09/13/2017
*IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT*
Hello friends!
Thanks for the support and love over the past year since I launched Bittersweet Florals. It's been a fun venture, and I have enjoyed the work, but I've made the decision to step back from the business for at least a while.
I started Bittersweet because I observed a gap in the floral industry. It seemed there were few options between doing a DIY wedding and spending thousands (or tens of thousands) at a floral shop. I felt like I could find a place in that gap. It could be a way to have fun and enjoy working with florals (something I love to do), offer a great deal to brides, and to contribute to the resources of my family. A little part-time, home business doing something I really like.
But I have learned some things over the past year.
First, I am coming to understand more why such high prices are standard in the industry. Between consultations, planning, ordering, going to the wholesaler for pickup, prepping flowers, creating the pieces, and delivery/installation, it's a lot of work. I put a lot of hours into a wedding. I generally don't even make minimum wage for my work. Sometimes less. And remember, I don't have the overhead of a shop, or of keeping stock on hand, so the standard markup seems understandable. But the money isn't really the issue, because it is something that I enjoy doing.
You see, because flowers are perishable and I am not set up with floral fridges/shop space, I have a shorter than average time frame to get things arranged. And it all happens in my kitchen. (The garage is usually too hot or too cold for the flowers.) With 6 of us living in a townhouse, it's tough for my family on a wedding week with me taking over the kitchen (and usually the dining area too.)
As the kids get bigger and busier, I am also finding it more difficult to work in time for the business. It seems we are busy most nights of the week (and most weekends) with all the stuff that kids do. The time with them, especially our oldest, feels fleeting. Additionally, I am also feeling the need to find steadier employment to help pay the bills (because college is coming!), and working while the kids are in school seems the obvious choice. Most floral events do not seem to happen during school hours.
And so, for now, I have made the decision to put the business on hold at the end of this month. I am not ready to close everything up from a business/legal/paperwork standpoint, but I am not going to be taking any new jobs for now.
Again, thanks for all the support and the beauty you've let me participate in over this past year.
With a grateful heart,
Gwenn Mangine
