We recently connected with Julia D’Angelo and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Julia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I think success stems from the community you build around your business and the ability to listen to people. Floristry is a monumentally physical job and while it has its perks (beauty and things that smell good) it takes a team to not only get a ceiling install done in a few hours but connect with those we come into contact with. We get to help people on days that are life changing and while florals are a small element of the puzzle we get to stand by and witness these beautiful intimate moments. For example, delivering a bridal bouquet is emotional as it is one of the few things you won’t see before the day. It makes things real and it’s incredibly touching to watch people realize oh wow I’m getting married today!

Not only connecting with our couples but our neighbors who share Astoria with us. Listening to their needs and offering pop ups, community events, composting, and even a glass of wine if you stop by at the right time. (We love our Friday margaritas!)

Pausing to listen and offer kindness is my favorite tool for success. When you’re at Fernies you’re welcomed home.

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

Fern Botanica or Fernies as the locals call us is a floral design studio and boutique. We offer full service events like parties and weddings as well as classes, and local delivery. We also are proud to have 90% of our boutique represent Queens makers.

What sets our floristry apart is we compost before and after each event as well as are 100% foam free. There is so much waste at the end of an event and while we are not perfect environmental angels we do go above the industry standard to help minimize waste.

Each Friday we offer free community compost and to date have helped divert over 20k lbs of waste from landfills.

We never repeat an event design as we love to sit with our clients and create something that reflects them as well as works with what’s most beautiful in season.

I have an arts degree and like many found myself working in restaurants upon moving to the city. With both skills combined you’ve got a recipe for a great florist! We need an eye for color and design but also the thick skin for service industry work and lots of labor building floral installations. Also water is just heavy. We don’t need gym memberships.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Team margaritas!!! Haha I want that to be it but it’s also allowing them the creative space to have autonomy. Our team is encouraged to share goals so there’s always something to inspire and work on, as well as an open space for sharing if something is on their mind. While I’m the leader, I will always be open to learn from my team. Creativity loves change.

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

The pandemic is a slam dunk Cinderella story for any small business that made it through the dark times. In the early days people needed condolence flowers and the markets were closed so I would go to Home Depot and buy out the garden center in order to make things. It certainly wasn’t the most environmentally friendly thing to do at the time but the gesture of florals at a time when people couldn’t have funerals felt like the scale needed to tip. We had weddings in backyards, and lots and lots of elopements. While it was a scary time for sure, there was something really special about how it put marriage and human connection in perspective. No one cared about the perfect day or what would look good from Pinterest, it was only about the couple and that is something I hope people can take with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fernbotanica.com
• Instagram: Fernbotanica

Image Credits
In order from top to bottom: Ira Lippke Studios Chellise Michael Photography Khaki Bedford Photography Max McQueen Photo Ellie May Photo Ryon Lockhart Photography