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Date: 7/28/2021
EAST LONGMEADOW – Like many others, Jennifer Wands took COVID-19 as an opportunity to slow down and reflect on the next chapter of her life. Wands has had a passion for gardening since she was 10 years old and, after losing her job during the pandemic, decided to pursue something that brought her genuine joy.
The Flower Shed opened in May 2020 and offers fresh-cut flowers, residential and commercial flower container design and maintenance, interactive succulent workshops and planting parties and custom succulent arrangements and gift favors.
“I’ve always had that love of gardening. Being in the dirt is what makes me happy,” said Wands. “I turned my hobby into a small business to bring people joy through flowers.”
At the beginning, Wands said that she intended to only sell local, freshly grown cut-flowers. She grows and harvests her own flowers instead of outsourcing, which she sells at a flower shed near her house in East Longmeadow.
“I quickly found out that selling cut-flowers is not going to be a sustainable business to kind of pay the mortgage, the car payments and put food on the table, so I continued my passion with flowers through flower container design and maintenance,” said Wands.
She now works with businesses such as restaurants, coffee shops, salons and also residential homes to provide plant containers. She even shops with clients at garden centers to help them pick out their flowers and begin planting.
Wands also came up with the idea to implement succulent plant bar workshops. Since she began offering these interactive plant bars, she said it has become one of her biggest successes.
“My mind was turning as a small business owner with what else could I offer to others or share with others, so the succulent plant bar kind of formed itself,” she said. “It kind of became a beast of its own.”
Wands brings the plant bar to businesses, private events and parties. Guests are then able to create and plant their own succulent garden through step-by-step instructions and guidance. During the pandemic, Wands even offered contactless curbside pick-up of DIY succulent plant kits.
With the succulent bar popularity, Wands said that she had to push her flower work to the side for a while. She has now come to a nice balance of working both sides of the business, she said.
Despite opening during COVID-19, Wands said that the community support has been more than she could have imagined.
“I take it for granted like what I do is no big deal, but I’ve slowly come to learn that people just love it and they’re so appreciative of it and it brings them joy, so it just brings me more joy,” said Wands. “I’m so touched and honored to be part of a wonderful community.”
She said that social media has really helped people find her and allowed her business to take off.
“People want to support small businesses and they do. Whether it’s selling one of my cut-flower jars at the side of the road in front of my house or I bring them to farmer’s markets and they sell out or clients calling me asking me to help them shop and plant their flower containers... It’s so touching. Like, really? You want me to do that for you? It’s the best feeling,” she said.
Wands sells flowers at her shed from July to September, usually once or twice a week. She said that she posts on social media when she will be selling and what events or farmers markets she will be attending weekly.
In the future, Wands said that she is hopeful to establish a brick and mortar location.
For now, she encourages people to visit her website and check out her products because of their uniqueness and freshness. Those interested in learning more are able to visit https://www.theflowershed413.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/theflowershed413.