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

Alexes, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I thought that my family’s history in flowers was likely behind me. Then one day in the recent past I found myself arranging a bouquet for a client at the real estate company where I worked, and that simple project rekindled my passion for flowers and floral arrangements.

My father Bernard Haggins, was a well-known fixture in the local neighborhood. In the early 1960s, he worked as a delivery driver for Colony Florist. After the original owner retired, my father took over the business, moved the flower shop to 804 Upshur Street, and changed the name to “Flowers by Alexes.

The flower shop was more than just a place of employment for my father and our family. People knew him to sit out on the street all day with his fresh flower stand, talking with neighbors. He met my mother at the store when it was on Georgia Avenue and she was a teller at Industrial Bank, just across the street from the original shop. I worked in the store with my father and when I was old enough, I assisted with sales and making deliveries like my dad had once done for Colony Florist.

When my father passed away, I tried to keep the business open but unfortunately had to close the doors in 2003. Now I have reopened in honor of her father’s legacy.

Flowers by Alexes at the corner of 9th and Upshur (851 Upshur Street NW) is a tribute to her family history. I grew up in Petworth, attended school at St. Gabriel’s, and remember playing at Petworth playground around the corner from my dad’s shop at 8th and Upshur. I look forward to reconnecting with the community I grew up in, and more importantly, a community my father contributed to.

Flowers by Alexes offers fresh flowers and plants for sale daily to the Petworth community, and also provides weekly educational sessions via social media on various flowers and fresh plants. People will be able to choose their own flowers from the store’s stand and have bouquets made immediately. Some options will include roses, carnations, unique flowers, pre-made bouquets and house plants and custom arrangements. A “Flower of the Week” will be featured on my Instagram as well.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As 2023 unfolds, I am poised to continue building on my legacy business – Flowers By Alexes, one of the signature establishments in the Petworth community and the District of Columbia. From an early age, I worked with my father, assisting with sales and daily deliveries to churches and other establishments. I remember holidays like Valentine’s Day and Christmas where I learned about the floral business including wholesale, floral supplies and how roses needed to be cleaned and prepped for sale.

When my father got sick, I was 20 years old, but that didn’t deter me from attempting to take over the business. I ran the store while my father stayed home but encountered business challenges and because I was unaware of the resources available to help my business stay open, and I was forced to close the doors of Flowers By Alexes in 2003. A single mom of four, I wasn’t able to juggle a typical 9-to-5 job and fully care for my children, one of whom has special needs. At one point, my brother told me real estate would give her the flexibility to create my own schedule. So I took the class, earned my Realtor’s license and soon after started shadowing a close friend who became my mentor. Never far from my mind was my desire to build on the generational foundation my father created. It opened my eyes to the concept of generational wealth and real estate changed my life entirely … It gave me financial freedom to be able to take care of my children and my family in a way that I struggled so much before. (I’m) paying it forward because some growers and wholesalers that are still living and who are in the industry remember my dad and are really excited to continue to work with me now. “Being a business owner is very important to me because it gives me a sense of freedom and independence, in terms of not working for anyone else. It allows me to pour back into the community that I grew up in. It makes me feel good that everything my father taught me made it easy for me to successfully open Flowers by Alexes.”

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I am A Real Estate agent, and I was able to use the money from my commission to secure my brick and mortar, and to fund my business.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my platform on social media by sharing my story. It took one post that told my story and it went viral. I started gaining attention from everywhere. I contacted my news journalist who wanted to share my story. I feel like my audience connected best with me because I am my authentic self online. I am the same when they see me online and when they meet me in person.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.flowersbyalexes.com
• Instagram: youruptownflorist
• Facebook: Flowers By Alexes
• Youtube: Flowers By Alexes

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Sam Johnson