Why Small Businesses Matter in Westport: Blossom + Stem Floral Design
Why Small Businesses Matter
Shop small, do big things for your community
Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story.
Meet Michele Sinacore, owner of Blossom + Stem Floral Design in Westport.
Why did you start your business?
I am an ex-media marketing professional/endurance sports athlete who has dreamt of leaving big corporate for a creative field where I could combine my love of color, and nature and conceptualize ideas for clients. I didn't know what that meant but my common denominator was that I loved flowers and all-things landscape design. My aunt is a landscape architect in Florida, my mom an excellent gardener and it's in my DNA. I also knew how to listen to client objectives and tell a story through a creative process. I worked in sports marketing, and lifestyle media and traveled all over the world developing ideas for big brands and it just didnt feel authentic enough. After I moved out of the NYC media world I started event planning full-time. I yearned so much to be the one designing the flowers vs hiring the florist so I immersed myself in the industry. I took one recreational class at the NY Botanical Gardens called "Arranging with Store-Bought Flowers" and it hit me like a ton of bricks - I knew I needed to switch careers! I spent the next two years at "Flower School NYC: and learned everything I could about the floristry industry. I practiced in my garage and I never looked back.
What is your best-selling product/service?
I would say my strengths lie in my passion for event work and styling and therefore that drives a good portion of the Blossom + Stem business along with doing stand-alone flower orders for clients. I love nothing more than interpreting my clients' inspiration through flowers yet being able to see the larger picture and work in tandem with other professionals like caterers, venue managers, and home builders. I love concepting and using nature to execute a vision and it fuels the business. In addition, we absolutely love the small to medium-sized events and the everyday flower orders. We can get personal with a client and venue staff and it’s really satisfying. Danielle McGrath, my design colleague can treat a simple birthday order client like they are a VIP. We love what we do and it shows in our work. We are not a factory timing our staff. I love nothing more than returning to a venue time and time again to flower a baby shower, rehearsal dinner, or an editorial shoot.
Have you reimagined your business?
Oh gosh... I am doing this every single day and it's been a struggle. I started my business in my basement as a part-time event floral designer, mom to two small children while recovering from a major surgery and hoping to return to competitive running. lol. I was all over the map!
Education and Dreaming Big
I then started taking classes in retail floristry, and flower photography and dreamt of being a true flower shop owner with a million varieties of flowers. I still want that dream, but it's a stepping stone unless you are funded big time.
Pivot During COVID
After COVID hit, I yearned for a retail space to spread my wings a bit more and I signed a one-year lease near the train station. It was quiet, and everyone asked me why I wasn't selling flowers to commuters on the train platform. I took many online classes while everything was shut down and thought I wanted a downtown retail location.
Moving to Sconset Square
I moved to Sconset Square and achieved that, but my events business started coming back as COVID dissipated. What I realized is that I wanted a hybrid model where we could take on event work, have a space to logistically load a van for that work, and also do holidays, birthdays, celebrations, and even some funeral work. I needed to be able to leave my space and not worry about a store.
Success and Self-Doubt
In the meantime, my flowers landed in Vogue and on the cover of one of the local magazines, and yet I still felt like the underdog fighting against myself. I have since moved into a design space vs retail store and love it. I feel authentic and love the hybrid flower studio model.
The Hybrid Flower Studio Model
We have started offering classes, do deliveries, and have clients in all the time. I am extremely passionate about partnering with other small businesses. We do pop-up shops, flower bars, and charitable work. I have used my marketing background to cross-pollinate, so to speak, with many like-minded small businesses in our area.
Staying Authentic
I am trying to be authentic to my passions and put the flowers as the star of the show. I am also learning how to say "no thank you," and that's hard. A lot of well-meaning folks love floral donations and want us to be a great retail spot, which is my dream, but I need a van and a team first!
I've had to learn how to re-imagine my business as a business and not just a hobby. I love all of it!
Blossom + Stem Floral Design is located at 1835 Post Rd East in Westport.
Visit Blossom + Stem’s website https://blossomstem.com/
Follow the flowers on Instagram @blossomstem and Facebook @blossomstemwestport
HamletHub thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!