Benton Flower Shop News
Maker Space: Eden Garrett's idea blossomed - NWAOnline
Thursday, March 12, 2020Northwest Arkansas."I love Northwest Arkansas," she says. "There are so many opportunities for growth here. And because I work out of a truck, I can go from Fayetteville to Rogers to Springdale to Bentonville and all of those towns in between -- so I catch more people than just being in the middle of Springfield."Garrett says part of the process of becoming a successful business person was learning how to be flexible when business was in a slow period."I'm just motivated every day to push forward and make the sales higher each day -- even if it's really slow, even if, that day, no one wants flowers," she says. "I'll think, 'OK, what else can I do? Can I do deliveries? Can I announce on social media that all bouquets are $5 or that delivery is free on this particular day?' Each day, I'm going to make as much money as I can and provide an excellent product."She's also available for parties and weddings; one popular option for celebrations are the custom flower crowns partygoers can make inside the truck.Garrett says she's wanted to own a business since she was a child. Her first business idea -- a boutique that would serve as both a makeup salon as well as an event space, so you could get ready for a party right there at the site -- came to her when she was just 10 years old."My mom owned her own business, and I was just super fascinated by it," she says. "I've always known I didn't want to have a 9-to-5 job where I sit behind a desk all day -- that's just not who I am. I've always wanted to own my own business."It's clear that her youth isn't holding her back. Eden's Flower Truck was recognized at the 2019 Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Business Awards Ceremony, and she's opening up her first brick and mortar store called Eden's Botanicals this month. She says opening a storefront was in her five-year plan but, when she found a perfect location on North Steele Boulevard, her business instincts told her it was the right time to make a move."The storefront will mostly be for workshops and parties -- more of an event space," says Garrett, who adds that the mobile truck will still be used for floral sales. "We'll also sell flower gifts [in the store]. I'm super excited."Garrett is already looking towards the future and making plans -- big plans."I want to own some land, hopefully around the Fayetteville area, and have a mini-Magnolia Market, similar to [Fixer Upper stars] Chip and Joanna Gaines' business," she says. "I want there to be a few cottages, like an Airbnb, and then also have a spot to grow my own flowers so I don't have to buy them wholesale any more. And I would sell gifts and flowers and other merchandise and have it all be in one giant property, a destination that people from all over come to."If what she's accomplished so far is any indication, the goals of her 10-year plan may just be closer than she thinks..inline_item { float: left; display: inline; }div class="inline__bloc... https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2020/feb/13/maker-space-eden-garrett-s-idea-blossom/
Court again rules against florist who refused gay couple - The Spokesman-Review
Tuesday, November 19, 2019She refused. Ferguson filed a complaint under the state’s consumer protection and anti-discrimination statutes, and the couple filed a separate lawsuit. A Benton County Superior Court judge combined the cases and reviewed the arguments, eventually issuing an injunction against Stutzman requested by Ferguson and awarding damages to the couple.The Washington Supreme Court upheld both decisions, and Stutzman appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. But before it could be argued there, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to create a cake for a same-sex wedding, saying that during the process of deciding whether he was violating that state’s anti-discrimination laws, a member of the Civil Rights Commission made disparaging remarks about the baker’s religion.The U.S. Supreme Court sent the Arlene’s Flowers case back to the Washington Supreme Court to reconsider it in light of the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision. Attorneys for Stutzman argued the cases were the same, contending Ferguson was showing animus toward religion by taking action against Arlene’s Flowers but not against a Seattle coffee shop that refused to serve Christians. But McCloud wrote there is key distinction between the two cases because the Colorado case involved religious intolerance from an adjudicatory body. The only two such bodies – the trial court and the state Supreme Court – showed no such intolerance. The attorney general’s office isn’t an adjudicatory body and the coffee shop case is irrelevant, she wrote. The court also rejected Stutzman’s arguments that applying the state’s anti-discrimination laws to her refusal to provide floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding violates her constitutional rights. “Discrimination based on same sex-marriage constitutes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” McCloud wrote. Enforcing the anti-discrimination law in this case does not violate her rights of artistic expression because it doesn’t fit with previous cases that protect that right. Allowing such an exemption would create a two-tiered system system the law, similar to saying a dime-store lunch counter would have to serve an interracial couple but an upscale bistro wouldn’t, she wrote, quoting from a friend of the court brief.Stutzman can still freely practice her religion, McCloud wrote. She was never asked to attend the wedding ceremony. She has provided floral arrangements for weddings of Muslims and atheists, and wasn’t endorsing Islam or atheism by doing that.“After careful review on remand, we are confident that the courts resolved this dispute with tolerance, and we therefore find no reason to change our original judgment,” the court concluded. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/jun/06/court-again-rules-against-florist-who-refused-gay-/
