We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Desiree Hall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Desiree thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Hello! Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity! I began my floral design business while a stay-at-home mom. For nearly ten years, I served my clients out of my “home studio” which was actually just my garage. I had a small 6×6 foot space dedicated to my craft in the back corner of my garage. It was here where I made beautiful things for my client’s special day in the throes of baby gear like soccer balls, bicycles, strollers, laundry, power and gardening tools and all the other things you would expect to find in a suburban family’s garage setting.

In 2017 I decided to take a risk and rented a 1500 square foot shop in the welcoming community of Lakeside, CA. Though I had a good amount of experience with floral design in the wedding industry for nearly a decade prior to taking this leap, I was completely unfamiliar with the ins and outs of running a small business in California, let alone how I was going to fill a 1500 sqft space after doing all my work in such a tiny corner of the world. But I set the plan and I dedicated my time and just a small amount of startup money to making my new shop into something I am so proud of, and a place where customers can’t help but smile when they walk in the door.

I continue to grow right along with my business, and now five years later I am so proud of what it has become and looking forward to providing my clients with quality and service as the years go on.

Desiree, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I began my adventure in the wedding and event floral design business in 2005. I knew nothing about flowers or design at the time, but I was getting married and was looking for a less-expensive way to provide florals for my own wedding. As luck would have it, one of my closest friends spent some time in a flower shop in high school and had offered to design the florals for my wedding as a wedding gift. Watching her construct lovely things for my wedding gave me the desire to learn more and be able to offer my services to friends and family for their weddings and special events just as my friend did for me. The next couple years following, I did just that. I offered to do flowers for events like baby showers, parties, and even a wedding! I took classes on the elements of floral and event design and competed in the Floral Design Show at the San Diego Fair.

One day in 2008 I decided practically on a whim that I should make a logo, decide on an official name and design a webpage to begin to take on actual clients. My first official wedding client came in 2009. Which I constructed in the dining room of my condo amongst my family. Looking back now, I’m not even sure how I pulled that off!

Fast forward ten years, and I now have provided my services to over 500 couples for their weddings. In 2017 I opened a shop in Lakeside, CA and we are now a full-service florist! Serving everything from weddings and events to all life’s occasions or for no occasion at all, “Just Because” is always the best occasion for flowers!

I love that I have a business that not only gives me great pleasure and satisfaction as a source of income and a creative outlet. But more importantly it is a business that comforts others, creates memories, or simply returns smiles. Knowing my small business made someone’s day just a little brighter, or was a part of a newlywed couple’s special day is hugely rewarding for me.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When Finest City Florist first opened, it was mainly focused on weddings and events. But when March 2020 came, the pandemic forced cancellations of all the weddings and events that were booked. I had to change gears quickly or be forced to close my doors permanently. I decided to beef up my website and start offering more deliveries of everyday and custom arrangements. Sending flowers to loved ones who may have been isolated from each other or in quarantine proved to be a fantastic way of keeping connected. We were able to be completely contactless, by providing ordering via the website or by calling in.  Customers loved the no-contact delivery option as well- leaving flowers on doorsteps to retrieve when comfortable and felt safe doing so. This strategy during one of the world’s most despairing and uncertain times, proved to be a fantastic way of providing my clients comfort and possibly even a little joy. I am so grateful for the community of Lakeside and the surrounding areas we serve for allowing us the opportunity to bring family and friends closer together at a time when we were all so distanced apart.

We now have maintained our website for online delivery orders, as well as expanded into the exploding post-pandemic wedding industry. As we continue to grow, clients now seek out Finest City Florist from all over the county for our specialized designs, competitive prices and friendly service. We continue to be humbled by the outreach and support of our wonderful communities.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Having beautiful flowers at your wedding or in your home but not having to spend a fortune on them, became my business philosophy. I wanted to be able to give couples their floral wedding dreams come true. This will remain top priority through Finest City Florist’s reign in the floral industry. We strive to provide beautiful things and create wonderful memories for our clients at competitive prices without sacrificing quality, freshness, or beauty.  I enjoy seeing my customers return time and time again and take pride in being a special part of their life’s big events- from a birth of a baby to their wedding, anniversaries, birthdays, to even providing comfort in times of loss. We hope to give back to the community all that they have given us and continue to grow and produce smiles right along with them. Thank you, Lakeside and the surrounding county of San Diego, for your continued support of this local neighborhood small business florist. And Thank you Canvas Rebel for the opportunity to share my story.  I am forever grateful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.FinestCityFlorist.com
• Instagram: @FinestCityFlorist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finestcityflorist
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/finest-city-florist-lakeside-4