We recently connected with Kali Rabaut and have shared our conversation below.

Kali, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Before I became a florist, I actually owned a compost company. So there I was one day in 2017, among our piles of beautiful dirt, staring out at a flower patch our farm partner had planted. It let me to do some googling and I found out that over 80% of the flowers in the US are flown in from overseas. As I was searching for more information about growing cut flowers in Florida, I discovered that there was a farmer-florist in the nearby city of Orlando and I thought, “Wow, I want to do that when I retire.” Fast forward to 2020, and amid the pandemic, we’re doing a lot of gardening, like so many people. In March of 2020, my younger brother passed away after living with cancer and I was reminded that we don’t always get tomorrow, we don’t always get to retire. So I decided to dive in and start my own cut flower garden and design studio.

Kali, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Blue House Florals is a design studio and garden in the heart of Tampa, Florida. I grow and source local, organic flowers and foliage creating designs in a loose, lush, garden style. I am proud to be a zero waste florist, meaning I don’t use any floral foam, plastic, or wires. I provide bespoke wedding and event florals, subscriptions, deliveries, and workshops.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

In the case of creative fields, like floristry, I think it’s important to be your most authentic version. I’ve always found when I am most real and transparent, I get the best feedback from my customers. It may feel weird, and you might feel alone being your unique self, rather than going with the crowd. For example, I grow most of the flowers for my designs in my garden and I was having a terrible slug infestation! I decided to share those videos of late night slug hunting on my instagram, and I received so much support and engagement from it. I think sharing the window into your experiences helps people see the labor that goes into your product or service, and maybe even allows them to connect and think “me too.”

Okay – so how did you figure out the growing or production part? Did you have prior experience?

I had never grown flowers before, but my husband is a biologist and that has been so helpful. Once we were home in lockdown in 2020, he planted some zinnias, and that really sealed the deal for me. Zinnias are the gateway drug to cut flowers! They are rather easy to grow, come in such a variety of colors and sizes, and can be grown all year here in central Florida. I now organically grow over 100 different varieties of cut flowers in my 3000 sf garden.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bluehousefloralstampa.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/bluehousefloralstampa
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bluehousefloralstampa

Image Credits
1. Kali in yellow dress on front porch surrounded by bucket of flowers | Sun and Moon Photo www.sunandmoonphoto.com 2. Kali in yellow dress holding bouquet over head | Sun and Moon Photo www.sunandmoonphoto.com 3. Wedding couple on the water holding bouquet | C. DiGiovanni Photography www.cdigiovanniphotography.com 4. Fireplace Wedding Florals | Pezz Photo www.pezzphoto.com 5. Floral Arrangement on green chair | Michele Lopez Photography michelelopezphotography.com 6. Kali florist pop-up workshop | Rachel Jolley racheljolley.com 7. Kali in garden sitting next to dahlia plant | Painted Leaf Photography https://www.paintedleafstudio.com/photography