I'm so excited to introduce today's guest, Vanessa Vancuren of Pop's Flowers, based in Edgewood, Washington. Click below to watch the farm tour and interview, recorded on August 23, 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tef_MdZkZ9c
Dahlias of the season (left) and flower farmer Vanessa Vancuren of Pop's Flowers
Sunflowers frame the view of the log house at Pop's Flowers
I visited Vanessa last week to record a video tour of her flower farm, which is based on a two-acre parcel complete with a solid log cabin. Here's the delightful surprise -- she is literally 12 miles from my suburban home (we're both situated between Seattle and Tacoma) and visiting Pop's Flowers truly feels like a trip to the country. What an incredible find -- and you'll love seeing what Vanessa and her husband Garrett Burns have created in just two seasons.
The Saturday Flower Stand at Pop's Flowers (left) and Vanessa Vancuren (right)
I sat down with Vanessa to talk about her business, which she describes as in its young-teenager phase! It's a great conversation. Before we get to that, here's some background on Pop's Flowers.
Garrett and Vanessa (c) Angie Arms Photography
Vanessa is an old soul, a millennial, a floral entrepreneur and an artist with a background in photography. Her partner Garrett is naturally curious, has a humanitarian heart and a car enthusiast, who is also now an accidental flower farmer. The Pop of Pop's Flowers is CP aka Clarence Paul Reardon, Vanessa's 94-year-old grandfather, and inspiration for this business. Pops is a widowed WWII Veteran, an avid gardener and homesteader and a retired cabinetmaker/woodworker.
Vanessa with Pop, the flower farm's namesake and inspiration (right)
In 2017, Pops gave his garden to Vanessa and she began to grow flowers and sell them in a hyper-local channel - their local Facebook community in the Edgewood, Milton, and Fife, Washington, located between Seattle and Tacoma.
From 2017 to 2019, all the flower proceeds went to Pop, helping him with household costs and home repairs.
In 2020, Vanessa and Garrett found their own modern homestead, not too far from Pop's house. And you'll hear the rest of the story as we meet Vanessa.
Thank you so much for joining us today! You're hearing this episode on September 1st and this is the day that Pop's Flowers opens their new online store, designed to make shopping for local flowers in the South Puget Sound region just as convenient as ordering from a traditional florist. As Vanessa explained, working with Anna Krumpos, a new member of the team who will serve as designer, Pop's flowers will be transformed into arrangements for everyday orders for delivery on Thursdays or Saturdays, featuring 100% local and American-grown flowers, including those grown at Pop's Flowers. I'll share all the links for you to check it out and follow along on Vanessa and Garrett's beautiful journey.
Join Pop's Flowers on Facebook
Follow Pop's Flowers on Instagram
Watch Pop's Flowers on YouTube
Slow Flowers News
As I mentioned, it's September -- how did that happen so quickly! I want to share a few opportunities for you to connect with me and the Slow Flowers Society. First, I'm heading off right after Labor Day to Missoula, Montana, where I will speak at the Montana Cut Flower Conference on Wednesday, September 8. I'll be sharing insights on the cultural, consumer and marketplace shifts in the U.S. floral industry, and I'm excited to reconnect with some of my favorite flower friends, including our members who will also be speaking -- including Julio Freitas of The Flower Hat and Lindsay Irwin of Bitterroot Flowers. You'll hear more, I'm sure, because the recorder and video camera are traveling with me.
On Friday, September 10th, we'll be resuming our Virtual Slow Flowers Member Meet-Ups, after a summer vacation.
Designed as a member forum for connecting with one another in the early days of the Pandemic (rem...