Liz Palmer (left) and Sarah Chiffriller. (Photo courtesy of Alex Tenser/Petals & Twigs)
The founder of a 14-year-old floral arrangements business is passing the bouquet on to an employee next month.
Petals & Twigs owner Sarah Chiffriller and employee Liz Palmer have inked a deal to transfer ownership of the company to Palmer in January.
The business, which makes floral arrangements for weddings and other events, is working on a relocation to a 1,500-square-foot commercial storefront at 6312 Rigsby Road, near Full Kee Restaurant on Horsepen Road in Henrico. The plan is to start operating there in January.
The new storefront is about three times as big as the company’s current space, and it will be where Palmer meets with clients and prepares arrangements. The business is currently based at Chiffriller’s home near Willow Lawn.
“I told Liz if I was 10 years younger, I’d do exactly what she’s doing now. I would rent a space and then have it away from home. It gives it room to grow,” said Chiffriller, who founded the company in 2008, and went full-time with it a couple years later.
Petals & Twigs offers flower arrangements for weddings and other events. (Photo courtesy of Amelia Johnson/Petals & Twigs)
Palmer said she wants to introduce workshops as a complement to the company’s floral arrangement services. She also wants to do a brand refresh and further emphasize social media, which she said is a key way that brides-to-be like herself find and sift through vendors for their weddings.
“I’m currently engaged and every time I hear about a vendor, I go straight to their Instagram and I want to interact with them and see who they are. Hopefully, come January, I’ll be showing my face on Instagram more so that people can build trust with us. That starts there,” she said.
Chiffriller hired Palmer a little more than a year ago, shortly after Palmer, a Baltimore transplant by way of Charlotte, moved with her fiance to his hometown.
Palmer, who was previously a real estate agent, said she discovered Petals & Twigs on social media and saw it as an opportunity to make a career of an interest in flowers she further cultivated during the pandemic.
“During COVID in Charlotte I got more hands-on with flowers just for fun, making arrangements for my friends. When we made the move to Richmond, I figured this is a new start, a new chapter. I should try doing something for my career that I love,” she said. “I looked at a bunch of Instagrams for florists and reached out to Sarah. She offered to have me come in and help out.”
Chiffriller shared with her eventual successor that she wanted to sell the business, but didn’t float the idea of Palmer taking over until after Palmer came aboard.
“We worked together for a few months and then when I got everything in order, I was like, ‘Liz might be interested,’” Chiffriller said.
Petals & Twigs had about a dozen weddings booked for 2023 as of last week. The business usually does about 25 to 30 weddings a year, in addition to other events.
They inked the purchase agreement in April to take effect Jan. 1. Terms weren’t disclosed. Chiffriller plans to continue to help with the transition until the end of 2023 as she prepares to retire.
“It’s easier for me to do things with people rather than make a big list,” she said “Liz is taking a leap, so I’m here to help.”
Liz Palmer (left) and Sarah Chiffriller. (Photo courtesy of Alex Tenser/Petals & Twigs)
The founder of a 14-year-old floral arrangements business is passing the bouquet on to an employee next month.
Petals & Twigs owner Sarah Chiffriller and employee Liz Palmer have inked a deal to transfer ownership of the company to Palmer in January.
The business, which makes floral arrangements for weddings and other events, is working on a relocation to a 1,500-square-foot commercial storefront at 6312 Rigsby Road, near Full Kee Restaurant on Horsepen Road in Henrico. The plan is to start operating there in January.
The new storefront is about three times as big as the company’s current space, and it will be where Palmer meets with clients and prepares arrangements. The business is currently based at Chiffriller’s home near Willow Lawn.
“I told Liz if I was 10 years younger, I’d do exactly what she’s doing now. I would rent a space and then have it away from home. It gives it room to grow,” said Chiffriller, who founded the company in 2008, and went full-time with it a couple years later.
Petals & Twigs offers flower arrangements for weddings and other events. (Photo courtesy of Amelia Johnson/Petals & Twigs)
Palmer said she wants to introduce workshops as a complement to the company’s floral arrangement services. She also wants to do a brand refresh and further emphasize social media, which she said is a key way that brides-to-be like herself find and sift through vendors for their weddings.
“I’m currently engaged and every time I hear about a vendor, I go straight to their Instagram and I want to interact with them and see who they are. Hopefully, come January, I’ll be showing my face on Instagram more so that people can build trust with us. That starts there,” she said.
Chiffriller hired Palmer a little more than a year ago, shortly after Palmer, a Baltimore transplant by way of Charlotte, moved with her fiance to his hometown.
Palmer, who was previously a real estate agent, said she discovered Petals & Twigs on social media and saw it as an opportunity to make a career of an interest in flowers she further cultivated during the pandemic.
“During COVID in Charlotte I got more hands-on with flowers just for fun, making arrangements for my friends. When we made the move to Richmond, I figured this is a new start, a new chapter. I should try doing something for my career that I love,” she said. “I looked at a bunch of Instagrams for florists and reached out to Sarah. She offered to have me come in and help out.”
Chiffriller shared with her eventual successor that she wanted to sell the business, but didn’t float the idea of Palmer taking over until after Palmer came aboard.
“We worked together for a few months and then when I got everything in order, I was like, ‘Liz might be interested,’” Chiffriller said.
Petals & Twigs had about a dozen weddings booked for 2023 as of last week. The business usually does about 25 to 30 weddings a year, in addition to other events.
They inked the purchase agreement in April to take effect Jan. 1. Terms weren’t disclosed. Chiffriller plans to continue to help with the transition until the end of 2023 as she prepares to retire.
“It’s easier for me to do things with people rather than make a big list,” she said “Liz is taking a leap, so I’m here to help.”