Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Pyron.
Sierra, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 1995, a dear friend was planning the most romantic, fairytale-inspired wedding. Less than a month before her wedding, her florist canceled on her! She was devastated, to say the least, my sister, another friend, and I pulled our creative talents together and created the most beautiful wedding florals. They were even better than she had anticipated from the professional florist.
I think all of the love that we poured into the whole process brought everything to a higher level. I knew then and there that I wanted to be a florist. I had dabbled in floral design in my teen years, but nothing on a pro-level until this wedding. 22 years and over 125 weddings later, I still strive to pour the same amount of love into every event I do. Handing the bride her bouquet is still my favorite moment. There’s nothing like that first look.
I have worked from my home-based studio for most of my career. I did have a shop for a year, but really enjoy the flexibility of working from home. I’m the proud Momma of three amazing kids. We live on 20 acres about 25 miles south of Atlanta that has been in my husband’s family since 1821. We have goats and rabbits right now. We are looking forward to getting chickens soon. I also plan on starting a small flower farm, in hopes of reducing the carbon footprint that the floral industry puts on our Earth.
I have started teaching floral design classes through Hall’s Atlanta Floral Design School and in local community centers. I feel blessed to share my knowledge with others, whether it is just for fun or to spark a new career in someone else.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Opening a shop was a lot harder than I had anticipated. Now, I didn’t have delusions of grandeur that it was going to be easy by any means. But I did it all by myself. I didn’t hire anyone other than a temp to help during Prom season for a couple days. I had to close up to run deliveries. There were days that I had to close altogether if one of the kids were sick. I ran the whole show all on my own. I wasn’t there as much as I wish I could have been, so I’m sure there were times that I lost some business.
Closing the shop was very bitter/sweet for me. I loved having a space that was ALL MINE. I only sold locally made art; no cheap junk. It was all beautiful, high-quality jewelry, paintings, pottery, candles, soaps, and more. But in the end, my family needed me at home more than my business needed a storefront. Maybe once the kids are grown I can open another shop, but now I know that I can’t do it all on my own.
Please tell us about Gracie’s Garden Floral Studio.
Gracie’s Garden Floral Studio is a home-based floral design studio in Fayetteville, GA. The bulk of my business revolves around event florals and decor. I also provide floral tributes for funerals and memorial services, floral arrangements and decor for holidays and parties and day to day arrangements. Weddings are my favorite! I have had so much fun over the past 22+ years following trends and coming up with my own creative designs.
My business is named for my daughter, Grace Emma. She is named after my Great-Grandmother, who was named after her Aunt. My Great-Grandmother, who we called Dar, was an amazingly loving, hilarious, talented, creative woman. She was Martha Stewart before Martha existed! She has been gone for over 30 years, but she’s still with me in everything I create. My Gracie girl is so much like Dar. She has been helping me process flowers and set up weddings for a few years and recently started designing.
All three of my kids are learning the basics of what goes into floral design. Right now, my boys who are 8 and 9 are the best bucket scrubbers a Momma could ever hope for! They will eventually learn the ropes just like their big sister when the time is right. The cool thing is, they can go anywhere in the world and take the skills they learn and get a job. I don’t expect any of them to carry on the business if it’s not their passion, but I want them to at least leave home with some experience under their belts to take out into the world.
I think people feel the love and pride that are put into their flowers.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start all over again, I think I would probably take some business management classes to help with that side of things. There is so much to know when it comes to running a business, especially alone.
Contact Info:
- Phone:678-619-9946
- Email:Gracies.Garden@yahoo.com
- Instagram:@GraciesGardenFloralStudio
- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/graciesgardenfloralstudio/
Image Credit:
Ron White, Allison Pedigo, Laura Barnes
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