Brand Client Feature | Casablanca Floral | Seattle, WA
It’s day three of my weeklong “meet the florist” series in celebration of the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday and hopes to steer you into shopping local this year for your flowers on the new LORA Bloom online floral marketplace or through your local florist directly.
Today I’d love for you to meet Maura Whalen of Casablanca Florals. Casablanca is based in Seattle, WA, and services all of Seattle and events outside of Seattle. (She also delivers to the East-side for a small surcharge.) Casablanca got its start six years ago and three years ago she moved her business into a fabulous home-based studio built on the rear garden of her 1903 farmhouse. -Sounds charming, huh?!
Maura says the art of arranging and gifting florals is in her Italian genes! When she was in graduate school thirty plus years ago, she worked evenings at a high-end flower shop and has always claimed that to be her most favorite job as she was working with beautiful products to add beauty and smiles to peoples' lives! She then went onto run an alternative education program for troubled youth - many of whom she is still in touch with and who remind her how she used to always bring foraged finds into the classroom! Out of the workforce for a decade while her children were small, she continued to "play" with flowers, flowering friends' weddings and events, and always gardening and gifting. When it was time to return to the workforce, creating a business that combined her two greatest loves: teaching and the art of floral design seemed like a no-brainer.
I've crossed paths with Maura over a handful of times the past few years, but the mini branding photoshoot for her LORA Bloom profile was our first time working together. I'll never forget the gorgeous large scale designs she brought that day for me to photograph. Maura is a petite woman, so it absolutely amazed me at how she not only could lift these arrangements into her car, but also get them out…and then continue to carry them into the makeshift photo studio for the day. (She said does a headstand every day in the middle of her bedroom to get the blood flowing! Maybe that's what also gives her strength and balance?!) Her standout arrangements using these large pedestal garden-like vessels were stunning and I could see one enjoying these pieces of floral art in their home or even out on their patios. Maura describes her style as "classic, garden-y style with a twist", and her arrangements certainly showed that!
Maura mentioned her inspiration comes from nature and she loves having her studio amidst her garden as it allows for her to walk away from her arrangement and walk through her gardens to see if there is anything special and grown by her she can add to a piece before it goes out the door. When asked what her favorite flower to work with is, she said she, of course, loves Casablanca lilies given their strong fragrance and delicate petals, but she really can't settle on one favorite flower. Spring is her most favorite season because "everything is just bursting forth -- flowers and moods, alike." I could see her love for spring through her small to medium-sized arrangements she brought to the shoot as they were filled with springtime color. Awww, who else besides me can't wait for spring and all of its liveliness and color to get here?
If you're planning to order from Casablanca Floral, then you must check out her Triple Play subscription, which is also her best-seller. You get to choose three arrangements valued at $150 each for only $300 total! They're gorgeous and save the consumer not only $195 as this subscription includes delivery, but also provides peace of mind as Casablanca Floral tracks when and to whom each arrangement is to be delivered. Such convenient and great idea for those out there that don't want to get in trouble with their significant other for missing an important celebration or milestone. (hint, hint, to my husband… :))
While Casablanca Floral is owned and operated by Maura, she credits a lot of her business' success to the kindness of strangers that have gotten her through myriad challenges with running a small business, her Flower Power group that she started four years ago and has served as a great pool of freelancer florists willing and artfully able to help when the need for additional expertise and hands calls, and last but not least, her fellow florist friend, Cindy Pope from A Little Room for Flowers, who has her most steady right-hand gal this past year. She says Cindy is responsible for keeping her sane as well as on schedule! -I love seeing the community vs competition vibe happening here!
I want to give a big thanks to Maura for allowing me to help capture a little piece of her brand and products to share with you on the new LORA Bloom site. And I can’t stress it enough, people - please check out both LORA Bloom and Casablanca Floral and support local this V-day and all special occasions moving forward. When you purchase local there is an actual person on the other end doing a happy dance. 😊
P.S. Want to see something incredible that Maura is working on? Head to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show February 26th - March 1, 2020
Maura will be participating in two the grand event's shows; She is creating a display of floral art using mannequins for the FLEURS de VILLEs event and will also be teaching a design workshop on creating a springtime centerpiece in the BUBBLEs and BLOOM workshop series.
Cheers to the weekend, my friend!
Missy