Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Rice.
Sarah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
This requires a little backstory. By day I work as a marketing consultant and event planner for a small company in medical education. I was coming home at 4 pm each day and spending my nights playing with my puppy and watching Netflix. I knew I was capable of so much more and decided that I needed another hobby or a side gig. I toyed with the idea of working at a local coffee shop or building websites for small businesses, but nothing really clicked.
My fiancé always brought me flowers every so often and I loved putting the bouquet together in one of my vases, but it always involved deconstructing the pre-made bouquet, setting aside a few flowers that I didn’t prefer and keeping my favorites, and then reassembling my own “custom” bouquet. It dawned on me that there weren’t really any places where you could build your own truly custom bouquet. And that is when I started dreaming of JJ’s Flower Truck.
I knew I wanted a vintage vehicle that could take my business on the road, and I knew I wanted to give back to my local community in some way. Before long, I had a truck on its way from Beverly Hills, a business license, an LLC, a few awesome charities in mind to work with, and then an opening day on my calendar. September 13th, 2018 will forever be one of my favorite day’s thanks to my loyal customers, my amazing friends and family, and of course my mentors.
Since it’s inception, JJ’s Flower Truck has introduced a new way to buy flowers in Atlanta. Guests may select from unique inventory each week and build their dream bouquet – whether that be a single rose for a boy’s new crush, an exotic bouquet filled with King Proteas and eucalyptus, or a simple handful of peonies.
I have also built partnerships with amazing women and brands, I have seen faces light up at the truck time and time again, I have been able to donate hundreds of dollars to charity, but more than anything JJ’s Flower Truck is building community. What a dream!
Has it been a smooth road?
Just like any business, there are ups and downs, highs and lows. There have been days were I work far too long, and nights where I doubt myself. I’ve been told plenty of “no’s” but have not let any no stop me. This whole process has taught me to believe in myself and believe the best of others.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
JJ’s Flower Truck offers an opportunity for guests to build their own bouquet. They select from unique flowers priced by the stem and then we hand-wrap the bouquet for them to take home. Best of all – a portion of all proceeds goes to local charities.
Our 1968 Volkswagen cruises around Atlanta and hosts Pop Ups most weekends! Come say hi, build a bouquet, and maybe you’ll even see our mascot puppy – Jaxon Jones!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Atlanta is a great place to start a business! We actually had our grand opening in Alpharetta, which was voted one of the best places in the country to start a small business.
Atlantans are so welcoming and supportive and they love to see a unique business or experience come to town.
Pricing:
- Each of our flowers are priced by the stem, ranging from $1-$8
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jjsflowertruck.com
- Phone: 6784588988
- Email: hello@jjsflowertruck.com
- Instagram: @jjsflowertruck
- Facebook: @jjsflowertruck
- Twitter: @jjsflowertruck
Image Credit:
Sarah and JJ photo is by Christopher Churchill. All others are by Colleen Walter of XXIII Photo Studio.
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
