Chapter 5

Five

Lily

I nteractions with my mother never failed to unsettle me. I was proud that this time she’d motivated me to do something about my business. I walked into the small yoga studio just off Main Street with an old, rolled-up mat.

I wanted to check out the studio, the teachers, and hopefully, the owner. It was a networking opportunity. If I wanted to invite them to hold classes on my property again, I needed to get to know them.

I was late, so I took the last open space in front of the instructor, a blonde woman, who seemingly bounced on her toes with energy as she made her way around the room, talking to the students.

I unrolled my mat and sat on the end to wait for class to start.

Within a few seconds, the instructor brought me a blanket and a block. “You own Petals.”

I glanced at her in surprise. “That’s right. I’m Lily.”

The instructor grinned. “I love your little shop. It’s exactly what this town needs.”

Warmth spread through me at her words, even if it didn’t seem to be true. “Thank you.”

“I’m Remi. I attended that yoga class on your farm.”

“I loved that class. I’d like to host more events like that.” I remembered Remi from the Shops on Main meetings. Her store, Remi’s Juice Shop, was off Main Street, closer to State Circle, on the north end of the historic area.

Since I’d moved to town, I’d been reeling from my grandmother’s death and staying busy with my business. I’d been to a few Shops on Main meetings where I’d met the other shop owners, but I hadn’t gotten particularly close to anyone yet.

“Have you practiced before?” she asked, her hand resting lightly on my shoulder as she lowered her voice.

“Just in my living room,” I said apologetically.

“That’s good enough for me. Any injuries?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Perfect. Just holler if you have any trouble.” Remi moved away from me to the front of the room.

Sitting cross-legged on her mat, she read a quote from a card resting on the ground in front of her, then asked us to set an intention for the class. My goal was to get through class without injuring myself.

She led us through a series of poses, and I quickly forgot about the reason I’d come. It took all my concentration to hold the poses. I felt a little clumsy compared to the other students, who looked like they’d been doing this forever.

By the time class was over, I was sweating, and my muscles were aching. It reminded me that I didn’t do any sort of exercise on a daily basis.

Everyone busied themselves rolling up their mats and returning the studio’s equipment.

Remi approached as I rolled my mat. “How did you like it?”

I smiled at her. “It was great, but I’m clearly out of shape.”

Remi waved a hand at me. “You’ll be fine in no time. Can you come to my class on Wednesday evening? I teach every other day at the same time.”

“I’d love to.” Despite how tired I felt, it was a good kind of exhausted. I liked doing something physical that wasn’t gardening or arranging flowers. It was a nice departure from my normal routine. It was good to remember there were other things in the world besides my shop and the farm.

“Would you like to come out with the girls tonight? We try to get together outside of Shops on Main meetings occasionally.”

“That would be great.” I pulled on a light sweatshirt and my sneakers. I wanted to network, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Remi threw her duffle over her shoulder. “We’re going to Max’s Bar it was encouraging.

Remi sighed. “We’ll figure something out. Let me think about it for a bit.”

“Do you have any connections to a landscaping company?” Zoe asked.

“No. But maybe one of the guys does. We can ask on the text chain. Are you part of the Shops on Main network?”

“I’ve been to a few meetings, but that’s it.”

“What’s your number? I’ll add you. Then we can hang out again.”

“I’d like that.” I recited my number to her and was pleased to see that Zoe took it too. I’d made some connections and friends with these women. I was already feeling more involved in my grandma’s town. I could see why she loved it so much. Everyone was so open and welcoming.

Conversation moved to talk of Max and Zoe’s wedding. He wanted to hold the reception at the bar, and she wanted to hold the wedding at the same location as the reception.

Remi went through several options, one of the historic hotels, a resort farther out of town, but Zoe didn’t like any of the options.

“Too bad my property isn’t ready. You could have it at the farm,” I said without thinking of what I was saying.

Zoe paused with her drink halfway to her mouth. “That’s not a bad idea. When do you think you could get it ready by?”

Panic coursed through me. “Oh, not anytime soon. You should plan your wedding for somewhere else.”

“If we landscape the property right, it could be perfect. Do you have a barn you could renovate and use for a reception?” Remi asked.

“I hadn’t thought of including it in the renovation, but now that you mention it, it would be perfect for that.” The barn was in pretty good shape. Grandma built it later, and it was never used for actual farm equipment. Just her gardening tools and Grandpa’s prized car.

“Have you talked to Gia about using the farm for weddings?” Remi asked me.

“Not yet. I think she’d want to see the final product, or at least a work in progress.” I hadn’t done anything to get it ready.

Zoe pointed a finger at me. “Setting a wedding date will motivate you to get the work done.”

“Did you forget the part where I said I wouldn’t have money for it yet?” I asked lightly, enjoying their company.

Remi waved a hand at me. “Having something scheduled will motivate you to find the money. You need to open your mind to the infinite possibilities.”

Intrigued, I asked, “You’re saying there’s more than one way for money to come in? Not just my shop?”

“What are you doing to market the flower shop? I started out with a subscription service and then opened a physical store.”

