DATE: Monday, October 13, 1997              TAG: 9710110670

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MELISSA GUNDEL, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   61 lines

FLORAL DESIGNER PROVES YOU CAN GROW YOUR OWN SMALL BUSINESS

Sarah Munford, 42, started working in a greenhouse and flower shop when she was 16. At 20, she opened her own flower and gift shop, called Sarah's Flowers, in Richmond. After a three-year hiatus, she moved to Norfolk and opened The New Leaf, a shop in Ghent.

What are the differences you've seen in running a business in Richmond and here?

Richmond is very myopic, byzantine and conservative. It's nice, but not inspirational. There's more diversity here. You have a mixed bag of people. Richmond is blueblood all the way. You can be more creative out here, while Richmond is more old-school and traditional.

How did you get your business started?

I took a bunch of good business cards and I made up arrangements with unusual materials like . . . cosmos, fresh mosses . . . and delivered them to businesses. It worked.

What sets you apart from other florists?

It's not important where your location is, so much as your talent, your one-on-one personalized service, the old-fashioned touch and the fresh flowers. I think we make the customer feel welcome and warm. We put thank-you notes in the mail to them, and our personalized fliers make them feel like our No. 1. We also take time to ask questions on a customer's order, and we do fund-raisers.

What kind of hardships have you experienced?

Flowers are subject to the weather. For instance, when there is a drought in California, flowers are smaller, withered and less substantial. The prices go up. About eight years ago, there was a freeze close to Valentine's Day in California and the roses were affected. The wholesalers had to order them from Israel and they were terrible. So we used red tulips and other flowers instead. Also, January and March are slow months. We can't really afford advertising. So we make up arrangements on these cold, slow days and deliver free arrangements to different businesses. I think the visual and the smell of the flowers and the fact that they last on your desk for a week is better than reading an ad.

Did you make any mistakes along the way?

I learned from the school of hard knocks. When I started in Richmond, I was young and naive, but I had a way with flowers. I really learned the trade from my father, who was an interior decorator and designer, and he also grew fresh flowers. I took out a small loan from my parents and started the business. One day, my brother-in-law came in and noticed I wasn't charging sales tax. I didn't know what sales tax was at the time.

What advice would you offer?

It's a major thing - an emotional and financial investment. Work in a shop, and if it really grabs you and you really like it, talk to your boss and ask questions. Have a savings account for a while so you can starve comfortably while the shop is not making money, because it won't for a while. Find a niche. Find a really weird something that others don't offer. And do it. MEMO: We're looking for small businesses to share their experiences:

problems they've faced, successes they've achieved. Please fax your

suggestions to Melissa Gundel at 446-2531. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Sarah Munford

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