A few months ago, flowers weren’t even really Amy Marconi’s thing. She’s a social worker through and through, having worked in everything from child protection to mental health over the past 20 years.
But with eight mouths to feed, including a recently adopted infant, Amy knew something would have to change after her husband’s business delivering Niagara-grown flowers to New York City took a serious COVID-19 hit.
“It’s an idea I had one night lying in bed, realizing the challenges my family would have,” Amy said while trimming gladiolus and calla lilies at a rented space in Jordan Station Thursday.
A mere few months later, her pillow talk has blossomed into a flourishing flower subscription and delivery service: Be Fresh Flowers.
“Support from the community and friends is unbelievable,” she said.
Amy is still taking it all in while juggling orders, social media and deliveries.
Crisp air spills out into the summer humidity from an industrial-sized cooler as Amy's husband, Brett, heaves open a large roller door. He reappears moments later with a couple pales in swing, sloshing with water and filled with flowers.
Three-month subscriptions are available for $150. For their monthly delivery, subscribers get to choose from different flower combinations, depending on what’s in season.
Gladiolus, calla lilies, lisianthus and four different varieties of sunflowers have been sourced from local growers for August.
Almost all hands are on deck to assemble the 60 orders that will be delivered the next day by the Marconis. Close family friends, Lynda Davis and Allyson Richardson, are helping out.
Davis wraps flowers, assembled by Amy, in brown craft paper and Richardson adds the finishing touches: twine and a card with care instructions.
It’s a telling time for the family affair as the first subscription period has just wrapped up.
Brett said he was curious to see how many customers would renew. Amy says the vast majority have signed up for another three months — a pleasant surprise.
Much of Amy’s success, she admitted, is thanks to social media. It’s taken on a life of its own with a subscriber-only Facebook group, which nominates a local woman to receive a free bucket of flowers each month. And on Instagram, subscribers post photos showing off their arrangements. Amy insisted she doesn’t do bouquets. That’s for the customer to create and have fun with, she said.
Be Fresh Flowers’ customer base is made up of individuals, real estate agents (who gift subscriptions for homebuyers) and beauty salons across the Niagara Region.
As Christmas approaches, and spring’s abundant flower varieties dwindle, Amy said they’ll be introducing amaryllises — “a beautiful stunning flower” — and an option for one-off orders instead of having to commit to a subscription.
A long, white Sprinter van steered by Brett pulled up outside of Melanie Sebastianelli’s St. Catharines home this past Friday.
Amy jumped out of the passenger seat, her outgoing, inviting personality on full display as she greeted Sebastianelli in a way that made it seem like they had long been friends. She’s one of Be Fresh's repeat customers.
Amy will always be a social worker at heart, but yes, she does see Be Fresh Flowers blooming into something bigger.
“I think what I’m surprised by is how much I’m still able to interact with people, like that’s me, getting to know people … I don’t know, the relationship piece and the community, that’s what I’m surprised about and loving very much,” Amy said.
It’s been a learning curve for the accidental entrepreneur; getting to know all the different flowers, what’s in season and what’s not, rolling with supply challenges and getting to know the market.
So while flowers may not have really been her thing back in May, they’ve quickly grown on her.
When asked what her favourites were, she answered without missing a beat: ranunculus and peonies.
For more information, visit Be Fresh Flowers.
Jordan Snobelen is a reporter for the Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the Government of Canada, with Torstar Community Brands.