Business Spotlight: Blooming Business - Springfield Business Journal
Tuesday, November 19, 2019Springfield. Eden’s Flower Truck, a similar business concept, launched in Springfield in 2018. Owner Eden Garrett earlier this year moved the business to Arkansas, where the flower truck serves the Bentonville and Rogers areas.Hartman says she’s starting to see the trend grow nationally.“Since we’ve started, I’ve seen more pop up across the country,” Hartman says. “I still get emails pretty frequently asking how to start a flower truck, and the whole concept is gaining momentum.”Kate Penn, CEO of the Society of American Florists, says retail floral sales have been growing – to the tune of $35 billion in 2017, a $2 billion increase from the year prior, according to a U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis report on personal consumption expenditures.Penn says the mobile floral business is catching on, and she describes it as “experiential, interactive purchasing.”“There’s a lot of innovation and entrepreneurialism in the flower-buying space right now,” Penn says, noting floral sales have steadily increased during the last decade. “There is a big trend across retail right now, and the floral industry is no different. It’s the idea of trying to do something creative that makes what you’re purchasing interactive and memorable and fun.”The consumer appeal, she says, is being able to walk down the street, stop at a flower truck and purchase flowers by the stem, or create an individual bouquet. “It’s a super smart business model,” Penn says. ... https://sbj.net/stories/business-spotlight-blooming-business,66208?
'The Fire Within': 9 years of honoring Great Falls women in business - Great Falls Tribune
Wednesday, April 03, 2019I find it as an honor that they thought I stood out among the other nominees...to me a little surprising, but it's wonderful." She started at Riverview Floral in Fort Benton where her boss pointed out her eye for color. From there it was five years of delivering at Sally's Flowers, Electric City Conservatory for seven years and finally her own store in 2010. "She has hired staff with no floral experience and turned them into designers," Evans said. "Kari offers flower design classes throughout the year...as she shared her knowledge and skills with others," Evans said. Johnson said she has fun being a part of local events, but one of her biggest passions is being a part of weddings and teaching her flower classes. "I like to be able to help the brides and help them select what flowers they want to make them look beautiful," she said. "...the flower classes that I teach, those are always exciting, because I get to share my knowledge with the ladies." My Viola had outgrown its first building within four years and now resides at 716 Central Ave., where she said she's able to offer more classes and have more employees. In the future, Johnson sees herself and her employees continuing to serve the community by providing their flowers and services. "Still doing the fun events that we do like the Russell and the art auctions...," Johnson said. "I just hope I can continue doing what we do and expanding." As spring has shown its sun rays and prom season is here, Johnson said from now until Mother's Day is going to be full of flower galore. Susan Crocker of The Good Wood Guys Crocker is the 2019 Aspire Award recipient. She was nominated by business partner and husband, Chris Crocker who kept his nomination a secret. "I was shocked...I had no idea," she said. "It was pretty humbling. There's a lot of pretty amazing people in Great Falls, Montana, and so to know people thought I was doing something awesome felt really good." The Good Wood Guys live by their words as "born ra... https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2019/04/01/the-fire-within-9-years-honoring-great-falls-women-business/3314905002/
Caught on camera: Man burglarizes east Tulsa florist with toddler in tow - KTUL
Sunday, February 10, 2019What the gentleman took was of no real value, just some tools we've accumulated over the last 30 years," said Trey Benton, the owner of Greenleaf Wholesale.Benton's business is the one that was hit. His concern, and every one of the employees that we spoke to, was for that little girl."As a father, seeing how he treated a child that he would even bring along with him during this incident," he said.The girl dutifully follows him around, and several times reaches for him, but the man almost sees right through her."It just broke my heart seeing how many times that girl reached up to her daddy, I'm assuming. It was really troubling," said Benton.Finally, as the two walk off into a grassy field, the man acknowledges the little girl, picking her up and carrying her away.Anyone with information is asked to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers. http://ktul.com/news/local/man-robs-east-tulsa-florist-with-toddler-in-tow
