. We have been so blessed to continue to provide the quality and variety of flowers our customers expect from us. Occasionally we have to make substitutions either because we don’t feel the quality is up to our standards, or a flower shipment was delayed. We always call our customers to discuss options. As I reflect on Mother’s Day after hearing stories from other florists around the country, I feel blessed and am grateful for the wholesalers and farms in our network. Most of them are also family owned and operated. Despite the nationwide flower shortage, we all work together as one big floral family to provide vases full of joy.

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Happiest Minds

It turns out Happiest Minds is not a company that sells good mental health. It might actually do more than that. Consider the company’s tagline: “Happiest Minds, The Mindful IT Company.” Their philosophy is that happiest people make happiest customers. While they are in the business of providing technology solutions, they are dedicated to providing a mindful work environment that supports employees, customers, and their community.

Mindfulness

According to mindful.org, “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” I often talk about the need to “put your own oxygen mask on first.” If we ourselves can’t breathe, we can’t help others. Also popular these days is the concept of self-care. I hadn’t heard the term mindful though. I love it! While being mindful includes that first step of taking care of ourselves so we can be our very best self to provide for others, Happiest Minds goes well beyond that. The effects of mindfulness can reach those you work with, those you provide services for, and even the world around you.

Florists

I think florists are mindful people. They love to surround themselves with beauty and color. Flowers feed our souls and bring joy. In addition florists love to share that beauty and joy with their customers. That just leaves the third step of social responsibility and being a good corporate citizen of the world. I heard of a florist in Chicago that is doing wonderful things for their local community. I’ll explore that next time!

As Happiest Minds launches their IPO and spreads their message of mindfulness, I wish you the peace and energy that comes with being mindful.

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The extra $2 has not deterred anyone from placing same day orders! We used to get a few same day orders each week. Recently we received five same day orders in addition to the existing orders. It was the equivalent of receiving 4 inches of rain in an hour like we did last night! The calm stream quickly turned into a raging river that overflowed its banks.

All the arrangements were beautiful, and all were delivered that day. Some were delivered long after our shop officially closed. In an effort to maintain balance, we are increasing our same day delivery fee to $5. This is not an attempt to make more money. Rather, we hope it allows customers to pause and consider whether the arrangement can be delivered the next day.

By having at least a day’s notice, we’ll have the right flowers and enough designers and drivers to fulfill the orders. We have very high expectations of ourselves–for the quality of our arrangements and our customer service! We are always here to help if you forgot your best friend’s birthday. By moving orders that are not time sensitive to another day, we can continue to provide amazing arrangements and stellar customer service!

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