Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Arthur Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Arthur thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

My very first client was a lady that I started planting her balcony garden when I worked at a greenhouse. I actually did her and her daughters gardens for 10 years before I opened my shop. The name Babylon was inspired by her high rise patio garden and of course The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. I wanted to create a lush and opulent environment in Denver’s dry urban cityscape.

Arthur, 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?

Arthur Williams AIFD, EMC, CFD, CPF is known for his floral headdresses and the use of natural tension in his work. With a background in gardening, sculpture, and photography, he entered the floral industry in 1996, and opened his own business, Babylon Floral Design, Inc., in 2004. One of the first seven people in Colorado to become a Certified Professional Florist, he is also a Certified Floral Designer at the national level. Arthur was inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers in 2015 and just completed EMC, the European Master Certification program Cycle 3 in 2016.

Arthur has been featured in the 2012-13, 2014-15, 2016-17, and 2018-19 editions of International Floral Art. His work made the Spring 2013 cover of the French floral art magazine Nacre and was also featured in the winter 2016 edition. Arthur’s work has been in many Colorado publications, he has contributed to Florists’ Review magazine and was profiled in the book 50-Mile Bouquet by author Debra Prinzing. In 2018, Arthur took home a Bronze Medal for his work for the annual World Flower and Garden Show in Japan. He is a past Creative in Residence at the Denver Art Museum and is currently on the selection committee for the program.

Every piece is a collaboration between Arthur and the materials. An organic medium demands an organic process, and each placement dictates the next. Layers, color, texture are all informed by the structure, which comes from the plants themselves. Contrast and harmony blend into each other and unify. The very nature of living materials makes them impermanent. Arthur considers what is yet to come when positioning a bud yet to blossom, or a full bloom that will decline. A floral work of art is alive and transitory, and cannot be possessed; it can only be experienced. There is perfection in the imperfections of nature’s sculptures, and bringing them together in simple, striking beauty is Arthur’s gift.

The creation of the shop actually happened when I was laid off from a shop I had worked for for 5 years. It pushed me to maniacally open my own store 8 months later. I decided that I would no longer work for people that did not appreciate my passion and drive for floral design. In the first few years i did a lot more garden and outdoor planters till the daily business and wedding parts of the business grew.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

March 2020. I was in Vancouver for a Trend Summit as the world was trying to figure out how to deal with Covid. My flight back was canceled, when I was able to get another flight (all 7 of us fleeing Canada) I came back to shutdowns and chaos. I had to make the hard choice to lay off my staff. I thought that was going to be the end of my business. Within a few weeks the website was picking up business from people trying to connect with friends and family. I became a one man show doing everything a staff of 4 was doing previously. After a few months of working by myself I was able to bring everyone back by that July. It went from “the end” to the best year ever and has never stopped.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

We actually do not do any paid advertising, but instead choose to market by doing fashion shows, art books and editorial work. I’ve been a Creative in Resident at the DAM and that has really pushed my practice in museums and international competitions. I really let my work and the flowers do most of the talking. We sell our arrangements as concepts with a talk to us section where our clients give us a backstory which we can translate into floral magic.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.babylonfloral.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babylonfloraldesign/ , https://www.instagram.com/arthurwilliamsflowerart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BabylonFloralDesignInc/ , https://www.facebook.com/arthur.williamscpfcfd/

Image Credits
photographers. Nicole Marcelli, Stacey Bal, Amanda Baker,Arthur Williams