FTD Featured Florist:
Countryside Floral and Garden

Countryside Floral and Garden, located in Issaquah, WA, strives to offer exciting and unique plants and floral designs to keep customers coming back again and again. FTD spoke with owner Jon Robert Throne AIFD, who will be a featured speaker at the 2017 AIFD Symposium.

“Shops need to be diversified. It’s tough to survive on just flowers.”

Can you tell us a little about your shop? What is your specialty?
We do everything. We’re a true brick-and-mortar store and we do daily events, weddings, green plants, etc. Our style ranges from classic design to high-end pieces. I bought a farm in April—we’re growing plants to be sold through the shop and I planted a number of bulbs for next year. We’re really embracing the “local” movement. The biggest thing for me is trying to grow things that will not be available widely.

What made you want to become a florist? How long have you worked in floristry?
I’ve been in floristry for almost 30 years. When I was a child, I had environmentally minded people who really encouraged me. My neighbor had a greenhouse and my grandfather was a serious gardener. As a child, I would try to grow anything I could get my hands on.

What do you enjoy most about being a florist?
Plant wise, it’s the challenge to see if I can make it grow and bloom. Design wise, it’s what flowers and greens and textures I can combine to make it look new and different.

Are there any current floral trends that really excite you?
I’m intrigued by the use of the color navy. I was excited to see Greenery selected as Pantone’s Color of Year 2017. I’m also curious about olive as a color, and the use of terra cotta pots. I feel like those trends should swing back around.

What advice do you have for florists looking to attract new customers?
Shops need to be diversified. It’s tough to survive on just flowers. You also need to do weddings, rentals, Christmas décor jobs, offer giftware, and have the ability to expand other offerings in the business outside of daily deliveries. It’s important to do everything you can to bring in money from all available sources.

We understand you’ve had great success with FTD’s Market for You program. Can you tell us how it has benefited your shop?
Market for You’s social media posts are a continual reminder to our customers that we’re here. We do our own posting too, but it’s nice to not have to worry about it every day. I work with our dedicated representative on an email campaign every month and provide feedback on what she creates. It’s great because I can focus on design and not have to worry about day-to-day marketing.

What do you value most about your partnership with FTD?
The Mercury Point of Sale system, definitely. It’s easy to use and I use it to look up sales every day. I can print out statements and do payroll without having to pay someone to do it for me. My entire inventory is in the system, even giftware. At the end of the year, we print out our inventory to get a good understanding of what we have.

To learn more about how Countryside Floral and Garden utilizes Market for You, please view the video at FTDi.com/MarketforYou.