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

Alright, Tracey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I am frequently asked if I always wanted to own a floral business and the answer is, “no.” (I’m smiling.) The storefront was opened in July 2010 when I was in my mid-40’s and looking back, it was the perfect time for me, my family and the community. My vision was to formulate a full service floral boutique that showcased local artwork along with fresh flowers and brought the arts together for a fun, visual experience. Fine art and floral workshops became part of the business plan by the second year. Prior to becoming a business owner, I had been an elementary art teacher with Brighton Schools, managed other small retail businesses, worked as a visual merchandiser, and perhaps, the biggest influence, I had worked alongside my mom in her own floral business. When I was in my late teens and early 20’s while attending EMU for a drawing and painting degree, I learned floral design and business skills from my mom. All of these experiences became “tools in my backpack of life,” as I like to say, and were essential in forming a successful business. To be honest, I had a love for the floral industry from those first early years but knew I had to find my own path to it as a career. I opened Art In Bloom at a point in my life when my internal backpack felt like it was ready to overflow with so many ideas and my intuition told me to go for it.

Tracey, 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?

Art In Bloom is a full service floral business offering designs for all of life’s occasions and delivery throughout the Livingston County, MI area. Weddings are serviced throughout the Metro-Detroit area, and beyond, and have become a favorite aspect of the business, for sure. Personally, I wear the hats of wife, mother, grandmother, designer, owner, manager, artist, florist and teacher. The retail storefront concept has evolved over the years into a studio-based florist, in part due to the pandemic and the changing world we have all experienced since 2020. I find that this new concept is very conducive to creativity and has afforded me a space, both physically and mentally, to combine all of the things I love into one business. I am making use of my fine arts degree, designing floral art on a daily basis, bringing clients’ visions to life whether for a wedding, a memorial service or a special gift to a friend and I am managing the business with confidence I have gained from years of experience in other fields. The concept of combining art and flowers has remained consistent since conception and the designs that go out the door are unique and customized for the client and/or recipient. Taking time to talk with clients, whether over the phone, through a Zoom chat or, in person and gleaning a little insight into the reason for their floral purchase and their vision for the flowers really makes me happy.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Owning a business is not for the weak. It definitely takes determination and passion. March 2020 will be a time forever ingrained in all of our memories. The pandemic taught me so much about who I am and how much strength I have to keep a business going that is at one moment, chugging along at full speed and the next, completely halted. Initially I thought I would be closing the storefront for just a few weeks and to be honest, that was a bit of a relief, a momentary pause to recharge and then go back to it with renewed energy. However, there was a cooler full of flowers that would go to waste, events that were put on hold, orders that had to be cancelled. I remember getting a case of daffodils delivered to the shop on the morning of the governor’s announcement about staying home and businesses closing their doors due to COVID and realizing I had no use for them. I went home with a car loaded down with plants that needed care and placed those daffodils outside my front door with a note to, “Please take a bunch and spread sunshine!” By Mother’s Day, florists in Michigan were allowed to reopen but not in the same manner we were used to running our businesses. I remember feeling very thankful but also, super nervous. I quickly rearranged the space, pushing my work table to the front of the store where I could see out the large window to Main Street and to be closer to the doorway. I printed out a sign for the front and back doors of the building that explained we were taking phone or online orders only and could either bring flowers out curbside or deliver them. I did all the flower processing and design work myself, without my shop assistants. My son was such a great help at this time- delivering throughout the county with his mask on and leaving the floral gifts at the doorstep, contactless. It worked! Mother’s Day 2020 was one of my busiest holidays and I so appreciated the orders and the concern expressed by clients for how the business was going.
A major pivot happened by the end of May. The COVID restrictions pushed me to take a new perspective and rethink the way I ran the business. By July I was working from a newly rearranged, painted, plumbed and air conditioned studio space at my home. Not at all what I would have envisioned so many years prior but absolutely workable as a floral business without the brick and mortar. Throughout the months that followed, although wedding and party orders were rearranged, cancelled or micro-sized, the daily floral orders were coming in strong. Most folks were estranged from their friends and loved ones and wanted to be there for them with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a personalized note card.
I am now entering a new phase of my business journey and have begun doing more painting and selling my artwork. Working without a walk in business has allowed me to set up an easel space and segue from flowers to canvases throughout the week. As I envision what the future holds for Art In Bloom, I imagine incorporating art classes back into the plan and perhaps, finding a small gallery/studio space again where art and flowers can be displayed, sold and used as inspiration for aspiring artists.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The floral industry was completely different when my mom opened her business in 1983. I learned the foundations of floral design and customer service from her and it really was a great introduction to the world of floristry. However, a mainstay of the industry at that time and really, the only way florists knew how to run their shops was to become a member of a wire service such as FTD or Teleflora. I remember following formulas laid out in the wire service manual for the featured designs of the season. Think hurricane lanterns for Christmas, smiley mugs to say get well, tea cups, etc. Working assembly line style on multiple arrangements at once and matching the photo in the catalog were the main goals for productivity and customer satisfaction. Fast forward to 2010 and the opening of my own floral business. The last thing I wanted was to create formula based or cookie cutter floral arrangements. Standing out as unique in the floral world is very important to me. I focus on letting the freshest materials available for the season, ideally local, guide my design esthetic and I strive for nature inspired custom creations. I wouldn’t say that I had to unlearn the old floral strategies but I was able to incorporate some of my own interests and skills from previous life experiences and jobs into a new way of running a thriving floral business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artinblooms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artinbloomstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtInBloomFloralStudio/