We were lucky to catch up with Holly Strawn recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Holly, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
The floral industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that relies heavily on imported flowers, chemical pesticides, and unnecessary landfill waste. There is a small, but growing, movement to change this by using locally grown, seasonal flowers. I focus on growing unique luxury flowers to use for weddings, events, floral designers, and to bring joy to every day life. Customers are always surprised at how long my flowers last and how different they are than what can be purchased at the grocery store or a typical florist or wholesaler. I believe that by showing people how fresh, beautiful, and long-lasting locally grown flowers are, the floral industry can slowly be changed to be more sustainable and healthy for people and the planet.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I grew up on a tree nursery, so I’ve always been exposed to growing plants and being outside. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a garden of some kind. In 2021/2022, I had some personal struggles and found myself craving beauty and growth. I also needed a way to supplement my income while at home with a toddler. I had no idea if anyone would be interested in locally grown flowers, but decided to give it a try and was blown away by the response! I decided to name my flower farm HARPP after the first letter of the first name of myself (Holly), my three daughters (ARP), and my mom (P) as a way to honor three generations of women growing here together. My first year growing and selling flowers was definitely a trial, trying to decide what types of flowers I wanted to grow, who I wanted my customer to be, that sort of thing. 2023 became much more focused as I discovered how much I love designing with flowers, as well as growing them. In 2024, and beyond, I’m hoping to focus in even more on growing unique, luxurious, special flowers that bring a sense of joy and a real sense of place and time to people’s lives.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I’m still working on this! Social media is a whole new thing for me and something I’m trying to learn how to use well. One thing I’m really working on is how to keep my voice and show up as myself while on social media. It’s easy to want to just show the beautiful flowers and pretend to be more polished than I am. I just keep showing up, trying to be authentic, and I think that will resonate with the right people
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
Currently, growing and designing flowers is still a side hustle, but I’m working hard to turn it into a full time business within the next couple of years. I got started by my love of growing and wanting to share beautiful flowers with others. I wanted to share the joy that I found in flowers. Since discovering how much I also love designing with flowers, I’ve been moving more in that direction-growing and designing for weddings, events, and for other floral designers. I’m doubling my growing space for 2024 because the demand for fresh, local flowers has been so high. It’s incredible and exciting!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.harppflowerfarm.com
- Instagram: @harppflowerfarm
- Facebook: @harppflowerfarm
Image Credits
Nathan Baerreis Photography Sierra Hayes Photography