Winter 2019

Meet the Maker: Floral Treasure By Sam Ujvary

For two decades, Debbie Garza has been cultivating flowers and curating amazing pieces of work.“From the seed to the wreath” is the motto, and farm-to-door is the game. In a time when creating your own home décor piece is growing increasingly popular, Garza is the original DIY master. And it’s not just wreaths. Signs, garlands and other types of greenery fall under the Floral Treasure umbrella as well. With a farm located just outside the wine country of Baja California, the company has grown exponentially, so she sat down with Gift Shop Magazine to tell us about the path that led her to this trade.

GS: How did Floral Treasure get started?

Debbie Garza: This is our 20th anniversary at Floral Treasure, and this journey has been a great experience. I started creating with natural field flowers in my home and then started selling my handcrafted floral designs at local and regional craft shows. I never looked back. My passion led my husband and I to begin farming flowers 20 years ago on 10 acres of land. Now, we grow and harvest a vast variety of blooming flowers, herbs and grains on over 100 acres. I guess you can say we’re floral designing farmers!

GS: How many employees do you currently have?

DG: David and I are fortunate enough to work with over 300 employees. Our team works hard and (we’ve) really become family. Everyone shares our vision, which means one day we might be in the middle of harvesting and need help. You’ll find all hands working to help cut flowers so we can begin the drying and preserving process. Everyone understands how important it is to capture the flowers in full bloom and brightness.

GS: Tell us about your range of products.

DG: We’ve poured our hearts into producing almost 900 designs each year. The 22-inch wreath is our most popular, but we feature wreaths of all sizes. Our little 10-inch wreaths are too cute. Beyond wreaths, our product line includes centerpieces, garlands, dried & preserved bouquets, and special seasonal designs. My favorite is our Farmers Market Wreaths. We tie the wreaths in wood crates which looks fresh and trendy when displayed on wall or tabletop.

We have special packaging for retail stores as well as for drop shipping. We offer colored boxes for the season and have exclusive scented wreaths too!

Floral Treasure creates for five seasons: spring, summer, fall and holiday with preserved greenery being our “fifth season.” Greenery makes lush, multi-dimensional designs and our customers just can’t get enough of it. It’s beautiful to have in your home all year.

GS: Are there any ideas you’ve had for items that just didn’t work as you expected?

DG: Yes, teen and sorority wreaths!

GS: Are there any that you were surprised by their success?

DG: I couldn’t believe how well our wreaths with house numbers on them took off. It was hard to keep up with the demand!

GS: Can you walk us through the process of developing new designs and concepts, and bringing them to fruition?

DG: When it comes down to it, I’m an inventor who loves to create new designs with my imagination. Many times, it starts with new colors I’m seeing in fashion. I’ll create trend boards filled with new ideas and concepts. I look at new paint colors, hardware that is being used in homes, sayings and fonts.

Of course, while I’m designing, I have to see what’s blooming on the farm. It’s really a two-step process which is why our motto is “From the Seed to the Wreath.” Our wreaths, garlands and centerpieces are all created from nature.

Here’s a fun fact. We have local wineries around our farm so we gather trimmings of grapevine from them to make many of our wreath bases. We’re committed to the environment and are dedicated to leaving a green foot print behind.

GS: Are you seeing any trends that are impacting your potential concepts?

DG: I’m loving pastels in fall, as well as all shades of blue and peach.

GS: Has your process changed since you’ve started the business? If so, how?

DG: Well, we have grown a ton. I have a lot of talented and amazing managers that work very hard to keep up with this growth and keep the production flowing. We produce quality products, so we’ve dedicated passionate people to the farm where we cut and preserve our flowers and have creative artisans that follow my wreath recipes. The end result means everyone can enjoy our Floral Treasure designs in their home.

Sam Ujvary

Sam is the managing editor of Gift Shop Pets, Museums & More and Party & Halloween Retailer, and is a contributing editor for Gift Shop Magazine. She has a copywriting background and has been in publishing for six years.