Dayton Tennessee, pop up flower shop – The Triangle - Triangle
Sunday, February 28, 2021Written by: Eleanor Sanford, staff writerDAYTON, Tenn. – Love is in the air as Valentine’s day is quickly approaching. Every store in Dayton, Tennessee, is filling up with heart-shaped items and red roses. I recently met a local business owner, Lacey Raburn, who owns Raburn Acres. Raburn Acres is a local flower farm and florist that has been in Dayton for the past three years. I met Lacey at a pop-up flower shop hosted at Jennings Coffee & Tea. She brought in six buckets filled with colorful bouquets, and people began rolling in. Within 30 minutes, she had sold out. Lacey has a pop-up shop every Thursday morning from 10:30-12:30 at Jennings. She and her family have a farm where they plant and grow all their own flowers, which she crafts into some amazing bouquets and sells to the community. Lacy is currently working on creating her own workshop, she used to create all the bouquets from her kitchen counter, but as of January, she said, “I went from selling 15-20 bouquets each week to selling 50-60 every week.” She just opened a self-serve mini flower stand across from the golf course in Dayto... http://www.bryantriangle.com/news/dayton-tennessee-pop-up-flower-shop/
Ikebana-Moribana: The Art of Japanese Flower Arranging - Chattanooga Pulse
Sunday, January 17, 2021Ikebana-Moribana: The Art of Japanese Flower ArrangingThe Master Gardeners of Hamilton County (MGHC), in association with the University of Tennessee Extension, continue their 3rd Saturday free public gardening classes in 2021.Presented online via Zoom during the pandemic, the first class takes place on Saturday, January 16 at 10:00 a.m., with “Ikebana-Moribana: The Art of Japanese Flower Arranging” presented by Master Gardener Janet Jobe.The Zoom link to access this public class is available on the MGHC website: mghc.org/public-classes.Master Gardener Janet Jobe comments, “Ikebana (‘making flowers alive’) is the Japanese art of flower arranging, a tradition that began with floral offerings made for religious purposes and later became decorative additions to traditional Japanese homes. Moribana (‘piled up flowers’) is one of the expressions of this art, combining several clusters in natural-looking shapes and a mound of beautiful flowers to create a naturalistic landscape complementing the different seasons. My presentation will show the variety of containers and flowers that can be used as well as how the various design f... http://www.chattanoogapulse.com/events/ikebana-moribana-art-japanese-flower-arranging/
With the right placement and little care, hydrangeas can make your Kentucky garden pop - Courier Journal
Friday, May 29, 2020Little Honey" that grows to about 5-feet tall and keeps its stunning foliage color all through the growing season. Then there’s the relatively new release from the US National Arboretum’s Tennessee research station, "Ruby Slippers." This compact grower produces flowers that start out clear white but quickly fade to a rich pink. And finally, there’s "Snowflake," a double-flowered form with huge, stunning blooms of white, fading to rose/pink. All the hydrangeas are best in a little afternoon shade in Kentucky. With the right selections and proper placement, they are long-lived, required little care and can give your garden a tremendous amount of variety.Yew Dell Botanical Gardens, 6220 Old Lagrange Road, yewdellgardens.org.Yew Dell Botanical Gardens Spring Plant SaleWHAT: This week will feature trees, shrubs, annuals, tropical and edibles that perform well in and around Kentucky.WHEN: 9 a.m. May 12WHERE: Find details at yewdellgardens.org or facebook.com/yewdellgardens. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/home-garden/2020/05/08/hydrangeas-give-your-kentucky-gardens-ample-variety-color/3047641001/
Tallahassee's florist to the Legislature - Florida Politics
Saturday, January 18, 2020Elinor Doyle.Just to be clear, there was an Elinor Doyle, who started the business in 1926, but she has been dead for nearly half a century. Her picture, however, hangs in the Tennessee Street storefront, keeping watch over owner Roxie Anne Clark and Liz Santini (who has worked there for 23 years) who will be preparing hundreds of arrangements before the Session starts Tuesday.A deluge of work after a busy Christmas season because of the even-year early Session isn’t a particularly unique challenge, Clark said.“We are coming out of the holiday season, but it’s not necessarily any worse than having it a little after Valentine’s Day, so it’s kind of the same thing,” she commented.Valentine’s Day is the No. 1 busiest day of their year, but at Elinor Doyle Florist, the start of Session is definitely No. 2. The team will work long hours over the weekend before Session begins to assure their flowers arrive in peak form. They’ll start with dish gardens, which will get a colorful addition of red mini carnations and white cushion mums right before delivery Monday. (An aside to the aides: Those gardens will last throughout Session if they’re watered weekly and kept in a not-too-sunny spot.)Florida’s chiropractors will again be gifting each member of the House and Senate with sunflowers. Orchids are on hand, a favorite gift from lobbyist Ron Book, who always sends a large basket of the tropical blooms to his daughter, Sen. Lauren Book. Other flowers w... https://floridapolitics.com/archives/314583-tallahassees-florist-to-the-legislature-2