We were lucky to catch up with Jenna Rice recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jenna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?
For as trite as it could sound, I’m so influenced by Jesus and his kindness toward people. When I started Honeycomb & Co., I came across a Bible verse that so inspired me- I wrote it with a sharpee marker on my walls before I painted them so that it was literally part of the DNA of my store. Its from a sermon Jesus gave- the Sermon on the Mount- that, still to this day, is so countercultural; the whole point of His message is that we all strive for so much in this life, hustle culture tells us that we have to be first, be best, and step on anyone you need to to get there. But Jesus stressed that we’re actually blessed when we strive for peace, for contentment, for humility, for kindness. We’re so used to putting ourselves first, but his sermon turns that around and actually challenges us to play second fiddle- and He promises a blessing within that. This verse stuck out to me the most: Matthew 5;5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are- no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” As a business owner, in the retail sector, and more specifically within a luxury retail market, it can be so easy to keep my eye on financial gain, on the next great sale, and even on pushing bigger sales onto people, if I’m honest. But, at the end of the day, my products don’t mean a whole lot on their own. There are a ton of great florists in my city, and lots of retailers sell great candles and home goods. I have felt so strongly since I opened Honeycomb & CO. that what had to set us apart was not a better product offering, or even a better floral design than our neighbor’s. It’s our kindness, our intentionality, our desire to bless people who shop at Honeycomb that actually matters far more than the sale itself. That’s what creates the lasting impact. My heart since day one has been to be a source of goodness in my community and to my customers. It still matters to me so much that people would walk into my store and feel that kindness of Jesus- the way that He saw people for who they are, and the way that He always left them better after they encountered Him. I hope my business does the same. I feel so strongly that I’m the proud owner of everything that can’t be bought- the proud owner of kindness, of grace, of service, of goodness. The interactions I’m most proud of, the sales I best remember are ones where my team was able to love people through our work. I love the simplest kind act like giving a flower to a little kid and seeing them light up, and the more complicated ones where our flowers get to touch a couple who is mourning over the loss of their child, or the happy occasions where our flowers enhance a celebration. Flowers have the ability to touch people, but it’s our kindness and intention and care behind our work that actually make a difference. And I know it can feel so trite, again, to act like I have a business that is really touching people. I’m certainly very human and I have my bad days like everyone else. I just believe so deeply to my core that my work means nothing unless I’m giving the same kindness back to people that I have been so richly given by Jesus. He changes people, and I’ve always wanted to be a a part of that. One story that resonates so strongly with me that I actually share it at all my new hire trainings: A woman walked into my shop when I had first opened. I had also just had my first baby and was a couple of months postpartum. Somehow we got to talking about babies, and I could tell this woman was burdened; she shared that she had just left work and was taking extended disability leave because she had such severe postpartum depression. I was so touched that she shared it and I hugged her and told her how I knew she would be okay and that she was making such a brave choice to take care of herself. I sent her home with some flowers for herself- no charge- and walked her out to her car where she cried as she accepted them. I have never heard from her again, and I’m not sure if our interaction even touched her as much as it touched me. But it was the first time I remember thinking “that was what this business is about.” I was so humbled and so glad that I could offer her kindness and that was far better than any sale.
Gratefully, that model of kindness, intentionality, love has worked well for us. It reminds me to have integrity; I can only be good to people if I choose integrity at every level. It keeps me humble and it reminds me what my priorities are- especially when I’m tempted to take hustle culture up on it’s empty promises. Hustle culture, it only puts me first. But, every time I put someone else first, I actually live out that Jesus-example, and people actually are changed by it. And when all is said and done, I want my business to be profitable and beautiful. But all of that doesn’t matter even a little bit if the people that I encountered here don’t experience life-changing kindness. That’s what makes all my work worth it.
Jenna, 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?
