My journey
I fell in love with floral design early in life. As a high school student my very first real job was in the floral department of one of Omaha's local grocery chains. Then, as a freshmen at the University of Omaha, I took a fortuitous step and took a job at an independent floral boutique. There I met my first real mentors in the industry - people that am happy to call peers and dear friends to this day. While I grew my design skills under their tutelage, I also had the amazing opportunity to learn about the business side of the industry: client relations, seasonality, marketing, supply chain dynamics, margins... and I soaked up all that I could.
Now, after twenty-five years in the industry, I'm incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to share that wealth of experience and begin something of my own.
My Story
​I remember the one of the first times someone really took notice of my talents - I had been working at a floral boutique for a few months designing and doing the dirty work: scrubbing buckets, cleaning vases, processing flowers, dusting shelves, and all the other back of house tasks that made a shop run. We had some product, roses, that hadn't sold and were being tossed. On a whim I decided to dry them in a back corner of the design area with the idea that maybe I could do something fun with them later in the year. There they sat - out of sight for a few months. Then, during one of those seasonal slow periods I pulled them down and had an idea. We had some home décor in the shop and had recently marked some of the older items down - a spherical decorative globe set. Knowing that no one would mind if I used it - I combined it with the dried roses and made a gorgeous dried-rose globe. Figuring the roses were already 'waste' and the décor item was already discounted, I put it back out with the same discounted price tag. A few minutes later the owner of the shop came in, took one look at it, pulled it off the floor and threw a new price on it. It sold that day & I got a raise the next week! I learned quite a lot that day. Most importantly though - I learned that there is value everywhere, if you're willing to see it and maybe do a little work.
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Since those early years I've had some truly amazing opportunities and have shared in so many special occasions. Hundreds of weddings, proms, parties, and celebrations of life. Countless congratulations, anniversaries, birthdays, well wishes, get wells, thinking of yous, and expressions of love. I've designed for some of Omaha's most illustrious names and had the unique opportunity to create large floral installations at some amazing venues.
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I am truly grateful to have been a small part of every single one of those occasions, and I hope to be a part of many more!
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- Elizabeth Grundman, Fernweh Floral & Design, Owner & Designer.
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Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
402-954-1499