Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Berg.
Hi Amy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been an elementary teacher most of my working years. I had an opportunity to work in a flower shop a few years back when I stepped away from teaching for a while. While I was there, I fell in love with floral design and decided to take the next step earning certification through Floral Design Institute. Our family moved to MN in December 2019 for my husband’s new job and I went back to teaching. This spring, I started entertaining the idea of opening a floral shop from my home. I had the training, experience and space, so why not give it a try? Things moved very quickly over the summer from coming up with a name and logo, finding coolers for flowers, getting set up with wholesalers, building a website and preparing the workspace. On September 1st, I opened my “doors” for business. Since I don’t have a storefront, my website and social media serve as that. I’ve been overwhelmed with the support and encouragement of the Bemidji community in this venture.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The process of launching my business moved very quickly, but there were some hiccups along the way. Some of my biggest struggles involved getting my website going. I am an elementary teacher so I had no clue how to begin building one. As a startup business, I wasn’t in a place to invest a whole lot of money in a website so I went with a company that provides templates and you build it out from there. That was such a learning curve and it is what I spent the majority of my summer working on. It is still a work in progress. Also, figuring out how to increase SEO online and all of the social media marketing strategies has been a bit complicated for me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a one-woman-show operating a home-based floral studio. Customers place orders for floral arrangements online or by phone. I create one of a kind designs and deliver them to recipients in the greater Bemidji area. One of my specialty offerings is floral subscriptions for individuals or businesses who appreciate having fresh flowers on a regular basis. Customers can purchase weekly, bi-weekly or monthly subscriptions. I also do wedding, sympathy and special occasion design. I’ve held two design classes at the TreeHouse at Compass Rose in downtown Bemidji. These have been a hit, so I plan to do more seasonal design classes for adults and kids. Participants loved working with fresh flowers and creating their own designs to take home. My next project is to coordinate a volunteer program to repurpose event flowers. Many times after a wedding or event, people don’t know what to do with the flowers. I am going to work with local agencies and recruit volunteers to turn large arrangements into small “Bouquet Blessings” for nursing homes, hospitals, etc. Next spring and summer, I will be growing some flowers to be used in my designs. I will also utilize local flower farmers as a source for flowers. I think what sets me apart from others is the thought, care, energy and emotion I put into each design.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as setting goals, accepting all of the road bumps along the path toward the goal, having the flexibility to change direction when needed, and feeling satisfied with the end result.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.petalsandpinefloral.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petalspinefloralstudiobemidji/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petalspinefloral/
Image Credits
Alicia Erikson
The Design Store-Carpet One Floor & Home Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce
