Today we’d like to introduce you to Susanne Slade Kelly.
Hi Susanne, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I fell in love with flowers at a very early age while gardening with my mother and grandmother. I also have always been creative. I got my Bachelor of Fine Arts with both a painting and a ceramics emphasis. After stints as a high school art teacher, a gardening website blog writer, a studio potter, and a 911 dispatcher I never found what quite lit me on fire. Throughout my adult life, I would arrange flowers from my garden or the grocery store.
When I met my husband, he knew to buy me flower bunches not arranged flowers so that I could put them together in my own way. And when we got married I did our wedding flowers and I fell hard for floral design.
In the early Covid era when everything was closed, I noticed farmer’s markets were open and growing in popularity.
So that summer on the weekends I started selling small bouquets next to vegetable farmers and bread bakers and jam makers. I made lots of good friends both of my neighbors and with my customers. As the months went on, I got my first wedding client who was a daughter of a market neighbor, and then the next who was a referral from a market customer. It snowballed in the very best way from there and I’m having the most fun and success I ever have. Instead of paint or clay, now flowers are my medium. I love to do installations like hanging flower clouds or big arches. While pottery was so permanent, I am excited by the fleeting life and infinite possibilities of flowers.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not always a smooth road. A lot of weekends at the market I lost money when we really didn’t have money to lose. I didn’t have a backup day job after being laid off. I jokingly called myself a 503b florist for a good year and a half at the start.
When I started delivering retail orders, I lived far from the flower market so I would design in the back of my car in the parking garage at my husband’s work. It’s humorous to think back on, and I’m so grateful for the challenges because they helped hone my flower and marketing skills quickly!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My company’s name is Stone’s Throw Floral Co., (which is a vestige from my days as a potter) and I do primarily wedding florals and event design.
I’m known for colorful, romantic, and bold flowers and floral installations. I think what sets me apart beyond my eye and style of arranging is my personalized service for brides and their families. I pride myself on understanding their vision. My most common compliment after their wedding is that I just “got it” from our very first conversations.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I see the color coming back in style in a big way – both in flowers and in wedding attire.
A brightly colored suit for the groom, jewel-toned flowers, and a small but boldly-dressed wedding party will be big in 2023-24. Sustainability will also become a bigger concern for the industry, as the currently accepted means are neither sustainable nor healthy for florists (see: floral foam toxicity).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stonesthrowfloral.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/stonesthrowfloralco
- Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/stonesthrowfloral
- Other: https://www.zola.com/wedding-vendors/wedding-florists/stone-s-throw-floral-co
Image Credits
Snaps with Joy, RKM Photography, Sonia Alexandria Photography, BLVD Photography, and Rivers Light Photography
