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Business & Tech

Small Business Q&A: House of Flowers

Owner Tami Frederick shares what it is like to run a flower shop.

Acworth Patch contributor April Zlotnik talked with Tami Frederick, the owner of House of Flowers located on Main Street.

Acworth Patch: What's the hardest thing about being a small-business owner in Acworth?

Tami Frederick: Right now it’s the economy. Because we are a florist, we are a luxury item. We are the first to go and the last to come back. Our business rotates around the holidays. It’s sad to say that funerals and weddings are the good part of my job.

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Acworth Patch:  What's the best thing about your job?

Frederick: Acworth is a small community. Everybody knows everybody. If someone needs something we all pitch in and help. It’s nice to be able to stand on the street and when people go by they wave or honk because they know you. I can say that’s really a nice thing about the small community because I come from a military background where we traveled a lot my whole life until we moved here. Now I feel like I’m home.

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Acworth Patch:  What is the best thing about Acworth?

Frederick: Again, it is a small community. We all know everybody at City Hall and all the other business owners up and down Main Street. You become a regular like on that TV show Cheers, but its not just one bar, rather it is everybody up and down the street. It’s where you get your gas and groceries everyday. Acworth is a small town but it makes me feel like I’m home. And that’s a good feeling, especially for a military person who has never had that. My dad was in the military and my husband was stationed overseas until we came here to Georgia.

Acworth Patch: Why did you come to Acworth?

Frederick: We found our home here in Acworth when my husband was stationed at Ft. McPherson. We had lived here 18 years.

Acworth Patch: Why did you choose to open up a business in Acworth?

Frederick: It’s kind of a funny story actually. I was working for the government in downtown Atlanta and my husband had a psychology office next door to the florist. And when owner passed away, he came home one day and said the florist is for sale. I didn’t even blink and said, “Yes.” So I left 15 years of federal service and came to play in the flowers.

Acworth Patch: Why did you pick this particular kind of business?

Frederick: I’ve always had an art background, and flowers are just a different medium. I like working with the colors and textures. You just have to know the limits of the product like how long they will last and how far they will bend. I’ve always had art in my life, whether it was interior decorating, painting, stained glass or gardening. So, it was just a natural fit for me and my daughter, who works with me.

Acworth Patch: What are some of the services you offer that people don't know about?

Frederick: We do a lot of corporate things at Christmas. We do about 250 custom-designed gift baskets. With our wedding work, I personally deliver the flowers to the bride so she is happy. If anything needs to be changed I can change it on the spot. Most people just deliver it and run. We sit down with the bride and try to offer her on her list of to do’s some peace and calm. We do destination weddings and local weddings. I’m the florist for Cedar Plantation, which is across the tracks at the Antebellum House. We rent things such as the columns and bushes. I decorate the cakes with fresh flowers and we go and set up for weddings. We are a full florist, whether its plants, baskets or flowers. We call out orders across the United States and across the world.

Acworth Patch: Is there anything else you would like to share about your business?

Frederick: My daughter and I have a unique way of designing. We can do very creative pieces of art. We love what we do. It’s not just like a job. I especially love the weddings and my daughter loves to be free with her creativity.

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