Florist Sets Up Mini-shop

When facing her first Valentine's Day as a new business owner in 2007 Ann Marie Payne, of Mystic Floral in Wichita Falls, Texas, jumped on the opportunity to get the word out about her shop by setting up at a local mall.

Payne says the local mall actually approached her about setting up a kiosk in a central location in the mall for a limited time in February. They gave her the use of a nearby empty cooler in a vacant spot in the food court to keep arrangements. In the back of the empty restaurant they placed a folding table for a designer and an assistant to create cash and carry orders.

About 40 arrangements were stored on the four shelves already provided in the cooler before putting them on display at the kiosk. Customers were also able to put in orders for delivery, which were taken back to the shop, and orders for pick-up, if they wanted to come back the next day.

Payne gave the mall about 15 percent of her estimated $8,000 sales up front, and sales actually came in right under $8,000.

Payne's investment included an extra card machine, cash register, and the installation of an extra phone line, but she says having such a prominent spot in a busy locale proved to be a great way to build name recognition.

"It went really smoothly," Payne says. " It was really easy and afterwards we were hearing a lot of people say 'I didn't know you were here, but I saw you at the mall.'"

Payne isn't doing it this year due to lack of staff to run both locations, but says she would recommend the same thing to other new florists in need of exposure.

"Name recognition was the best part," Payne says.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org