I opened Honeycomb & Co over 8 years ago and it’s a full service florist and gift shop. I’ve always wanted to open a flower shop, since I was about 20 years old. Even before that, I got my start with a job in high school at a cute, local flower shop where I washed buckets and swept floors. And I was enamored with it! I loved the work. Little by little, I learned how to process flowers, and then to do simple designs, and within a few years I was taking on wedding consultations and leading my store’s wedding department. I took 3 gap years after high school, not knowing what I really wanted to do with my life, until it occurred to me that I was doing what I loved already. With that in mind, I went to a small art school for a degree in retail marketing, knowing that I wanted to open my own flower shop as quickly as I could. It took a few years more, but I finally got the courage to take the leap. I was working for another flower shop at the time doing their weddings. I created over 75 weddings for that shop in one year, and I told myself if I was ever going to work that hard again, it would be for myself. What a laugh, though, because you end up working even harder when it’s for yourself! I loved it from the second I got started, and I have loved it every year since. I love working for myself, I love steering my own ship, and I love the freedom that has come with it. I’m not sure I could ever go back to working for other people now!
My flower shop is a full service florist, meaning that we do everyday florals, weddings and events, hotel and restaurant work, funerals, and everything in between. I love the retail aspect of flower shops, and I have a boutique gift store attached alongside the flowers where we sell soaps, candles, fragrances, home goods, pantry items, etc. It’s an eclectic mixture and my style falls somewhere between upscale and whimsical. I’ve been a florist for 20 years now, and my business is about to celebrate 9 years. I feel so proud of making it this far. I was so naive when I started, and it’s such a gift- so humbling- that customers liked what I was offering and kept coming back year after year. My shop is relatively small- we’ve always had under 10 employees at any time. Because I love the work, I’m hands on. I love talking with customers and I still get such a kick when I see people in the store who have shopped there for years. I will never get over how much that means to me!
We have a really great work ethic. It’s so important to me that everything we do is done well. We have high standards when it comes to cleaning and caring for our flowers, creating our arrangements, and treating our customers. We work hard to make sure that our customers experience our integrity and our kindness. My business has always existed for two reasons: 1) I had to open this shop, it was flowing out of me. It was the literal expression of my heart. and 2) to be a place of goodness in my community, where people could come and experience beauty and kindness and care.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I first opened my shop, my heart was set on selling home goods and larger home items like furniture. I had dreams of starting small, but growing into a giant warehouse space- think Magnolia home with flowers just being a small part of a larger home conglomerate store. My first furniture sales were dismal. It took forever to sell a sofa. I thought I had such a great product mix, but people didn’t seem to get it. When I looked at our sales, we sold a ton of cards, cheap jewelry, and candles. I was so disheartened. Selling a $7 card vs selling a $3000 sofa just didn’t compare in my mind. I stayed up late researching better options of furniture to sell, trying to think of all the ways I could remerchandise and sell my current stock. I was holding so tight to this dream that I would be a home furniture retailer. I overheard a conversation one day that changed my thinking. A gentleman who had been in business for many many year said this simple phrase: “Go where the money is.” It clicked for me. All of my profits came through the gift sector of my business. It was a bit of a gut punch at first, but I came to accept that, at least at that point, I needed to shift to offer more gifts. Suddenly, home decor was only about 20% of what I offered, but sales increased and simultaneously, repeat customer sales increased. I just had to let go of my perfect version of what my business would be. And of course I was able to put own unique stamp on the gift products that I offered. It didn’t take long for me to have a lot of fun with that product mix, and I had a lot fewer sleepless nights too!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
INTEGRITY! I’ve always felt like there are a ton of really talented florists around me. I’ve never felt like I’m the best, the most creative, the most talented. But, I’ve always wanted to be a business that did all the we did WELL. Every good thing flows out of that: Repeat customers because our flowers lasted a long time because we had integrity in the way that we cared for them. Wedding vendor and client recommendations because we treated every wedding order as if it was our own. Positive word of mouth from one business recommending us to another because we took great care of our clients and bent over backwards so they would know we actually cared. We are kind to our suppliers, delivery drivers, wholesale reps, and even our postman because we want absolutely everyone to say that we’re a quality business who deserves good things. Anytime a customer is upset, we care about their complaint so that we earn their business back. We aren’t cut throat with our fellow florists and boutique owners; I’m so pleased to support them and be kind to them so that when they can’t take on a client they will gladly recommend us. I tell every employee that we hold high standards so that we do things right. It’s the very best marketing tool. It takes a level of intention and dedication that some businesses don’t want to invest. But I think the payout is so worth it. My goal is that anytime my business is mentioned, someone says something positive about us.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.honeycombandcompany.com
- Instagram: @honeycombflowers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeycombandco
Image Credits
Sarah Porter Photography