Daily Inspiration: Meet Shelby Doyle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Doyle.

Hi Shelby, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story begins before I was born – My great-great paternal grandmother, Ida, was a farmer in Wisconsin and my great maternal grandmother, Ida, lived on the east side of Detroit. After I myself moved to the east side of Detroit many decades later, I realized I had coincidentally moved to the same street my great-grandmother had lived on. I have found myself at the intersection of my two ancestors – working in farming and floristry in the city of Detroit, so as a tribute to those who have come before me and to fate, I named my business Ida Flora.

Professionally, I found farming before I found flowers. The first farm I worked on was primarily a vegetable farm with a small portion of the fields dedicated to flowers. Harvesting flowers quickly became my favorite task on the farm – getting stopped in my tracks by the depth of color that existed in nature, amazed by the idiosyncrasies of each individual bloom. I knew this was where I wanted to focus my energy. I became Floral Production Lead at Beaverland Farms where I work today, managing the crop plan, field production, harvest, and sales for wholesale cut stems to our local community.

When I started designing at flower shops during the winter (the farming off-season) I uncovered what I thought was a new passion until I found a “List of Potential Careers” from almost a decade prior that listed “Florist” at the top. With an eye for design, access to local flowers and an obsession with anything blooming, I started my own floral design business, Ida Flora.

Today, I grow flowers at Beaverland Farms and design through my own business, Ida Flora, to offer floral design services with local blooms.

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?
The most difficult part about farming (besides being incredibly sore and tired all of the time) is when you make a mistake, you often have to wait until the next season to implement change. Growth can feel slow, but there is beauty in practicing patience. With floral design, my biggest hurdle is good ol’ imposter syndrome, which I know is familiar for many women.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Through Ida Flora I offer floral design services for restaurants, private events, and weddings. My business is hyper-seasonal, using a majority of local flowers that I grow myself at Beaverland Farms or from my network of flower farmers in Detroit and Ann Arbor. I can often be found pulled-over on the side of the road, snipping blooms that have caught my eye while driving by. I’m inspired by whatever is blooming seasonally in our fields or on the edges of our forest. My design style is organic, highlighting wild gestures and often incorporating other non-floral natural elements like moss, rocks, and other trinkets found in the woods. I love working with loud textures and unique stems. I believe floral design is a form of storytelling, and each project gives me the opportunity to express the recipient’s story or emotions through flowers. Nothing brings me more joy than hyper-personalized flowers as a way to communicate “I see and appreciate you”.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
My least favorite part about Detroit is the socioeconomic issue it’s inhabitants face like poverty, wealth disparity, and poor education. I also dislike the city’s over-investment in the Downtown area which ignores the needs of the majority.

However, when people can’t depend on their government there is a strong sense of community – we have to stick together, lean on each other, and build each other up. Everyone in Detroit is dedicated to the success of the city, its people, and the small businesses it’s home. There is a great deal of information and resource sharing within industries that may otherwise be unnecessarily competitive, but we work together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ida-flora.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idaflora_/