Flowers & Fancies President and General Manager Eddie Wingrat with his dog, Ellie. Wingrat started the Owing Mills, Maryland business 51 years ago.
The Society of American Florists’ membership includes all segments of the industry — and that community is the heart of SAF. This bi-weekly feature will spotlight SAF members sharing inspirational stories, professional insights, and the opportunity to form new industry connections.
Eddie Wingrat is president and general manager of Flowers & Fancies, which he opened in 1971. Wingrat found his way into the floral industry after college when he saw an ad for a local florist in the newspaper. He began working there despite having no experience with flowers, but after two months and a bad experience with the owner over a quality issue, he decided he wanted to do better.
Wingrat found a building in Stevenson, Maryland, and opened his business. He originally named it “Party Line” as a nod to his mother, Bernice Wingrat, who operated a business coordinating parties by that name. He soon changed the name to Flowers & Fancies so he could broaden his reach outside of parties. As the business grew, Wingrat’s brothers, Stanton and Mark, began working with him. They moved to their current location in Owning Mills, Maryland in 2001. Today, his two children also work in the business.
“Raising two kids who are now in the business and thinking of the many people that still work here 20 years, 15 years, 10 years later — it’s all been so rewarding,” Wingrat says. “I really am proud of what we do and of the people here that do it!”
Biggest Challenge
Wingrat has dealt with myriad challenges in his 51 years in business, from the gas rations of the 1970s to several recessions and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic, when business slowed to a halt and his only option was to offer his team unemployment.
“We fought to get open as an essential business and we did,” Wingrat says. “We brought back a nucleus of the most dedicated people you will ever meet. We re-opened and started making and delivering flowers again. I can’t say enough about our team who were able to come in or converse by Zoom, stayed in touch with their customers, did whatever could be done to keep revenue flowing to the business.”
The Flowers & Fancies team, which Wingrat describes as the “most dedicated people you will ever meet.”
Giving Back
Flowers & Fancies places a large emphasis on helping children in their community.
Wingrat’s mother and grandmother were very involved in community and religious activities, so once he was in business for a few years, he decided to start raising money and partnering with nonprofit organizations as a way to give back to the community. Their Blooms 4 A Better Bmore program donates a percentage of sales on select arrangements to charities including Ronald McDonald House, The Baltimore Symphony Kids Orchestra, Next One Up, the Uhlman Foundation, and more.
The business also focuses on cultivating relationships with and placing local high school students in internships at the shop.
“We learned that the high school workforce is tangible, part time, and fits our mission of helping children,” Wingrat says. “It patience and desire to teach these kids. We have had many who now attend local colleges and still work for us part time. It’s really awesome to be a part of.”
Flowers & Fancies has a long history of charitable giving.
Best Marketing Tactics
Their best marketing tactic is building relationships, Wingrat says.
“Selling a prospect is not our approach,” he says. “We build relationships with people, be it with clients, service vendors, etc. We want you to trust us — and we want to trust you.”
Why SAF?
Wingrat joined SAF to gain knowledge in the industry, which he didn’t know much about when he started his business.
“ is made up of all facets of the industry — retailers, wholesalers and growers — which I thought would give me a very diverse yet complete understanding of the industry,” he says. “When I became president of the Allied Florist Association of Baltimore, many doors were unlocked because of my relationship with SAF.”
Wingrat loves to take advantage of all of the resources on thesafnow.tempurl.host website, which he describes as an “encyclopedia of relevance” and also enjoys learning from other SAF members.
Wingrat was recently featured on SAF’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Do you know a member who should have a chance in the spotlight? Email Stephanie Brady, project manager for SAF.
Stephanie Brady is the project manager for the Society of American Florists.