01
Floral logos
Brand marks and lettering built in flowers, freestanding or set into a wall.
Our story
How it grew.
From flowers brought home from a college job to studios in three cities. A history of what we built, in the founder's own words and years.
Learning the trade
While studying at UCLA, works as a sales associate at Empty Vase, Rita Flora and Mark's Garden. Watches the designers, learns how the businesses run and where the money goes, and gets her first lessons in working with customers. Starts bringing flowers home to experiment.
The first events
Graduates from UCLA in the middle of the housing crisis recession and takes a job at an organ and tissue donor agency. Spends her spare time reading websites and dreaming of a shop like Rita Flora, with food and flowers. A referral from her dad leads to the first event, a Bastille Day party: ten arrangements made on her own, with a local nursery lending cooler space. Next comes a coworker's small wedding for $500, also done alone. Overwhelmed, she keeps going.
Sugar Magnolia Flowers
A roommate urges her not to wait, so the business starts in their El Segundo apartment. She reads about SEO, Entrepreneur and Inc. magazines and the entire SBA website, then files a DBA as a solopreneur for Sugar Magnolia Flowers, named for the Grateful Dead song.
$200 and a website
Launches with $200 total. Her brother, Matthew Cylinder, builds the first website. She works evenings as a receptionist at a visual effects studio and builds an e-commerce site for daily flower delivery orders. So many florists nationwide share the Sugar Magnolia name that it has to change. A roommate suggests Flour, since she dreamed of a cafe and flower shop (the bakery never happened). The flourla.com domain turns it into Flour LA, and a designer friend creates the logo.
The first order
Meets SBA SCORE mentors and goes to every networking event she can. The first e-commerce order shocks her, so she googles wholesalers and finds Mayesh near LAX.
An idea for a book
One year in, she imagines The Flower Chef, a do-it-yourself floral book in the spirit of Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals, and studies how Rachael built her brand through cooking demos.
Teaching begins
She contacts local Whole Foods stores and teaches free floral design classes, which lets them promote Flour LA while she practices teaching. Flower mart tours follow, and she rents space at the flower mart to teach classes. A PR acquaintance becomes a big supporter and gets her into Daily Candy, which features her classes.
Building the base
Many lower-budget weddings and a few corporate events from referrals, a couple of interns and freelancers, a year in BNI and a women's business group. Money is tight in expensive LA, and she always wants to do large events. She studies other floral design books.
The Flower Chef is published
Grand Central Life & Style publishes The Flower Chef, a #1 new release and bestseller on Amazon.
Three studios, one story so far
Studios in Los Angeles, New York City and Nashville, with installations nationwide. More of the story coming soon.
Services through the years
Everything we have made and taught.
Events
- Media events
- Product launches
- Corporate events
- Weddings
- Kids parties
- Restaurant holiday decor
Installations
- Flower walls and backdrops
- Floral sculptures and logos
- Fragrance notes displays
- Set design and buildouts
- Custom fabrication
- Travel florist
Hands-on
- Floral design classes
- Virtual design classes
- Teambuilding activities
- Flower crown stations
- DIY wreaths, mini wreaths, leis, corsages and terrariums
- Kids flower arranging
- Flower mart tours
Everyday florals
- Daily flower delivery
- Event design and styling
- Modern and rustic centerpieces
