i wanna be a florist when I grow up...

May 5, 2008 12:58 PM

How does one become a florist/floral designer? What does it take to open a flower shop? Need some direction!!

I am 28 years old and living in the Tampa Bay area.
I have always had this kind of secret dream of having my own flower shop/ small nursery that just seemed like something I would never do but was nice to think about from time to time... now I find myself looking for a new job and am wondering if maybe I can't bring it make it a reality.

I have looked around on line and all openings for "florists or floral designers" seem to be for the experienced only. How does one get experience? are there schools for this kind of thing?

I thought about calling around to nearby flower shops and seeing if they need any "shop help" but I'm not even sure what kind of position that would be or what questions to ask.

Can anyone help me get my foot in the door or at least point me in the right direction?? Any general flower-shopesque information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

posted by fogonlittlecatfeet to work & money (7 comments total)

I gather that The Floral Design Institute, somewhat janky web appearance to the contrary, is a reputable and respected source of instruction, both for hobbyists and aspirant-professionals.
posted by mumkin at 1:52 PM on May 5, 2008

Not sure if this will be of any help, but many years ago a friend (and co-worker) of mine took an Adult Ed night class offered by the local school system in floral arranging. They worked both with real flowers and silks. She found that she had a true knack for the craft and started out by printing up business cards and setting them out along with pretty silk flower arrangements on her desk at her day job. Less than a year later, she was so overwhelmed with floral orders that she quit her day job and rented a small store and launched a successful business. Again, this is strictly anecdotal, but may give you a starting point.
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:55 PM on May 5, 2008

I don't know if this will be very helpful, but when I was a teenager I decided that I really wanted to be a florist. I picked up a phone book, called a bunch of places, told them about my interest and asked if they had any suggestions. I got a few job offers, but most just told me to start with a night course at the local college. I never followed up on any of that, because I was fickle, but. fwiw.
posted by drycleanonly at 3:50 PM on May 5, 2008

I actually went to the above mentioned Floral Design Institute (in Oregon). As someone who had never touched a live flower (I did some work with silks) the class was great- 2 weeks of exhausting, but fun times and I learned a ton. Having said that, even with my "floral degree" there is no way I could have lived off of the starting wages of a florist. While one day I hope to be in a position to be able to survive a pay cut so I can work with flowers full time, it isn't a reality right now.

How to get your foot in the door?

Regardless of if you can afford a school, when I was at the FDI they had us go around to at least three florists in the Portland area and interview them. I suggest doing this also, and ask if you can come in and volunteer on Saturdays (Saturdays is more about order prep and a shop isn't as busy). You will probably just start out doing nothing but cleaning flowers, but it is a start. Two of the teachers at FDI who worked at high end shops in Portland had no formal training in the industry, but had started at very young ages helping in floral shops until a florist saw their good work and interest and started training them. You might carry buckets of bleach around for a few months, but if you find a florist you "click" with, it is worth it.
posted by haplesschild at 4:19 PM on May 5, 2008

There are also other ways to put your toe into a business like that. Saturday market stalls come to mind. You'd want to look at selling bouquets and arrangements at the arts & crafts type ones and not the fruit and veg ones where wholesalers will be selling retail, but it could work depending on what Tampa is like.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:01 PM on May 5, 2008

with regards to the business end of things the SBA runs a seminar on the basics. it used to be held at USF, it was very useful when I had my first business.
posted by misspat at 4:22 PM on May 6, 2008

I am a florist and it would be a GREAT idea for you to try to intern or get a part time job at a shop because the reality may not match the fantasy. I can't tell you how many people have told me they "always wanted to work in a flower shop" but didn't like it much when they actually had to do it. If you get a part time job, as an inexperienced person you will most likely end up doing a lot of things like cleaning buckets, processing flowers, answering phones, etc. and less design. It's a good to take a class to learn the basics but the best way to really learn is to get in there and do it in a shop setting. A lot of times we start newbies out on a basic dozen rose vase and go from there.
If you really want to be a florist, know that it's a lot of hard work, standing, major amounts of customer contact, working weekends, and the pay is not super high (to say it nicely.)
I still enjoy what I do but just wanted to point out the unglamorous side. On the other hand it is really fun to get creative with flowers and it beats working in a cube farm. As far as the business side, regular business principles apply for the most part. I would talk to a non-competing florist in a different area who's had a lot of success and just pick their brain. Also check your local wholesale florists for floral shows. You can learn a lot that way too.
Best of luck to you!
posted by robinrs at 9:03 PM on May 15, 2008