Eileen Looby Weber, AAF, of Lake Forest Flowers, asks communion crown customers if she can share their children’s photos in her marketing. “When people see a familiar face using our service, it helps us sell more the following year,” she said.
First communion, a tradition for young Catholics (typically 7-year-olds), is just around the corner. For more than 30 years, Lake Forest Flowers in Lake Forest, Illinois has created flower crowns for the occasion — a service that helps the shop connect with families and build future business.
Manager Eileen Looby Weber, AAF, finds prospective clients by marketing to parents of first- and second-grade students at the local Catholic parishes. She also advertises the crowns on Facebook, Instagram and in the shop’s e-newsletter.
The crowns are available at a range of price points, from $50 to $150, and take between 15 and 45 minutes to design.
“Trends have evolved, where more and more people add flowers to their veil or wear flower crowns on their own, so we’ve seen an increase in interest in recent years,” Weber said.
The real beauty of the crowns is that they drive people into the shop, “because we need to measure each girl’s head,” Looby explained. “This gives us an opportunity to talk about our business and remind them about what we can do for Easter and Mother’s Day.”
While chatting with the parents, Looby always asks them to tag the shop on Instagram or to send her a photo of their child wearing the flowers during communion. “When people see a familiar face using our service, it helps us sell more the following year,” she said.
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing editor of Floral Management.
