Conversations with Hannah Tiffin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Tiffin.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story starts with 3 generations before my birth! My great grandfather started a florist which was handed down through the family for a number of decades. I would spend my summers there amongst the beautiful blooms. In my play life I would mimic what I saw at my Grandfathers shop. As a young person, I would cut flowers and greenery from around our home and the abandoned old homestead on the property my parents were renting in Maryland. I would gather up the bricks from the fallen chimney and I would use them to create my “flower shop”. And so from there the rest is history. I have been a florist/artist all of my life.

Life took me in many directions but it always came back to flowers. I have worked in about 6 really great shops on both the East and the West Coast and here in the Midwest! I settled here in Midland where my family was originally from to raise my family. I opened my shop 6 years ago. It was a little one room shop in an old ware house tucked away in the old industrial part of town. I think we paid like 150.00 a month for it. The ceiling leaked, it was cold and there was very little about it that was suitable for our purpose but we made it work! We were so proud of it. Outside we had a cute little flower garden and for whatever reason, people loved it.

The following year we moved to a larger space, then a larger space and then the following year, the space we are in now which is every florists dream. We have a custom work space designed by myself as a seasoned florist with tons of work space, great lighting, a courtyard and lots of beautiful windows on a very busy corner of town. Our shop looks modern and sharp and we could not be more thrilled and thankful!

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?
No it has not always been a smooth road. Starting off we had little to no start up money to invest into our venture and we did not have savings. We had to be profitable from day one. This caused a ton of stress and was very unfair to ask of our new business. Our business was able to provide thanks to our talents and work ethic and a ton of community support.

We were one of 5 florists in our town so we came into a market that was already saturated. This means we had to make our niche. We decided that we were not going to try to compete with the shops in our town. We were going to offer the area an experience that was different from what they were currently being offered. We focused on upper end specialty florals and creating artisan bouquets rather than arrangements with predetermined recopies. Each arrangement our customers order are custom and the flower selection is always elevated at our shop. This approach caught the attention of people in our community who really loved flowers and really knew what they liked. We created a space for people who are passionate about flowers to come to buy.

We did not always have an easy go of things, but there is always so much more going right than wrong.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Our customers often claim that our work is easy to spot in a room of other flowers because our florals are works of art. I believe this to be true. I personally am very sensitive to color and texture. I have been a painter the majority of my life. I have been a professional painter since my early 20’s. There is all the things in my tool box you would expect from an artist such as strong color sense from solid color theory and strong compositions but I think my most important tool is my curiosity. I am always curious and I only work with people in my space who have the sense of wonder. Flowers are never just something to do. They are what we bring to the world and it is one of our greatest honors to be selected to be there shaping the look of some of the most important moments and events of peoples lives….that is a big deal.

We are different because we understand that flowers are healing and needed. We know this because when someone goes to the hospital or is hurt, sick, sad, happy, born and on and on one of the first numbers they reach for is ours. They call on a florist. We are most most proud of the fact that we never send out an arrangement that we would not want for ourselves. That is a big deal and it is 100% true.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I honestly have no real set of resources at this time in the traditional sense. I use a ton of Gemini AI to work through issues and debate things rather than ruminating them in my head. That really seems to help get things clear and to the point quickly. I am in a Business Executive group which meets once a month that is filled with 15 other people who are also entrepreneurs of a similar caliber. It helps to have this kinship. TicTok, I know!! I mean it though, I love to use TicTok! There are a ton of great ideas and minds on there to inspire us, guide us, encourage and educate us. Pinterest, I use it for trend scouting a bunch.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Hannahsflowers.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Hannahs-Flowers-and-Floral-Preservation-100083577960047/