Monday, June 20, 2016

Meet the Staff: Kristin!!!

Kristin started working at the Menomonee Falls store of Bank of Memories & Flowers last September.  She survived Valentine's Day and Mother's Day and is still with us!


This summer, she took on the role of coordinating all of our weddings and events, and makes sure everything runs smoothly.  This job entails prepping for weddings up to a month in advance, everything from pulling and cleaning vases, to making sure any and all supplies have been ordered.  The week of each wedding, she preps and processes, and checks all fresh flowers, and even helps with some assembly.  Kristin is a key person in assisting the owner Melissa in making sure our brides and grooms wedding day visions come to life!


When Kristin is not at the shop, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and dancing!  She earned a degree in Dance Performance & Choreography, and practices her technique and artistry in her own dance studio that she built in her attic.


Kristin was also our model this year for the Milwaukee Art Museum's "Art in Bloom" live floral fashion show called "Beauty in Bloom"!  Our task was to create a dress completely covered in fresh flowers and greenery.  All of our hard work payed off and Kristin made the dress come alive!  The shop took second place in the fashion show!


"I love being able to work with plants and flower while using my creativity on a daily basis" - Kristin

Krista Roskopf ~ Menomonee Falls Manager
Bank of Memories & Flowers

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Finding Your Perfect House Plant



At Bank of Memories & Flowers, we help people and house plants live happily ever after.
How do we do it?  After answering a series of questions about you and your indoor space our savvy staff will connect you with your perfect plant.  We will have you answer questions like: "What is your sun situation?"  "How often are you willing to water your plant?"  "What kind of container are you looking for to put your plant in?" The key is to find a house plant to fit your lifestyle, space and budget.


We want to bridge the gap between plants and people.  There are so many pros for house plants.  Plants will make your home easier for you to breathe.  Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.  Indoor plants will release moisture in the air and even purify the air in you home.  But most important, plants can improve your health and make you happy!



Come on in to our shops and meet your potential plant mates.  We have succulents, English ivys, peace lilies, air plants, palms and pothos, along with many pots and decorative containers in every shape and size.


Melissa Maas
~Owner
Bank of Memories & Flowers

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

The Secret Life of a Florist


I have to tell you a little secret about floral designers.  We do more than stick flowers in a vase or play with pretty flowers all day long.  OK, we do play with pretty flowers all day long BUT there is a lot more to being a florist that you may not know about.  Besides the creative side of designing, we are part business person, part quality control inspector,  part scientist,   part engineer, part counselor, part student .


Florists are part business people.  Fresh flowers are ordered daily, weekly, or months in advance depending on the orders we receive, what flowers are in season, or for everyday stock.  They can be ordered with local wholesalers or with national companies.  As all companies, we prefer a good product at a fair price and we also prefer dealing with companies that follow what is known as a cold chain.  What this means is that the flowers are harvested in the fields and are immediately put in refrigeration at the growers, and are kept consistently cold from the growers to the freight companies to the wholesalers then to the local florists.  The longer they are kept in the cold, the longer they will live and we won't have to dispose of them.



Florists are quality control inspectors.  Once the flowers are delivered to us, we unwrap them and "process" them.  Each flower is examined for rot, damage, or breakage and are generally stripped of any foliage that would be under water.  They are then cut with a sharp knife and put into a bucket of cold water treated with special flower food.  We are also consistently checking the flowers on a daily basis for freshness and appearance.


Florists are part scientist.  Since there are many types of flowers, there are also many different factors in their care.  Tropical flowers do not like the cold coolers that are 35 degrees Fahrenheit, hydrangeas take in a lot of water so they should be in a bucket with more than usual amount of water, etc.  The flowers are stored in a walk-in cooler or in a display cooler until they are used for designing.  We also know to keep fruit and other produce out of the cooler.  Fruit produces ethanol when it ripens and that ethanol kills flowers.


Florists are part engineer.  We are asked constantly if we can design something and truly....sometimes....when we say yes, we actually are not sure how we can.  BUT, we as designers always either know another designer who does know how to do something or we just figure it out.  Plus, we have floral tape!!


Florists are part counselor.  We deal in emotions.  Flowers are used in life's events such as weddings, birthdays, well wishes,  births and funerals.  While some are happy and cheerful, other times they are sad.  Florists can direct you to the right wording, the appropriate flowers, all the while listening and congratulating or consoling.  We have lots of Kleenex around as well.


And, lastly, florists are part student. In this day and age, we cannot sit on what we know, we must be learning, either a new design, a new product, a new computer program, or a new marketing technique.  Our local wholesalers offer hands on classes as well as national speakers.  We read home magazines as well as industry magazines looking for new trends.  We also attend industry conventions, always searching and learning.  We also teach whenever we can.  Florists teach other florists as well as the public about flowers and plants.


Floristry is not plunking a flower in a vase, it's actually a multitude of skills, so next time you receive a floral design, you know all that went into it.

Luan M. Kurriger, Manager
Bank of Memories & Flowers Pewaukee
262-695-9911

 www.bankofmemories.com