MY BIZ: Making a statement with flowers

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Cassie Parrott has expressed herself through flowers all of her adult life.

“For me, it’s the creative side, and getting to share my artistic abilities through florals,” Parrott said one recent morning. “I’m horrible at drawing or painting or anything like that, but when it comes to being creative on the flower side...”

Parrott, 32, began working for florists soon after graduating from Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School, just a few blocks from her home. She kept working while completing Kirkwood Community College’s horticulture program.

Gaining some 15 years experience, Parrott and her husband, Joey, decided last year it was time to strike out on her own.

“I had been doing it for other businesses and just decided I wanted to be doing it for myself,” she said. “I knew what it all entailed, and what I needed.”

A small toolshed in her backyard became her studio, freshened with new paint and outfitted with work tables and a florist’s refrigerator to keep blooms fresh.

“Thankfully, we had this workshop,” she said. “It was just storage. We started converting, and it went really quickly after I decided I wanted to for-sure do it.”

Wedding specialty

Parrott’s goal is to specialize on weddings, but she’s taken other business during her start-up.

“From the beginning, I knew I was going to have to do some everyday retail,” she said. “Friends and family will say, ‘Hey, can you do a birthday bouquet for me tomorrow?’ And I can make it happen.”

Without a traditional storefront, which she didn’t want to invest in, Parrott typically begins the design process in customers’ homes, where being a one-woman operation has its advantages.

“I have the capabilities and the time to actually get to know each one of my brides and give my undivided attention to them and not have to worry about other customers coming in,” she said.

Large, elaborate displays are popular for this season’s weddings, she said.

“Big, colorful arches and hanging installations,” Parrott said. “Big statement pieces are the trendy things right now.”

Most customers have at least some idea what they’re after.

“A lot of times they have somewhat of a vision,” she said. “They’ve gone to Pinterest or Google or Instagram or TikTok and found pictures they like. I guide them and make it fit within their budget and make their vision come to life for them.”

Using social media

Social media also is a key marketing tool.

“When you’re starting a business, anything free is helpful,” Parrott said. “Anytime we do a wedding and they post pictures and tag us in it, that helps spread the word.

“Those relationships with other wedding vendors help. A venue, a dress shop, a tux shop, a bakery, we all get together and make a mock wedding, and it’s photographed and we post that on our socials.”

Parrott works through a wholesale florist in Illinois and directly with big flower farms in Ecuador and Chile. In-season, she also buys locally grown blooms.

Managing deliveries, she said, is vital.

“When somebody’s buying a bouquet for a birthday or anniversary, they want that to last as long as possible. I want to get that in right before the occasion and get it out to them in the form where it’s barely started blooming,” she said. “With a wedding, they’re wanting (the full bloom). Depending what kinds of blooms, I have a process where I get them to their full potential for the wedding day.”

Friends, family help

Parrott is her namesake company’s sole full-time employee, but friends and family help with deliveries and building elaborate arrangements. Peak wedding season brings some early-morning starts.

“We’re always one of the first vendors at a wedding on Saturday,” she said. “You want to be in and out, so once they start with pictures that’s all done. By about noon I have everything set up.”

Despite working through the pandemic’s lingering supply-chain effects -- Parrott estimates wholesale flower costs have tripled -- she’s optimistic about her business’ first busy season.

“When I opened, my main concern was just getting clients and getting my name out there as my business and myself,” she said. “But I’ve booked 11 weddings since September. For my first eight months, that seems like a pretty good number.”