A LITTLE LOOK INTO OUR LIVES

BEHIND THE SCENES

By Katie Reisman

People describe me as extremely quirky, sarcastic and a healthy dose of attention-deficit mixed in. I'm extremely friendly and can talk to anyone, and I'm always willing to make a joke at my own expense (better to make the joke about yourself before someone else does). I definitely don't have as much stamina as Ashley, but when we're getting stressed out on a job due to the timelines, I'm always there to make us laugh so we can get it done. I laugh all my own jokes and sometimes can't even get them out because I'm laughing too hard. I also use a lot of hand gestures when I'm trying to describe or make a point. I"m not good at hiding my emotions on my face if I'm annoyed, happy, etc. 

Ashley is my partner. We are complete yin and yang and balance each other extremely well. I was a private school goody-two-shoes from LA in high school, while she was ditching class in Seattle growing up. I  got a degree in Economics from McGill while she studied fashion design at art school.  She has way more patience than I do (I can get stressed very easily) and actually has a natural eye for design, whereas she had to teach me all about balance, movement, and composition. I'm more of a ditz and she is more serious and professional. Ashley started the business and takes the lead on the design direction, I am her loyal foot soldier (this works extremely well with our personalities because I struggle with being a director, I love taking direction from someone. Ashley is definitely a workhorse and I can be a bit more spacey or want to "call it a day" earlier, this can lead to some tension in our relationship. I definitely look to her tell us what to do (she is a Capricorn and I am a Pisces so this is very indicative of our personalities). We spend SO much time together and we literally never stop talking. I am an empath so I can tell when she gets stressed and sometimes I emotionally take this on which can be hard for me! However, since I can tell when she’s getting stressed (oftentimes before she does) I am able to joke her back into a good mood.  I'm definitely more "basic" (I'm really into pop culture and trends) and I've definitely rubbed off on her (I got her into really trashy TV and celebrity gossip, which she pretends to hate but I know she loves!) and she's taught me about arty hipster things. 

I have been a florist full time since January 2019 but interned for Ashley in secret while holding down a full-time job in advertising. 

My husband and I were walking to dinner one night when we stumbled across Ashley in her pop-up shop in the Tenderloin. I was watching her sell like crazy in a crowded shop by herself (it was two or three days before Valentine’s Day) like a creep until my husband convinced me to go talk to her. Mustering up my courage I approached her and asked if I could show her pictures of my work and if she needed an intern. She told me to email her after Valentine's Day and we could meet up. We met up at a sketchy bar a week or so later and proceeded to get super crunk and have the BEST time - TOTALLY hitting it off. For a full year, I kept my 9 to 5 job in advertising but would make up excuses as to why I needed to "work from home" on Fridays (wedding prep days) and then spend my whole weekend working with Ashley. On Monday mornings I would come into the office so depressed because I knew I would much rather be a florist full time that climbs the corporate ladder (although I do miss the regular and fat paychecks). I went to a career counselor to sort through all my emotions about becoming a florist (I used to love to tell myself that I wasn't creatively strong enough) until I realized that I was saying that out of fear, and that life was short and I should take the risk. Even though COVID has been an emotional and financial roller coaster as a florist, I'm so glad I made the switch. 

I started just doing one-off flower jobs for friends, and then once I started interning with Ashley, it became a serious pursuit (vs a hobby) and then eventually a career. Today we're firmly set in the "mid-tier" of florists - our average wedding budget is anywhere from $7 - $12k which is the type of client that we like. The more they spend on their event, the more demanding they are going to be which is just not our style. We won't just take anyone as a client (I.e. if you want round centerpieces with hydrangeas and eucalyptus garlands down the table, find someone else! If you want a dutch master inspired wedding with lots of texture and personality, we're your girls!) Our motivation isn't to be like a celebrity wedding florist, rather a mid-tier florist that is booked every weekend. we LOVE to work and not working or losing jobs to other florists is what really gets us down because we know that we do an amazing job for our clients. We always go above and beyond for the people that hire us. 

Ashley and I have an amazing rapport - we are Romy and Michele, Beavis and Butthead and Cher and Dion all rolled into one, so we know that the entertainment value will be there. Very plainly, we want to win because we want to raise our profile. We want to share our floral gifts with the world; we know that we are extremely talented and have an uncanny sense of aesthetic and humor that plays into our work so we would create some truly showstopping pieces that would blow the viewers minds, and let them laugh and have fun with us while we do it. We're not the "serious, silent" artist type, we're like a pair of (respectful) frat boys that love our jobs and want to share our floral perspective with the world. 

We keep each other sane during stressful situations by joking around - 

and sort of overtalking to each other ("Ok Ashley, I'm going to do THIS THIS AND THIS) so that we know that things are humming along. We're not the type of florists where things usually go swimmingly, so we're used to working in an intense environment with a ticking clock (we've locked our keys in the van, ran out of the product and had to go forage, left important tools etc) We can get a bit snappy (Ashley HATES when I sigh loudly when I'm stressed) but get it back on track by being honest with each other. 

I have been extremely competitive since I was a child, and having my own business has exacerbated this fact. Floristry, on the whole, is extremely competitive, especially in a city like San Francisco that has a flower market