Meet Dawn Huss of Clementines in West Georgia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawn Huss.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Dawn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Both of my grandmothers loved flowers and had beautiful gardens. My paternal grandparents lived in one of those old Polish neighborhoods in Chicago and had purchased the lot next to theirs when the apartment that had stood there burned down. My grandmother got busy turning the entire lot into a gigantic flower and vegetable garden. It was their home I was born into. I spent the earliest years of my childhood playing in the beds, helping pick ripe tomatoes and berries, making the snapdragons roar. The love of flowers and growing things has always been a part of me. In grade school, I would regularly raid the garden of a home I passed daily on my way to and from school. Those folks grew the most beautiful red tulips and I was often powerless to walk away without one or two. (Boy, do I owe those folks an apology! As a child, I just didn’t understand that those flowers weren’t put there just for me…!) When I finally went off to college, I took a part time job as holiday help for a small, local flower shop in Tucson, AZ. I spent six weeks answering phones, writing out message cards and making dish gardens. I was hooked; I was making money working with flowers! From there, I went to an upscale shop owned by a British ex-pat. The day after she hired me, she let go of her two other designers and suddenly I was her only employee. Sink or swim time! I went from dish gardens to lush English garden design just like that and from then on I’ve been in flowers in one aspect or another. I got burned out working in small shops and left the industry for a while. I went to work at Neiman Marcus as a Visual Stylist but continued making flower arrangements whenever we had a big promotion or special event in-store. Eventually, I found my way back to the floral industry when I moved to Washington DC and found work at a studio that dealt exclusively in weddings and events. I stayed there for over a decade, working in some of the most gorgeous venues in the country and occasionally taking courses in such beautiful far off places like Venice, Italy where I studied with Karen Tran – florist to the fabulous, as well as London and Amsterdam. About a year ago, I decided it was time to move closer to what’s left of my family and packed up and moved to West Georgia. It was here that I fell in love, got engaged and decided to launch Clementines, a floral and design studio specializing in weddings and events. The company’s name comes from ancestors; my Aunt Christine, who also worked in a flower shop when she was younger; my maternal Grandmother Laura; my Mother, Emily and my paternal Grandmother, Mary. It’s their spirits and love of beauty and nature that inspire me to share the joy of flowers.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Hahaha, does anyone actually say ‘Yes’ to this question??! There have been several challenges so far. Things like finding good sources for fresh, quality product is always at the top of the list, no matter where you are. I’m fortunate to have a wonderful wholesaler one town over so, I don’t always have to make the hour plus drive into the city. But ultimately my goal is to buy as much as I can from local growers. Small farms are always a challenge though. It takes time to build relationships and you have to be flexible to what is in season, you can’t always be tied to specific colors or varieties. I intend to grow some of my own foliage as well which has it’s own set of struggles – learning the right time and location to plant things is going to take some trial and error but I’m excited at the prospect. I’m starting out on our rooftop for now but we’re looking around for a little bit of land to do some larger raised beds on, too. And, don’t even get me started on the greenhouse that lingers on the edge of my dreams.. The biggest challenge I’m facing though, is just getting my name out, letting people know what I can do. That’s proving to be the most difficult thing so far.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Clementines – what should we know?
Clementines is a boutique floral design studio. We specialize in weddings and events, large or small, local or destination. What sets us apart is our uniqueness. No one in this industry does exactly what we do, exactly the way we do it. Which is true in any creative endeavor. Give five designers the same materials and you will get five very different designs. We all strive to provide the best customer service, quality products and value – these are top priorities at Clementines. We’re nothing without our clients. Our goal is to consistently delight, whether we’re working with a bride and groom for the first time or a business with which we have an ongoing relationship. We’re also socially conscious at Clementines. Floral design is an industry fraught with ecological challenges. We try to offset these wherever possible, from using locally grown products to recycling vessels and buying new products made from recycled materials. We strive to limit our use of floral foam, use low voc paint, and recycle/compost whenever possible. We also donate a portion of all of our sales to charity. There are four we donate to seasonally with an eye to adding more as we grow.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’m incredibly fortunate in this department. There are so many people who deserve credit! My fiancé has to get top billing as he helps in every aspect from taking photos of my work to telling anyone who will listen what I do. He generously endures the regular take over of our home every time I have a big job or project, helps carry boxes and buckets, helps set up, goes foraging with me, never gripes about me having to work weekends, builds anything I ask him to and, most of all, believes in me. In addition to him, there are several very dear friends who have been a constant source of encouragement, they ‘like’ every single social media post and are always available to chime in on design questions or business advice. I’ve also had countless teachers and colleagues who have graciously shared their knowledge and expertise over the years. And then there’s my family, from my roots, those I’ve named the business for, to my brother and sister in law who live one town over and are the most wonderful cheerleaders. I’m definitely a product of my ‘village’.

Contact Info:

• Email: dawn@clementinesga.com
• Instagram: clementines_ga
• Facebook: ClementinesGA

Image Credit:
Michael Valentine, Jeffrey Thomas, Magnolia Bluebird, Heather Fink Photography, Danielle Real Photography

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