Behind the Business: Florals from floor to ceiling at Anne Appleman Flowers

Website: anneappleman.com

Email: [email protected]

Address: 19690 Eighth St. E.

The walls of Anne Appleman’s Eighth Street East studio are lined with flowers from floor to ceiling. Each week, she attends the flower market in San Francisco before the sun fully rises to source her materials and then it’s back to the studio to prep her arrangements.

From selling flowers door to door to a florist studio in Sonoma, Anne Appleman Flowers has taken many different forms during its 32-year history.

These days, she focuses on personal flower arrangements prepared to her clients’ individual tastes and for larger events including weddings.

“Each arrangement is different because every order is different. I love a challenge,” said Appleman.

She plays with texture and color as she creates her dynamic arrangements. Appleman can even decorate the cake for a wedding.

As a child, there were always flowers in the house. Her mom would buy fresh bouquets each week at the farmer’s market and Appleman’s fondness for flowers stuck.

She first began selling flowers in 1991 in San Francisco out of the back of her truck, while also bringing them from door to door. She was eventually referred to corporate businesses downtown where she designed the lobby decor and Christmas installations.

She arranged with a simple, yet timeless, style and has been inspired by others in books and now on Instagram to create her own take on the classic arrangement.

After outgrowing her apartment in San Francisco, filling every nook and cranny with flowers, she moved to Sonoma and opened a retail store just off the Plaza at 147 E. Spain St. The historic building had been a beloved flower shop for decades. Upon entering the space, Appleman knew she had big shoes to fill.

Luckily, she had the help of Melanie Heisler, who has been assisting Appleman since 2007 with processing the flowers and delivering arrangements around town.

Her shop gained popularity and her client base grew exponentially. She was grateful for the support of the community as she began her small business journey in Sonoma.

After having kids, Appleman decided to switch gears to a studio concept rather than retail to be able to spend more time with her family. She left the Spain Street shop behind in 2012 and started her studio on Eighth Street East.

This community support extended into the COVID-19 pandemic, when flowers were a luxury item, and easily cut from restricted budgets. Her clients stuck by her side and continued ordering flowers, which she delivered to their doorstep, spreading blossoms of joy.

Last year was a blooming wedding season coming out of the height of the pandemic and this year she feels business is almost back to normal.

Navigating the business world has always been a strong suit for Appleman. She feels she has the duality of creativity as an artist and a strict business mindset that allows her flower company to flourish.

Arrangements start at $75 and increase from there, with orders sent in through her website or directly by email via the contact page on the website. Appleman described her style as “garden style” with “unstructured and textural materials” that uses “foliage and dry materials.” Her work is elegantly classic, but she also recognizes “there is always something new.”

You can reach Index-Tribune Intern Mia Epstein at [email protected].

Website: anneappleman.com

Email: [email protected]

Address: 19690 Eighth St. E.