Find Your Local Florist:Everything you want to know about flowers!
A florist is so much more than a person who delivers flowers. They are stewards of life’s celebrations and most important occasions. Betsy Hall of Hall’s Flower Shop & Garden Center in Stone Mountain GA really says it best in this clip from the 2012 Great Lakes Expo interview with FSN’s Brock Atwill. Truly a must-see!
Over the weekend, our team headed to the 2012 Great Lakes Floral Expo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, we met up with Betsy Hall, Hall’s Flower Shop in Stone Mountain Georgia.
FSN’s own Brock Atwill had the opportunity to interview Betsy.
Thanks so much Betsy for the interview!
Keep an eye on the Bloomin’ Blog for more from the Great Lakes Floral Expo 2012!
Last week, while our team members were at the Florida State Florists’ Association Design Summit, they took a detour to visit one of our great member florist, Tim Ryan of Botaniq in Santa Rosa Beach Florida. Tim was in the middle of teaching a Butterfly Garden Workshop right there at his flower shop! You might be surprised at all the things local florists are doing these days to bring back the love of flowers in their community.
This isn’t Tim’s first workshop, he’s done: fresh cut flower arranging, orchid gardens, terrariums and more! Guests get together and learn what it takes to create a beautiful floral designs and gardens, as well as the techniques it takes to take care of them all. For the butterfly garden, guests will put together a beautiful planter filled with tasty plants for butterflies. Tim shows his workshop guests how to take their planter to the next level by adding river cane as a trellis. A simple technique that adds big impact!
So, watch Tim in action as he hosts his workshop in the video below!
[Read more…]
Yesterday in the blog we shared a little bit about our recent trip to the Tennessee State Florist Association Convention, but today we’re taking you along for the ride!
I (Mandy FSN) kept my video camera with me as I strolled through the convention. I set out to make a video for our florist friends who couldn’t make it to this particular convention, so they could be part of this event too. Hope you enjoy!
Would like to say a special thanks to everyone who helped out with this video!
Terry Chapple
Karen Ramsey from Miller’s Florist in Madison TN
Janet Frye from The Enchanted Florist in Asheville NC
Rae Roberts-Griffith from True Colors Artistry in Springfield IL
Regina Berryman from Horn Lake, MS
Roddy Bird from Roddy’s Flowers in Johnson City TN
And EVERYONE else who was at this year’s Tennessee State Florist Association’s Convention! Hope to see you next year!
Jamie from FSN had a great opportunity to interview Tim Huckabee, president of FloralStrategies at the 2011 SAF Growth Solutions Conference in Dallas. FloralStrategies is the only on-site training program in the entire floral industry that teaches critically important customer care skills. [Read more…]
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.
We just got back from the Illinois State Florist Convention in Springfield IL. The theme was “Let it Rock” and a rockin‘ time was had by all! We enjoyed great presentations, delicious food, and wonderful shopping at the trade show. Above all else, this show had the most floral designs I think I’ve ever seen at one show — table after table of jaw-dropping, show-stopping floral ART!
These shows are so important for florists to come out and be apart of the experience. Not only will you learn all of the NEW things happening in our industry, you will be filled to the brim, if not overflowing with creativity and NEW ideas. While at the show, I met up with Rae Griffith, President of the Illinois State Florists Association. She was kind enough to give me and all of our Flower Shop Network followers a walking tour of the whole show! I wanted our florists who had never been to anything like this to see just what they’re missing! Come on out and recharge your creative batteries at your state floral convention! Be sure to check out the video below! [Read more…]
Piquing the interest of potential customers is the key to increasing sales for the holidays. Sure, we send out the usual holiday mailers, set up vibrant displays in our shops, even run ads on the television or radio — but there’s got to be more, right?
