Episode 174: Essential Holiday Prep from a 4th Generation Florist, Jennifer Barnard, AAF, from Tillie's Flower Shop
How does a flower shop that's been in business since 1876 get ready for Mother's Day? In part one of this two-part conversation, Lori sits down with Flower Clique member Jennifer Barnard, AAF, of Tillie's Flower Shop in Wichita, Kansas, for the inside scoop on organization, product planning, and marketing — the kind of detail that only comes from a fourth-generation florist who literally grew up in the design room.
Born into the business — and still always learning
Tillie's story starts with Jennifer's great-grandparents, who came over from Germany and sold bedding plants. One of their daughters, Matilda — Tilly — loved making bouquets, and when she took over, the shop became Tillie's. Jennifer's dad, an engineer, took the business over in 1975 after Tilly passed away, and today Jennifer runs it day to day with her older sister, Josie Denton. (The middle sister, they joke, is "the one that got away.")
Here's the twist: nobody in the family designs. Jennifer was in the design room greening containers at five years old, but her degree is in business and marketing, and what drew her to stay was watching her mom work in the business while still being a present parent. Her shop runs with eight designers, including three trainees at different levels — and she loves watching them teach each other, even the young ones teaching the veterans. Her philosophy: "I'm always learning. I think that's an important lesson in life — to know that you don't know everything."
Market every holiday, not just the big one
Spring at Tillie's isn't just Mother's Day. Jennifer promotes all of it: prom (150 orders and counting for one weekend), Administrative Professionals Week, Teacher's Day, Nurses Week — and two holidays many shops skip entirely.
First, May Day. Tillie's sells a simple $25 daisy basket, merchandised so it can only be delivered on May Day, and moves about 50 of them. It's a fun little boost and something different to advertise. Second, Mexican Mother's Day — Día de las Madres, always May 10th. Tillie's has a dedicated category on the website for it, and it's huge for them.
For Admin Professionals Week, her sales team is working the Flower Clique pre-call script — and here's the smart part: Jennifer pulled her customer list from 2019, reasoning that businesses that went quiet during Covid just need to be reminded she's still there. Short, friendly voicemails, no hard sell.
On social media, the Facebook Lives that boomed during the pandemic still work — especially cooler walkthroughs. TikTok took daily posting (with help from an intern) to reach 1,000 followers, though Jennifer decided TikTok Live, which runs more like an all-morning reality show, isn't realistic for a busy shop. Her takeaway echoes Lori's: if you start a platform, make sure someone on your team actually knows and enjoys it.
Planning starts the day after Mother's Day
Asked when Mother's Day planning begins, Jennifer doesn't hesitate: the day after Mother's Day — for next year. The Monday after the holiday, the team writes post-holiday notes. The managers meet the following week to talk them through, hold one follow-up meeting, then put it to bed until container-buying season around Christmas.
Her dad, now in his eighties and semi-retired, is the shop's note-taker — daily notes through every holiday, tracking everything from gas prices to weather (in Kansas, weather can make or break Mother's Day; they've even had a tornado hit). Jennifer and Josie pop into the office all holiday long saying, "make sure you put this in the notes." After nearly 150 years in business, those notes still run pages and pages, because the industry never stops changing.
Let each holiday teach the next one
The notes aren't just a diary — they drive product decisions. After this Valentine's Day, Jennifer and her sister reviewed what sold and created new Mother's Day products based on it, leaning into the square vases and cylinders customers were drawn to. One year, a fluke pile of leftover tie-dye carnations became bud vases that flew out the door on a sunny walk-in Sunday — so it went in the notes, and now it's in the production plan every year.
The notes also explain the weird stuff. When hydrangea missed the truck one year, Tillie's quick guide ended up light on hydrangea products. This year, with supply back, they deliberately added hydrangea recipes back in. Without written notes, that kind of course correction gets lost.
Key takeaways
- Write post-holiday notes the Monday after every holiday, meet on them as a team, and review them when planning begins — even decades of experience doesn't replace them.
- Promote the "small" holidays: May Day, Día de las Madres (May 10), Teacher's Day, and Nurses Week can add real revenue with simple, dedicated products.
- Pre-call your business customers before Admin Professionals Week — and consider pulling a pre-pandemic list to win back lapsed accounts.
- Use Valentine's Day sales data to design your Mother's Day product lineup.
- Stay a learner. Let designers teach each other, ask questions, and borrow ideas freely from your peers.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist