Wonderland Floral Art and Gift Loft’s founder and lead designer Cassie Osterloth uses the phrase “a lot of moving parts” often when describing her work and St. Petersburg, Fla.-based business.
Part gift store and part retail and event florist, Osterloth and her team pride themselves on juggling multiple tasks. From dealing with the variables involved with working with perishable flowers to hosting classes, stocking a store, and setting up and breaking down floral installations and more for events, no day is ever the same in the shop, according to Osterloth.
“Every day is different. What I can create, the flowers I design with, the weddings and events I design, it is a constantly evolving craft,” she said.
Osterloth’s store began as a combination gift store and floral studio, though the store’s gift offerings and floor have grown and changed considerably.
“Over the last 11 years, it has certainly evolved,” explained Osterloth. “We have increased our gift selection, built custom displays, and enhanced our window display that faces a busy street and extends 50 feet. Right now, we have a spring ‘Alice in Wonderland’ theme complete with mushrooms that are lighted and change colors.”
Today, on the gift side, the store carries personal care spa products, multiple candle lines, greeting cards, stationery, plush, holiday giftware and accessories, gourmet items, plant care products, vases, plant accessories and more.
“The main challenge is getting customers in the door that are looking for a gift that is not floral and being sure potential customers know we have a wide range of gifts to choose from that are not flowers or a plant,” Osterloth said of the assortment. “There is also a balance to be made between the space utilized for our giftware and the needs of floral design production.”
Osterloth’s daughter, Jessica Silva-Culbreath, also works at Wonderland and is responsible for several of the store’s window displays from the last few years — including an “Elf” themed Christmas display and a “Little Shop of Horrors” window for Halloween last year that was complete with a mannequin-eating Audrey ll.
Family makes up the bulk of the team behind Wonderland. In addition to her sister Melissa “Missy” Barnes, Osterloth’s husband, Tom; her son-in-law, Mitchell; soon-to-be daughter-in-law Claire; her son, Reid; and her nephew Sebastian all help in different ways.
“I really like working with my family,” said Osterloth. “There are three of us in our 50s, three in their 30s and one in their 20s. Having a diverse team in both skills and perspectives is so helpful to running a successful small business.”
You could say that diversity defines Wonderland Floral Art and Gift Loft’s overall business plan, too. While many florists bank their business on creating for specific events and days – think florists that primarily make arrangements for funerals or florists that do the bulk of their sales on holidays – Wonderland Floral Art and Gift Loft does it all and then some thanks to its wide array of floral work, gift assortment and its workshops, which have become a signature of the store.
Osterloth began teaching and hosting floral workshops and classes in 2006 while employed at another florist. When she opened her own store, she knew she wanted to continue the program, expanding it to include multiple events a month and even special kids’ class offerings when the team’s schedule allows.
The classes – Osterloth has dubbed the most popular one “Floral Therapy” at Wonderland – have also been a good way to bring people into the store regularly and engage customers, even when they do not attend the class in-person. In March 2020, when Covid-19 restrictions kept the store from hosting workshops, Osterloth and her team pivoted to creating take home workshop kits, and Osterloth got behind the camera to film her classes. Today, the take-home program and videos continue due to popular demand.
“I love to teach,” added Osterloth. “Hosting workshops has allowed me to combine my love of flowers and my knowledge from the last 35 years of being a florist and share it.”
