A budding business: The Willow Floral Studios

Willow Floral Studios officially opened at the Triphammer Mall in late May and business is now in full swing.

The shop is owned by Marcy Brandt, David Chang and Anastacia Mosher-Arnold, who all also own Arnold’s Flower Shop located at 19 West Main St., Dryden. Marcy and Anastacia Mosher-Arnold purchased Arnold’s five years ago and have since brought Chang, and this new shop, into the fold.

Chang first started college here in Ithaca at Ithaca College and later transferred to Binghamton where he graduated in 2009. During his undergraduate experience, Chang worked in the area, and later the West Chester area, delivering floral arrangements. This continued when he moved to Boulder, Colorado, where he gained experience in the shop itself.

“I was just looking for a job to save up some money for college and I was a delivery driver at a flower shop down in Westchester. I worked there, saved up some money and decided to move to Colorado. When I went out there, I was looking for a job and I just happened to see a delivery driver,” Chang said. “And then I ended up learning to design there. They were fantastic. They showed me the ropes, and I unexpectedly fell in love with flowers and the industry. Ever since then I’ve been working in shops like this.”

Willow Floral is not just floral arrangements, although that is a large part of what they do. The shop includes a variety of houseplants, plant accessories such as potting soils, watering cans, plant food, and pots and a variety of artistic trinkets, some of which are from local artists.

When it comes to floral services, there are many occasions and options at Willow Floral. One of these services includes repotting plants. All the co-owners are also happy to help visitors find the right plant for them and answer any questions they may have.

“If people have plants at home that need to be repotted and they aren’t comfortable doing it themselves we offer a replanting service as well! People can bring in their plants and a new planter of their own or we can help them select an appropriate size planter and up pot their plant for them,” Chang said. “We also welcome people to just come in or call and ask any questions they may have. There is so much information out there about plant care and it can be intimidating and overwhelming and it doesn’t have to be. We love talking about plants and flowers and want to help everyone get the same joy from them as we do!”

When it comes to traditional floral arrangements, such as designs for various pieces of a wedding, special anniversaries, or memorial and funeral arrangements, Willow Floral has a personalized consultation process. 

The first step is digital consultation to make transportation and scheduling work best for both parties. There is also an in-person consultation after the initial “getting to know you and the event” digital discussion. During the in-person consultation a draft plan is made with sample images, color schemes, and pricing. Chang added that from here they work with clients to make sure everything from colors to pricing is right for both Willow Floral and their clients.

“For us it’s really about making sure everyone is happy with what they are getting. Flowers and greenery are supposed to liven up a space and make us happy and that is what we try to do as the arrangers,” Chang added. 

For their everyday selection of home greenery and flowers there are a variety of options in store. They have very easy, low maintenance plants at one end of the spectrum, up to the more finicky house plants that need some extra TLC. Willow Floral also includes pet-friendly markers on their houseplants so shop visitors can rest assured that their pets won’t be harmed. 

“We mark all the plants in the shop that are non toxic with a pet friendly sticker so if people have four legged friends at home they can still buy plants without worry. We know we can’t compete with big box store prices so we want to offer an experience and level of customer service and care that you can’t necessarily get at the big box stores,” Chang said. “If people are looking for a specific plant and have trouble finding it we will also do our best to hunt one down for them. We also carry a large variety of plant accessories – planters, moss poles, fertilizers, soils, humidifiers, watering cans, etc.”

For Willow Floral, building community and these personalized experiences is very important. 

“I just like meeting people. One of my big things that I wanted to make sure was one of our focuses in this business was to build community and hopefully open up the space to classes and small events, things like that,” Chang said. “We want to collaborate with local businesses wherever possible. So many people come in here and there are so many talented people in the Finger Lakes region, so I get to meet a lot of cool makers and artists and want to include that in this space.” 

Chang concluded by sharing that Willow Floral Studios is meant to be a place for everyone to visit. He said that while flowers are not a necessity, they are a joyful part of life that he likes to share with others. For this reason WIllow Floral will sometimes have a discount plant cart outside, flowers for a few dollars, and markdowns on plants that really need new homes. Sharing greenery and joy in this way is something that Chang said is very important for him and his business partners. 

To learn more about their services visit https://www.willowfloralstudios.com/, email info@willowfloralstudios.com, or call (607) 339-0004 and events@willowfloralstudios.com for service specific inquiries.