|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
What is your background in flowers? |
I grew up in Augusta, Georgia - "the garden city". My mother was an avid gardener. Azaleas, dogwoods, camellias, hydrangeas and garden roses, etc, were a part of everyday life for me. I would always help my mother in her garden and with the flower arrangements she would do for the house, friends, etc. I loved flowers and gardening at an early age.
|
|
What made you start your business? |
I moved from the south right out of college to the west, Jackson Hole, Wyoming to ski, have fun for a couple of years before finding "the real job". I went to purchase flowers one day for a friend and was disappointed in the selection of flowers available at the local florist. I went to the grocery store and purchased several flowering plants and made my own arrangement of cuttings from the plants. I never thought of flowers as a career until that moment. I realized that maybe there was a market in Jackson Hole for another florist, and there was. 4 months later I opened my store.
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
| What has been one of the most rewarding parts of your business? |
|
I gave Jackson Hole an alternative for flowers, something different and natural, and something special. Someone quoted, "Cecelia has made flowers not only a luxury, but a necessity, she has changed the way we look and think of flowers." I will never forget this. I feel great accomplishment that I have educated people to think this way.
|
|
You seem so young to have accomplished so much? |
I was 24 years old when I opened my business, and although I initially did not plan to work with flowers as a career, I have loved every minute of it. Not many people wake up and get to go do what they most love to do everyday, and I do. My love for what I do and the energy I get from my work has made me accomplish a lot in my field. I am lucky that I found and followed this path.
|
|
What motivated you to write ‘Flowers A to Z’? |
My determination was to have better and different and fresher flowers available in my store. I wanted to do away with the general belief that "flowers never last." "I am tired of the same red rose bouquet." " Flowers are a luxury and are only for very special occasions." I did this by having the better, different product available for the customer.
People loved the flowers, the colors and the scents – questions were asked, "what flowers are these" "How long will these flowers last" "Do these flowers have a special history or meaning" and more. I enjoyed the questions and the education process. I kept notes and ideas from these questions and comments. I thought more than the Jackson Hole population would like to know this information as well, so I decided to write this book.
|
|
What do you feel is one of the best things about this book? |
I wanted to do a book that was as beautiful as the flowers themselves. I wanted people to want to look at the photos and want to know the flowers. I wanted the text to be worded in a way and simple enough for everyone to learn something when they read the book and studied the photos. So many books are full of too much information that will deter most readers. I wanted this book to be different. I have accomplished this in this book. This is a great book.
|
|
Besides the book, what is the focus of your business now? |
My business has branched into several off shoots – My first store and business has turned into a wedding and special event company – Flowers by Cecelia. We concentrate on weddings and parties in Jackson Hole and around the country.
I have a small garden design and landscape business – Outside Garden Works. We mainly concentrate on cutting and cottage gardens, containers and accent areas around the house.
These two businesses inspired me to my latest venture – a flower, garden and home shop, Flower Hardware. We sell fresh flowers and bouquets, plants, garden and home accents. This is a great store. It brings everything I love to do into one concept.
|
|
What is in the future? |
I will be working on a couple of new books for 2003. I hope to open another Flower Hardware store in another town, still undecided about the location and I hope to design and market some of my Flower Hardware products and to keep doing everything that I am doing.
|
|
What advice can you give to someone about flowers? |
One of the main points in my book as well as my concept about flowers is to keep them simple. I said earlier that I want readers to want to know the flowers. There is something so beautiful about a bucket of daisies or a single stem of a rose in a bottle. Try to appreciate flowers and not expect so much from them or complicate them. They give such joy even for a few days.
Georgia O’ Keeffe said "When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not." She painted flowers so people would see and know the flower, I say to just see and know the flowers. There is nothing more beautiful.
|
|
What is your favorite flower? |
I wish I could answer with some exotic choice, but I will have to answer with the obvious and say the rose is my favorite flower. There are so many different shapes, sizes, colors, scents, and types of roses. I think roses are beautiful at all stages and can be enjoyed at all stages, especially when a rose fully blows open and the petals begin to drop.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
