Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcie Suchow
Hi Marcie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hello! Im Marcie, Owner of Wildflower and Willow, a rare plant and floral shop located in Logan Utah! Those who know me know I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, I was the proud owner of a Cake and dessert catering company from 2008-2010 as well as the owner of my own salon from 2016-2021. Retirement came in 2021 allowing me more time with my husband of 27 years and my 4 adult sons.
In late 2023 life changed unexpectedly when I found out my little brother had been killed tragically, being some years older then he was, and the only stable member of my family, I became the executor of his estate and started the journey to find justice for his death. Unfortunately Justice never came. This time in my life was very dark, mourning the life of my brother and the loss of ever finding peace in his death.
It was during this time I was approached by my cousin and his son (second cousin) both of which I was very close to. They were planning to open a new plant and flower shop in town and wanted to talk to me about becoming involved in the future of the store, specifically aesthetic design and potential work with future brides, based on my previous work experience in the bridal field.
At the time I was happy to lend a hand to family and the distraction of the shop seemed to come at the right time, it felt like a bright spot in an otherwise melancholy season of life. The new tasks of designing the store, ordering retail items and establishing our brand was a welcome change in my day to day activities. Through discussions with my cousin we determined the following business plan and set out full steam ahead. He and his wife would be majority owners, His father ( my direct cousin) would work as needed doing mainly IT/Web related jobs. My son, Ky, would be a paid employee, responsible for the rare house plants, and I would be part owner focusing solely on brides/weddings, working as needed and having flexibility in my schedule as I was happily retired and not looking for a full time commitment.
My husband and I did not take this investment lightly, we know what they say about getting into business with family, we asked all the right questions, looked at all the paperwork, and unfortunately trusted our family members. The day before the doors were to open on February 19th 2024, my cousin came to me and said he didn’t have the finances to pay the business debts he had acquired in preparing to open the store. I was shocked! In that moment I had a huge choice to make, do I walk away and loose my investment or stay, invest even more, and work hard to make this store everything I had helped create and knew it could be. I stayed.
In making the decision to stay, my ownership share in the business grew, allowing me to implement new strategies that would keep our shop moving in the right direction and give us the best opportunity for growth. Unfortunately, after only eight weeks my cousins decided that they needed a business that would bring them an instant full time income, we all know that a new business start up is not that, so they decided to walk away, taking our team of five to just two overnight. In that moment I became sole owner of a brick and mortar business, a full fledged florist, a plant guru, a website designer, a google business expert, and an event planner all in one.
In April of 2024 Ky and I hosted our first event, a plant swap, we had an amazing turnout and it put us on the map as a reputable plant shop in our town! Two weeks later on May 3rd and 4th 2024 we held our Grand Opening! We were thrilled to see lines of people waiting outside each morning waiting to get in, the community was so welcoming and loved what we had created. Total success!
Unfortunately, two weeks later tragedy would strike again when my 3rd youngest son was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, being that there was only myself and my son to run the store, I was stuck, I couldn’t leave to be with him in the hospital, I couldn’t go with him to his treatments. I wasn’t where I needed to be, but we had an amazing outpouring of support from friends and our amazing community who stepped up and helped us manage the store, deliveries and life!
As I’m writing this we are two days away from celebrating our 1 year anniversary from opening our doors. This has been one of the hardest years of my life. I became an overnight florist and full time brick and mortar store owner. Never did I Imagine that this is where my life would take me, but I have surprised myself at what I’m capable of achieving and creating! I would call year one a complete success. Year two is already shaping up to be more than I could imagine.
My sweet son Ky who has been by my side since day one has given everything to this business, He is my rock and one of the reasons we have succeeded. He has made the rare house plant branch of our store #1 in our community! Ky is also responsible for our social media, a customer favorite and a huge reason we have grown so quickly! We were also so lucky to hire Eron, another plant guru and aspiring florist who has brought balance to our lives and allowed Ky and I to have a day off here and there. The three of us are truly the dream team, we are family, we show up for each other and have each other’s backs. We just experienced our first Valentine’s Day together and in the floral world that is our Super Bowl! I was so impressed with our team, how we worked together, how we took care of each other and how successfully we pulled it off!
It’s truly amazing how something that found me during the darkest time in my life, has turned into such a beautiful thing. Our store has become a place where people like to just come and hang out, they love the positive energy and vibe, we have regular customers who have become friends that come in weekly just to say hello and see whats new. They’re invested in us the same way we are in them. The three of us truly love what we are creating, each day making it more our own. Who knew the girl with a black thumb would one day own her own plant and flower shop and thrive!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
So obviously our road has not been the smoothest, anytime you become a professional by default there will always be a learning curve! I think one of our biggest struggles has been learning about seasonality of flowers, whats available when, using flower farms vs. wholesalers etc. After going through a whole year we have a much better understanding of what we can expect to see available to us and what a good market price is for that item. Another struggle was locating good wholesalers for our plants, we really pride ourselves on only putting happy, healthy plants out on our floor.
As you know, we’re big fans of Wildflower & Willow. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Wildflower & Willow is a rare plant and full service floral shop! We are the only store in Cache Valley that has a bloom bar where you can pull your own fresh stems and make your own bouquets. We also have a pop up bloom bar that is available for onsite events!
We hold monthly classes focusing on everything from terrarium building to floral building even painting your own plant pots! We hold plant swaps quarterly where like minded plant parents can swap plants or propagations for new species.
We offer Bridal/bridesmaids bouquet building events for the DIY brides who like to be hands on and make their own wedding bouquets.
We also have an in store plant hospital for sick plants, no insurance needed, we take care of your sick plant babies and nurse them back to health. We repot and diagnose plant issues for people who have plants that are struggling. We even babysit plants while you’re on vacation!
We have a plant Interior Design Program for both homes and businesses where we walk your space and layout which plants will thrive in which areas, then we come in and take care of them weekly.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
We love social media, we collaborate with anyone and everyone! We are also friends with all of the other floral and plant shops in our area, we love to be a fellow support to them and cheer them on! There is more than enough business for all of us. We also try to be involved in as many charitable activities as possible, the more we can interact with the community the better!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.wildflowerandwillow.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/wildflowerandwillowlogan
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Wildflower-Willow/61556394655361/
- Other: Www.wildflowerandwillowlogan@gmail.com
