We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Delilah Dominguez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Delilah below.

Delilah , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made?

The best investment I have made as a business owner in terms of both time and money has been in educating myself and my staff. Investing in educational courses and workshops has helped us to grow. Fleur Society has been a great tool in educating my staff on new design techniques, sustainability and instillations. Learning together allows us to become a stronger team and also allows for more creativity. There is not one single way to get the job done. When we work as a team we are open to all the possibilities and adapt to the techniques that are most productive for the business as a whole.

As my business began to grow, I quickly realized I could not continue without a team. This lead me to hiring interns and eventually the staff that is now my amazing team. Teaching them the knowledge and techniques I have acquired over the years to help complete small task. Educating my staff and empowering them to complete these task allowed me to focus on other aspects of my business. As time progressed and we continued to grow we began focusing on learning more about sustainability, design and much more. This process allowed us to become stronger as a team and accomplish much more together.

The industry is evolving and changing quickly with a great focus on sustainability. Taking the time to learn from artist and creatives alike in our industry has been proven beneficial to my business. We have been fortunate enough to build relationships with others in the industry who are willing to share their experiences.

Delilah , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Delilah Dominguez. I am the owner and lead Floral Designer of Stolen Magnolia. Stolen Magnolia is a floral design studio based in Brooklyn, New York. The studio also functions as a retail space where guest can shop our inventory of unique plants and spiritual goods or select blooms from our flower bar. My team and I specialize in event design including corporate and private events such as weddings, engagement parties, and promotional events. We’ve had the pleasure of work with the most incredible clients including, PUMA, Kate Spade and Amazon to name a few. My work has been recognized in the New York Times, The New Yorker, and Love INC.

My love for flowers stems back to my childhood. My parents owned and operated Magnolia Greenhouse in Brooklyn for about 32 years before deciding to retire. I spent every holiday, summer and birthday in Magnolia Greenhouse. It’s where my parents taught me how to ride a bike, grow a garden and build floral arrangements. My parent’s retirement came as a surprise, I had felt as if the family business had been taken away from me. Stolen Magnolia become a theme and social media identity for me – my way of being a rebellious teen at the time.

After earning my Bachelors in Business from the University of Central Florida. I worked in the finance department at Orlando Regional Medical Center. It was soon after my 25th birthday, I decided to leave my corporate job in health care to pursue a career in Floral Design. After a few years of freelancing with many talented florists, I joined the team of a local florist in Brooklyn.

During this time my father had been diagnosed with lung cancer and refused treatment. I spent as much time as I possibly could with my father. He constantly expressed how I should open my own place. An idea to which I refused, at the time I believed I was content in my flower journey. My father passed away in the summer of 2018. My whole world was turned inside out. My ability to work with flowers on a daily basis brought me joy during a dark time. I was presented with the opportunity to compete in a floral competition based in England. The competition, The Big Flower Fight, aired on Netflix in the Spring of 2020.

Once I returned home from England I thought, “maybe my dad was right.” I was inspired to open my very own floral design studio. With lots of support from family and friends, Stolen Magnolia opened its doors in February of 2020. My dream of Stolen Magnolia was not only to be a floral design studio, but a space within the community that inspires, supports creativity, and healing. Flowers have always had a special way of evoking emotion. We send and share flowers on special occasions, big or small. We can be celebrating love, a birthday, a milestone or just simply to spread joy. Flowers and plants have a healing element that makes them magical. I am happy to share my knowledge and experience with my community. It brings me great joy to uplift, educate and help others create memorable moments through my artistic work. Stolen Magnolia will be celebrating its 3 year anniversary in February of 2023 and it has been a beautiful adventure.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Stolen Magnolia celebrated its grand opening in February of 2020. I then had to close the retail space in March 2020 due to Covid19. I found myself with a full inventory of perishable goods such as plants and flowers. In order to sustain the business I had to create a website to continue sales during a shutdown. I used social media platforms as a form of marketing which lead consumers to my website. This strategy helped my business to survive during a lockdown.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Social media and recommendations from past clients has been the best source of new clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stolenmagnolia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stolen-magnolia-brooklyn
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@stolenmagnolia

Image Credits
All photos were taken on my camera except for the image of myself working on an arrangement. That photo was taken by Kenneth Ortiz (https://www.instagram.com/kopshotthekid/)