We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kim Foren a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kim, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
I was trained as a fine art painter getting a BFA degree in painting. I always knew it would be challenging to make fine art work financially so I ended up working as an antique importer which was a good fit with art making and showing in galleries. The owners eventually trained me to buy at auction in England and Holland which for a young artist was so dreamy. Visiting people homes, businesses, antique warehouse gave me the opportunity to enter a lot of homes. I was struck by two major things that changed my life. Learning the genteel style of conducting European business which always started with a good cup of coffee or tea and a tasty cookie or chocolate and of course conversation.. Everything was about connection, not so much business and when the business did come up it was always followed by a “handshake”. Trust, friendship, connection were the pillars of these relationships and transaction.
Then there were the flowers, more in Holland but lots of gardens in England that made me appreciate and love the relationship with plants and flowers that these communities. I couldn’t stop thinking about flowers. When I got to the point where I did start my business, I knew creativity and art needed to be my motivator. My painting career was going strong and I always used an English brand of paints called Windsor Newton and one of my favs was Geranium Lake. I chose Geranium Lake Flowers for the name as a reminder to always keep creativity strong. The color of the paint is a saturated rich fuchsia and that color is in all the logo, printed material and branding.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Kim and I am a painter, creative, went to art school and knew I had to figure out how to make a living. One thing lead to another and I started Geranium lake Flowers and vowed to keep it always creative and named it after my favorite saturated magenta Windsor Newton oil paint Geranium Lake.. Now going into my 31st year our flower shop design studio is known for innovated creative drop dead beautiful designs.
Post pandemic we lost a lot of retail so now we are mostly doing all kinds of weddings and events and no retail. Business is booming.
My staff is very vital and keeping the vibe high is crucial. Team work really makes the dream work and though working with creatives is not easy I have found the secret sauce.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I love being a maker and creating. The successful part helps too but really impacting peoples lives, representing emotional hallmarks is the big win too. You can really change lives with flowers and events, maybe not as much as ground breaking medicine but still it is a gift.
Our downtown is currently known for a widespread homeless and drug addiction problem and my flower shop is right in the middle of the chaos. It is vastly improved but for almost every Friday for the past year I have passed out flowers to mainly people struggling with fentanyl. I love that I can help everyones lives feel just a bit better with flowers.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Never saying no, discipline, hard work and choosing courage over comfort. I have created a climate of being brave, showing up and being who we are.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.geraniumlake.com
- Instagram: geranium lake
- Facebook: Geranium lake Flowers
- Linkedin: Kim Foren
- Youtube: Geranium Lake Flowers
- Yelp: Geranium Lake Flowers
Image Credits
group shot Jason Hill photography everything else was taken with our personal cell phones