Fall Flower Spotlight: SUNFLOWERS

With the first day of fall coming in two days (Sept. 23rd), we thought we would talk about one of the most common fall flowers: the SUNFLOWER!

We all have seen the traditional sunflower -- either in a flower shop, growing wild along the interstate, or if we are really lucky, in a sunflower field. Most of us, though, only think of the traditional flower when we hear the word 'sunflower', right? Let me demonstrate....

Picture a sunflower...

You ready??


You pictured this, right?

This is the image that the majority of us think when we hear the word 'sunflower'. However, there are many different types of sunflowers, some of which you may have never heard.

Here is the Teddy Bear Sunflower. We actually just had a few of these in the shop this past week -- they were gorgeous!!

And this is the the Ring of Fire Sunflower

the Red Sun Sunflower ..

the Italian White Sunflower

the Rostov Sunflower

And we can't forget the Strawberry Blonde Sunflower!

So you get the point, right? There are LOTS of different types of sunflowers out there -- 33 to be exact! Remember this when you are ordering sunflowers to be included in your fall arrangement -- if you want something different than the traditional yellow flower with the dark brown center, speak up! Just make sure you give us a couple days notice to get the sunflower you want.

Next time you hear the word sunflower, we hope more images come to your mind!

- The girls at MSF

Thank you for the Donations!

 

We can't thank you enough for all your donations!  During our 1st Anniversary Celebration we handed out over 75 FREE FLOWERS to customer who brought in a donation.  Everyone who made a purchase of over $25 also walked out the door in style with a new Main Street Florist T-shirt.

We can't wait to do it again next year!!

Sincerely,

The Girls at Main Street Florist

Did you know that we offer... BRIDAL REGISTRIES?!

A new service that we offer at Main Street Florist is bridal registries! We want to get the word out about this new service because we are so incredibly stoked….

Since bridal registries are primarily done in the big stores, and Carlinville doesn’t have those, we thought, ‘Why can’t we offer bridal registries right here in Carlinville?’ And so it began… All a bride has to do is come into MSF and tell us she wants to register. A design expert (most likely Sarah!) will grab a camera and walk around the store with her taking pictures of all items the bride would like to put on her registry. Of course, the design expert will be there to answer any questions about the products and to offer design ideas. Once the bride has went through the initial registry, we will then put all the pictures into a document with a short description of the item, the quantity wanted, and the price. We will make a printout of the registry so that any time a customer wants to shop from the registry, they can easily do so. Since we are continually getting in new product, the bride and groom are urged to come in regularly to add items to their registry.

Just in case you are wondering, 'what would I register for at Main Street Florist?', we've got a couple examples for you (we could go on all day)!

ALL items in this pic are perfect 'registry' items: Gorgeous mirror, candlesticks, candles, picture frames, and a silk tabletop arrangement.

Who doesn't want more modern vases in their home?! Such a simple way to bring in contemporary pieces, and depending on what you put in them, can match any home!

We have a fabulous array of artwork that you can't find just anywhere! This is just one example.

Not only is this amazingly convenient for brides and grooms, but also for their guests! How many times do you make a ‘quick’ trip to the city to make a purchase off a registry so that you have it in time for a shower/wedding? You don’t have to anymore! All you have to do is run up to MSF! And don’t forget, we wrap it for you too! Can you say, one stop shopping?!

We wanted to give a shout out to our first bridal registry participants – Katie Goodman and Chris Thomas! Katie has been an absolute blast to work with! She pops in every once in a while and adds a few items to her registry when we get in new product or when her registry starts to get slim. How convenient is that?! No trip to the city or an internet site where you are not quite sure of the quality of the item you are adding!

An added bonus: We offer 20% off all remaining items on a bridal registry to the bride and groom for 1 month after their wedding date!

Spread the word: REGISTER AT MAIN STREET FLORIST!

- The girls at MSF

Welcome back Blackburn Students!

Hey Blackburn! We're glad you're back in town! Stop in to Main Street Florist now through September 10th and we'll have a few FREE gifts for you.  Every college student loves the word FREE right? So bring in your student ID and this what you'll get

This Coupon for 15% off all the cute new decor items you'll be buying for your dorm or apartment!

This super trendy and stylish beverage coozy

 and this cute little plant to add some life to your new digs.

Stop in today! We're excited your back!

~The Girls at Main Street Florist

Mark your Calendar! FREE FLOWERS!

It’s been a year since Main Street Florist and Gifts took on a fresh new look under owners Sarah LoBue and Carmen Reiher. In an effort to thank the continuing support of customers and the community, Main Street Florist will be hosting a Free Flower Event.