Videos are the key to increasing sales this holiday season! With the rising popularity of YouTube, many retailers are turning to videos as a way to increase interest in their products and services.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, a video camera is completely out of your budget. Believe it or not, they’re actually pretty inexpensive these days. In the September article, Give A Flip: Videos Made Easy, Floral Management recommends the Flip UltraHD. This is a great buy for it’s HD video, built-in rechargeable battery, easy-to-install software, and much more — all for around $160-180. The camera we use here at FSN is the Cannon FS200. It’s very small and records standard-definition video and photos to an SD card, also for around $200. There are tons of other great, inexpensive options out there, so there are no excuses!
Example Of How A Christmas Video Will Look
Flower Arrangement Showcase
Since we are talking holidays, show off your amazing holiday decorating skills! Take before-and-after video of that boring living room you transformed into a winter wonderland. Show off your Christmas centerpieces in the grand dining rooms you create them for.
You’d be surprised how many people don’t realize their florists can decorate their homes for the holidays.
Take close-up video of all of your holiday flowers or just holiday-colored flowers. Even if they have not been arranged, they will put viewers in the mood for Christmas. Show off your holiday centerpieces and flower arrangements. Tease viewers with sneak peeks of your new holiday products and decor!
Design Videos
You know those hit TV shows all about people’s jobs? There are cake designers, chefs, interior designers, fashion designers — do you honestly think a florist’s job is any less entertaining? People love seeing creative designers take ordinary materials and turn them into something magical.
Set up the camera to film yourself in action! Give your viewers a feel of what it’s like to be a floral designer. Explain: Why you choose the flowers and colors you do. What types of design elements and contrasts you are using in your arrangement. Show them fantastic techniques only a florist could do with holiday flowers. It’s all about enticing the viewer to want flowers from YOU! Anyone can bunch some flowers together in a vase, but it takes a true floral professional to come up with the amazing designs from your shop!
Video example courtesy of Belvedere Flowers
Weddings! Take video of your wedding decorations. Show future-brides exactly what your flower shop can do for them! Take your video the night before the wedding to ensure there will be no people, so viewers can focus solely on your wedding decor. Show the beautifully designed reception tables and centerpieces in all their glory!
How-to Videos
Show customers how to use fresh flowers as holiday decorations. It can be as simple or elaborate as you would like… or maybe a mix of both!
How-to give hostess gifts: Sure, WE know flowers are the best hostess gifts, but show it on camera! Write out a little mini-movie: {Scene 1} Have a party with your friends. Set up a few decorations, but nothing too elaborate.. just a small, pot-luck style party with friends. {Scene 2} Have a friend arrive with a beautiful arrangement of holiday flowers for the hostess. Be sure to show the hostess’ surprised/elated face when she realizes they are just for her! {Scene 3} Show a scene of the party afterward with the arrangement decorating the buffet table. What a difference flowers make at a party!
TIP: You don’t have to know a lot about editing movies to create one. At the end of a scene, pause or stop recording, then begin again when it comes time to shoot your next segment. This way there is no need for major editing.
There are unlimited possibilities when it comes to how-to videos! You could do anything from “How to keep flowers fresh in vases” to “How to use fresh flowers to decorate your mantel for the holidays.” Just use your imagination!
So, you’ve made your videos, now you’ve got to promote them! (I promise it’s easier than you think!)
First of all, play them in your shop if you can. Pick your favorite videos and play them on repeat in your shop. This will catch your customers’ eye instantly and give them a little insight on the services of your shop. You can either have a computer monitor set up to replay the video. If you are planning to do a lot of videos, you might consider investing in a digital photo frame. These are easy to use and great for setting up in your shop or store front.
YouTube makes it easy to spread your videos around the web. After uploading your videos, YouTube gives you an easy link to share on your website or Facebook. Send the link in your email campaigns. You can even embed the videos into your website. Facebook also allows you to upload videos to your shop’s Business Page!
Be sure to let us know when you post your videos online, we’d love to see them! Just paste a link in the comments below.
This post is brought to you by local Haverton PA florists.
Not in Haverton? Use Flower Shop Network’s handy directory of real local florists to find a florist near you!
