Today we’d like to introduce you to Mel Frontino.
Hi Mel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi. My name is Mel and I am the Owner and Head Flower Chick of The Flower Social. I created this business just over five years ago. I was fresh out of a divorce, fresh out of money and fresh out of ideas! I had no clue what I was going to do…
Since I was a little girl, I’ve had a curiosity of flowers. I grew up in Ohio, where my grandmother had a peony bush growing in her yard. I have a vivid memory of once clipping several of the beautiful peonies and taking them inside to her. I was quickly reminded that ants live in peonies, and they are best enjoyed outside!
As an adult, my love of flowers persisted. I had a soul practice of getting myself a bouquet at the grocery store and DIY-ing arrangements each week. After a while, friends recognized my natural talent and would ask me to make arrangements for parties and events. I will never forget the day my best friend encouraged me to lean into my talent and take some floral design classes! After completing my classes and getting my horticulture license (it sounds way fancier than it is), I began to get curious about what I wanted my business of flowers to look and feel like.
I began a pop-up flower cart business called The Wild Florette and popped up in front of some of my favorite local shops and restaurants in Austin, Texas, where I live. This business was short-lived, however. I didn’t take into consideration how HOT Austin summers were and how hard that would be on the flowers. Additionally, selling anything on speculation is difficult. Then add in the fact that unsold inventory dies and your business is a flop!
But I didn’t give up! It was time for a pivot… I kept coming back to how much I enjoyed taking floral design classes the year prior. I also recognized there was no real way for someone to just dip their toe into the craft for the day or evening. I thought to myself, “Painting With A Twist is a thing; that model could totally work with flower arranging.”
So, The Flower Social was born. The Flower Social is all about making floral design fun and accessible to anyone. We do this through our virtual and in-person 60-minute flower arranging parties all the way to our full two-day (virtual or in-person) masterclass immersions.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Struggles are always part of the journey when you are starting a new business from scratch. But I always kept coming back to my why. I wanted to help other women like me eventually start their own thriving floral arranging businesses. I knew I had to figure it out first so I couldn’t give up!
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Yes! Covid taught me that you have to be quick to pivot your business. Pre-Covid, I was in the business of in-person social gatherings, so I had to think fast!
If I hadn’t of quickly shifted to online classes at the beginning of covid, my business wouldn’t have made it. It was a total blessing in disguise because I never would have realized that being virtual/online gave me access to support way more flower lovers just like me. It expanded my business in a way I never considered.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@theflowersocialaustin.com
- Website: www.theflowersocialaustin.com
- Instagram: @Theflowersocialatx
- Facebook: @theflowersocialatx
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCopYwvFZdafryrooWAf9gfQ
- Other: https://bloomagain.buzzsprout.com/
Image Credits
Image one was taken by Gaby Deimeke Austin Photographer. All the rest are property of The Flower Social taken by me.