“We will be handing out free flowers to anyone that brings in a donation for the Carlinville Catholic Charities Harvest Food Pantry or Macoupin T.A.I.L.S. Organization,” said co-owner Sarah LoBue. “We are excited about the opportunity to give back to the community and we hope to make this an annual event.” 

The Free Flower Event will be held on Saturday, September 3^rd from 9am-3pm and will feature giveaways, exclusive discounts, t-shirts, food and drinks, balloons and much more. Main Street Florist will be collecting items for both charities throughout the day.  Suggested items for the Harvest Food Pantry include pop-top canned goods, cereal, bread, peanut butter and jelly, and hygiene items. Macoupin T.A.I.L.S. is in need of cleaning supplies, dry dog/cat food, canned puppy/kitten food, kitty litter, collars, leashes, old towels and newspapers.
 

“The purpose of the Free Flower Event is not only to celebrate our first year at Main Street Florist, but also to allow us to thank our customers for their past and future patronage of the store,” added co-owner Carmen Reiher.

Main Street Florist and Gifts is located at 240 East Side Square in Carlinville and has regular business hours of 9am to 5pm on Monday-Friday and 9am to 2pm on Saturday. If you have any questions about the event or would like more information, you can contact Main Street Florist at 217.854.8224.

It's All in the Details - Holmes/LoBue Wedding - Carlinville, IL

Main Street Florist received the most amazing little package in the mail the other day... we've been anticipating it for months now.  What was it?  It was a beautiful little CD full of images from our largest wedding event so far.  We were beyond excited!  Thank you TenSixteen Photography for your amazing talents!

 

 

The flowers and colors for this wedding were so vibrant and dynamic. Green Trix Carnations, Orange Roses, Red Celosia, Green Fugi Mum, Orange Pin Cusions, Orange Gerbers, Red Spray Roses, Green Hypericum, and the list goes on and on. We couldn't help ourselves with this wedding's color palatte.

 Derek, the Groom, requested "no flowers" in the boutineers.  We were up for the task. The men's boutineers comprised of Foxtail, Hypericum Berries, and Seeded Eucalyptus. 

125 mason jars, wine bottles, and Starbucks Frappuccino bottles made up the centerpieces.  Each vessel was filled with an assortment of flowers matching the bright color scheme.  To add a little more character to the tables, the bride and her family created card holders for each table from barb wire and split logs.

 

 The lovely LoBue Family (btw... this is my husband and in-laws... I'm a little bias) hosted the wedding and reception at their farm located outside of Carlinville. The setting couldn't have been a more perfect.  Thanks to all the hard work of the LoBue family and friends. It was a picture perfect day (once the rained stopped)!  We were so honored to help out with both the flowers and decorations for this unique wedding.  A special thanks again to TenSixteen Photography for the wonderful photos!

If you would like to contact Main Street Florist for your wedding flowers and decorations please contact us at 217-854-8224

A Little Window Inspiration

To kick off our Window Design Competition we thought we'd share how we put our windows together.  We started a new window yesterday by choosing a theme.  Typically our creative process begins with a theme or new product that inspires us. This window's theme is "Back to School"   ugh... I know.. that means summer is coming to an end, but don't worry, as a retailer we like to jump the gun a bit. Check out the pics below for the step by step example of building a window display.

We start with a blank canvas..empty window :)  This is also when we start googling our theme for inspirational images.  Like the one below

 We loved the stacked books.  After raiding Carmen's shelves we started stacking, creating different heights to keep things interesting.  We then added items from the store on top on the stacks and used them as display columns.

Next we added an old school desk to be the main vocal point of the window.  Not only does it match our theme but it creates a surface to display more store product.

At this point the main structure of the window is in place and it's time to select items to be featured in the window.  We also like to choose a color theme for our windows.  It makes it easier on the eye as well as suggest items that work well together in a customers home.  Everything in this window fit within the color palate of red, orange, and yellow.

 It's important to choose items that will be a variety of heights and textures.  If something isn't tall enough...improvise.. for example we placed an arrangement on top of a turned over trashcan that is also available for purchase. 

 

The final touch is adding a backdrop to our display. The backdrop is eye catching from a distance but also helps the items in the display stand out up close. Carmen also fit in well with our color palate, but she decided not to stay in the window :)

 These pictures were taking from inside the store looking at the back of our window display. Aren't the silhouette's amazing! I'd love to say we planned it but it was just a happy accident that it looks so great from the inside of the store too!

That's it! It's that easy! So get those window display ideas submitted so you can take a stab at it! Here are the details again on how to enter! Enter Our Contest!

Want to see the final look of our window?? You'll just have to stop by Main Street Florist! ;)
Joking!  Here it is.

Until next time!
The girls at MSF