Tiffany Schneid and Bekah Berry, the co-owners of floral shop Botanica 215, met working for another florist while they were both in college. They became fast friends, and started to develop a passion for floral design while creating arrangements for weddings.
Two college degrees later, they circled back to floral design and decided to set out on their own.
“We didn’t have a whole lot of creativity because they were the ones directing, so we thought, if we are the ones in charge, we could full put our designs out there,” says Berry.
In their search for a shop, they first considered a space in Olde Towne East, before Berry happened upon the little shop at 215 King Ave., between Neil Avenue and North High Street. They instantly fell in love with the shop’s hardwood floors and embellished ceiling.
“I feel like our storefront and our style has kind of been ever-changing, and it’s always felt like the right space for us,” Berry says.
This particular area also continues to change, says Berry.
“This row of businesses was a lot different when we started, even just two years ago,” says Berry. “It just seems like there’s a huge amount of new breath in this area, and it’s just really cool to be a part of that.”
From taking orders to filling them, every aspect of the business is done by Berry and Schneid. They didn’t have a plan, and the process of getting and setting up shop took less than a month for them. “This was all learned on the go,” Berry says.
They also made the decision to source from local flower farms, rather than shipping flowers from the other side of the country.
“The quality is just a lot better. I mean, obviously the availability is a bit more slim, but getting more quality product to our brides, to our customers, is more important to us,” Schneid says. “You’re buying directly from the grower versus having a middleman, so cost is more effective.”
And they mostly rely on word of mouth, especially for bridal arrangements. “We really think that, especially giving a good product and getting good customers that like us and like what we do, is our best advertising,” Berry says.
“We like to be picked by our style, not by our prices,” Schneid says.
Berry and Schneid have been able to sustain regular customers from their work on weddings. Berry says it feels like they’ve been able to make people consider buying flowers as an everyday thing, so they’re suppling arrangements for anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, and everyday occasions as well.
For Berry and Schneid, their main goal is to spend more time at the shop. They both work jobs outside of their business, so currently they’re only open Thursday through Sunday. Remaining open during the week would be ideal.
They’re also wanting to get more creative with their arrangements.
“Doing some of these bigger products — things hanging from the ceiling, decorating the walls — we have some pretty crazy weddings this year. I’m excited,” Schneid.
For more information, visit botanica215.com.