We were lucky to catch up with Angee Gonzales recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Angee, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Angee Gonzales is a lifelong creative with a passion for all things botanical. She began her
floral journey at 14, learning the fundamentals in her aunt’s flower shop, and has since built
a thriving career rooted in design, color theory, and an eye for beauty in the unexpected. She
is the owner of Angee’s Flowers, a full-service flower shop established in 2019, and is
currently launching The Faux Studio, a new venture offering custom faux floral and plant
arrangements, as well as faux plant maintenance services. A mother of four and proud
“GeeGee” to two (and a half), Angee balances artistry and entrepreneurship with humor,
heart, and resilience.

Angee, 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?

My journey into floral and botanical design started early—I began learning the flower trade at 14 in my aunt’s flower shop, wiring corsages and soaking up everything I could. That hands-on experience sparked a lifelong love of color, texture, and transformation.

In 2019, I built my own business from the ground up: Angee’s Flowers, a full-service flower shop that’s allowed me to explore both the art and business of florals. Over time, my creative interests have expanded into custom faux arrangements, interior styling, and furniture revival—blending my passion for design with a practical love for sustainability.

Currently, I’m building The Faux Studio, a new venture focused on high-end faux floral and plant arrangements, as well as ongoing faux plant maintenance (because nothing kills the vibe faster than a dusty ficus). Good-quality faux botanicals aren’t cheap, and with the right styling—or even a simple refresh—they can completely change the feel of a room. My goal is to help clients get the most out of their investment while keeping spaces vibrant, current, and design-forward.

Essential skills in my work include a strong eye for color theory, a deep understanding of floral form, and the ability to see beauty where others might not. But most of all, it’s been about persistence, self-teaching, and learning to trust my instincts.

Like many creatives, I’ve faced my share of challenges—time, resources, and the ever-present hum of imposter syndrome. But I’ve learned that experience doesn’t always come with a certificate. Sometimes it comes from building, doing, and not waiting for permission to begin.

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

Angee’s Flowers was still in its first year when the world shut down in March 2020. Like many small business owners, I had no playbook for surviving a pandemic. But closing my doors wasn’t an option—not for me, and not for the two employees who counted on their paychecks. I kept them home for safety but continued paying them, working alone to fulfill orders, answer phones, sanitize everything, and somehow still deliver comfort in the form of flowers.

It wasn’t easy. But the business didn’t just survive—it grew. Not because I arranged flowers better than anyone else, but because I leaned all the way into radical customer service. People weren’t just ordering flowers; they were reaching for connection, and I made sure every interaction felt personal. Today, we have over 500 five-star Google reviews—not bad for a flower shop in a town of 50,000.

What most people didn’t know during that time was that just a few months after opening, my husband was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis—a progressive, terminal lung disease. He’s been under evaluation for a double lung transplant ever since. Balancing caregiving, emotional stress, and running a new business pushed me beyond anything I thought I could handle.

But resilience isn’t about pushing through without feeling it. It’s about showing up, especially when you don’t feel ready—finding meaning in the work, staying rooted in service, and letting passion carry you through the messiest chapters. That’s what kept me going then, and it’s what fuels me now as I continue growing, creating, and building what’s next.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Six months ago, we got the call we’d been waiting years for—my husband was officially approved for a double lung transplant. It was incredible news, but it came with an enormous shift: we had to relocate out of state immediately for pre-transplant care and to be close to the transplant center. That meant stepping away from Angee’s Flowers, the shop I built from the ground up, and handing over the reins to my staff of five women—who, thankfully, are running the business with care, skill, and a lot of heart.

This is, without a doubt, the biggest pivot of my life.

Leaving a business that I poured everything into—while also supporting my husband through the most intense medical journey of our lives—has been both humbling and clarifying. In the middle of the chaos, something unexpected happened: I began to imagine what could grow next.

The Faux Studio emerged as a natural evolution—a creative business that allows me to work at a different pace, with flexibility, from a home studio. After years of high-volume fresh floral work, I found myself drawn to the sustainability and style of faux botanicals. They offered me a slower rhythm, but still challenged me creatively. This pivot wasn’t part of the original plan—but like most meaningful things in my life, it came from love, necessity, and an unshakable desire to keep creating beauty, even in uncertain seasons.

Contact Info:

• Website: Thefauxstudio.com angeesflowers.com
• Instagram: the_fauxstudio
• Facebook: Angee’s Flowers TheFauxStudio
• Twitter: @thefauxstudio
• Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MZvRPyVEn9UzC6UFA

Image Credits

Angee Gonzales
Lindsey Lamberth