Business Model Highlight: Utilizing Flower Farms for Professional Development
In this Team Flower Business Model Highlight, we're featuring Ashley Monaghan of Blossom Cleveland, a flower shop serving its local community with everyday florals as well as brides and young professionals in event and wedding design.
You can find Blossom Cleveland online at www.blossomcleveland.com and on Instagram at @blossomcleveland.
As the first employee of a beloved full-service florist in the greater Cleveland area, I’ve had the privilege of seeing the evolution of this small business firsthand through many successes and challenges—and the amazing growth from a team of three to ten in under three years.
Blossom Cleveland serves a community of families, brides, and young professionals and is known for its customer service, bright design aesthetic, and matching exuberant, warm energy within the community.
As a member of the team since its inception, I have witnessed nearly three years of operations, community engagement, new development opportunities, and shifting business models to provide unforgettable floral experiences to our customers and stakeholders.
When Blossom first opened in January 2019, it was a storefront flower bar where the community would visit to make their own bouquets and arrangements.
We were a team of three back then, with spouses and partners stepping in to help with weekend wedding operations. One of the goals of the flower bar was to expose the business to brides for 2019 and 2020 weddings, which we were already doing on a smaller scale at the beginning of 2019.
And 2019 was quite a time to be a small business in Cleveland; many were starting up across the city, energized by new experiences and events.
Cleveland is a relatively affordable city compared to many of its size across the country, so small businesses have the opportunity to thrive here. The outcome was a collaborative community of professionals excited to work together.
It goes without saying that 2020 presented its fair share of setbacks as well as many opportunities to thrive. Blossom is located close to Ohio Amish country, and property owners with lots of land grow their own vegetation, including flowers, to sustain their families and communities. We saw a tremendous spike in the number of small-scale growers starting their businesses.
One of my favorite opportunities for community engagement is a special staff development opportunity: visiting local flower farms to learn more about the many aspects of the floral universe.
One particular farm in Wayne County, Ohio, welcomed the Blossom team with open arms to tour the seven-generation farm and speak about different varieties of florals and greenery. We learned when to cultivate blooms in Zone 6 and how the farm serves the Amish community, specifically for weddings.
The Blossom team was able to pick our favorite blooms in late August and make our own bridal bouquet designs or arrangements under the tutelage of the Amish growers and farm matriarch, who giggled at my description of utilizing her farm for "professional development."
Individual teammates could focus on honing skills ultimately applicable to Blossom, allowing the, yes, professional development opportunity to come full circle.
I find that most farms, however big their scale, are willing to take in enthusiastic florists wanting to develop a skill and perhaps volunteer time to give back to spring planting and fall harvests. I use Instagram to source these designers and farmers and then take a "development inventory" from the Blossom team to determine who will best serve our goals at the time—which can vary throughout the year! It would be fun to try the same farm next year, but earlier in the spring to learn about even different flowers and processes.
We have drastic season changes and don't see much natural growth for nearly half the year. Because of this, it is a novelty to engage with local growers to learn about their successes and challenges; our relationships are, after all, symbiotic.
More insight into Blossom's design, business goals, and community collaborations can be found on Instagram.