“Most subscriptions for flowers are online now. Those companies have the ability to deliver flowers from all over the world,” I said as my stomach dipped. I couldn’t afford to get flowers from South America yet.

“You have suppliers. If people signed up for a subscription service, then you’d want to provide them with the best product, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re saying I should plan to be successful before I am? Spend the money before I have it?” I worked through that concept in my head.

Remi smiled. “That’s the only way to make it. You have to take a leap of faith. It’s risky, but if you prepare for what you want, it will come.”

“You sound so confident.”

Remi nodded. “That’s the only way to be.”

“I thought I was open to possibilities, but I’d closed off the idea of subscription services, assuming online was preferred.”

“You can’t know if you don’t poll your customers. Ask them what they want. You’d be surprised,” Zoe said.

“Don’t think people won’t pay for a service. Because they will,” Remi said.

Zoe nodded. “Everything’s subscription services these days. People expect it.”

I chewed my bottom lip. “I’d want to make it unique. Offer them something they won’t get with another online service.”

Zoe eyes brightened. “Maybe branded Petals vases.”

“Or even a little tool kit to go with it. Flower shears and gloves,” Remi said.

Immediately, the image of a mason jar with a flower and the letter P inside came to mind. “I love that idea.”

We fell silent for a few seconds, everyone lost in thought.

“What about including a note with the flowers? What they are, what they mean. Do you think people would like that?” I asked them, eager to hear their thoughts.

Zoe pursed her lips. “I’ve always wondered about what the flowers mean, but nothing comes with them besides a vase. The company I ordered from didn’t even tell me what was in the bouquet or how to care for them.”

“I think it’s included in the description online,” I said, not afraid to admit I’d stalked these sites when I was feeling low.

“But who wants to look it up? That’s extra work. The reason you splurge for a service like that is to feel special, pampered even,” Zoe explained.

Remi pointed at Zoe. “That’s a good point. It’s a luxury service. People want to feel pampered and taken care of.”

I tapped a finger on my bottom lip. “I could easily include a card with information about the flowers, whether they’re toxic to pets, and what they mean.”

It would be something extra that would be a nice touch.

“You could sign it with your name. Make it personal,” Remi said.

Zoe nodded. “Oh, good idea. It’s not like you’re shipping them. You’ll arrange the flowers in the shop. So, even if you have the cards printed in bulk, you could sign them personally.”

“At least for now. If it takes off, you could change that to a printed signature later,” Remi said.

Inspiration flowed through my body, making me feel like anything was possible. “I love it. Would I have them pick it up or deliver to the customers?”

The girls were quiet for a few seconds before Remi said, “You could do either, but delivery would be better.”

My shoulders fell. “It all comes back to the van not being reliable.”

“Do you like the idea of a subscription service? Does it make you excited? Because if not, I wouldn’t do it.”

“I love the idea of serving customers in this way. Maybe I could find out what they like and personalize their arrangements more each month.”

“That’s a nice touch when you’re small. If it blows up, it might be hard to keep up. You’d need to hire more employees, make sure your website could handle the extra traffic—” Remi’s voice fell off when I held up my hand to stop her.

“I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. We don’t even know if I can make it happen.”

“Oh, where there’s a will, there’s a way. That sounds cliché, but it’s true.” Remi shrugged. “When you’re passionate about something, and determined to make it happen, I find it usually does.” Remi’s tone was thoughtful.

“Remi does life and health coaching on the side,” Zoe said.

“I can tell. You’ve been very inspiring.”

Remi shrugged. “I just point you in the direction you already wanted to go.”

“I appreciate it. I feel like I’ve been stuck in this traditional model of the shop. Wanting to do something amazing, but afraid to take that step.”

“I started out with subscriptions, so I know it works. It’s still the core of my business. Any time I’ve tried to end it, people protested. They love them.”

“That’s great to hear.” I’d always been skeptical of people’s desire to have too many services or subscriptions. They were already paying for music, TV, and cell phones. Wasn’t there a limit to what people were willing to sign up for?

“You won’t know until you try,” Zoe said.

“I want to be successful, and honestly, I love the idea.”

Remi played with the straw in her mostly empty glass. “Hopefully, it gives you more money so you can start planning the renovations for the farm.”

“I did a quick search, and there are no other options for a farm wedding nearby.” Zoe showed me the search on her phone that indicated the closest option was Frederick, Maryland.

“That is far,” I said.

Zoe just showed me there was a need for what I wanted to offer, and she was willing to be my first wedding. It felt too good to be true.

“It feels so overwhelming, though. A yoga class is one thing. People bring their own mats. A wedding needs decorations, tables, linens, silverware, music, and a dance floor.” The details flew through my head, one after the other, making me feel overwhelmed.

“You work with a wedding planner. Doesn’t Gia handle those details in venues where they’re not available?” Zoe asked.

I nodded. “We use Cain Rental.”

“It would work the same way, then. You’re no different than the other vendors Gia works with. Except you have an in with her.”

Excitement tingled in my veins. I couldn’t wait to get started on everything we’d talked about.

I hugged both women, thanking them for the inspiring conversation and suggestions. Even if nothing came from our talk, I’d made a couple of friends.