Meet Natalie Elsberry | Owner, Entrepreneur, Florist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalie Elsberry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After working from my basement providing flowers to brides for over a decade the thought came to me that we should be servicing more of Lincoln. After a flower conference the idea solidified, and the intense process began. I have always been an entrepreneur at heart, I was always trying to sell something like suckers to pay my way thru scuba school in High school or set up a carnival in my front yard for neighbor kids, I did a little stint as a “wedding planner” before I fell in love with flowers. My journey with flowers came with a relationship that never wanted a brick and mortar, they said it would be too hard, this is a feeling I see a lot in the industry that you can’t make money as a florist in a store. So, I never dreamed or wanted it for me. But a divine intervention of that relationship disintegrating and everything they ever said was questioned. God had placed it on my heart to open Of the Earth and to serve my community the way I knew how. Inviting lots of local goodness and flowers to be part of the space and share and spread LOVE!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Flowers have such traditional roots that some have stuck to through thick and thin. These traditions are usually dated looking and with basic flowers. God has given us such a delicious variety of flowers and we will celebrate it!

Lots of these do not travel well and so having local flower farms who are willing to try things for us make us so different than the other flower shops here.
We found that weddings had updated things and had the garden style but flower shops had not. I knew we could provide this service to Lincoln and the surrounding areas and do it well.

I especially had a heart to provide truly lovely memorial pieces as funeral arrangements tend to be the worst of the worst in the traditions of old. There is zero reasons that funeral arrangements should be so stuffy, and garish and use the most plain of flowers. We love to bring the deceased’s personality into arrangements making the fondest of final memories.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We start with brunch at Good Evans, the Cambridge is amazing! Go hit up the shops at Prescott, Paper Kite, Goldenrod Grocery, Patino shoes, and Licorice International. Then over to PK Flynn and grab a coffee at Chocolate Season. From there we can hit up Oak Creek to see what the green house has to offer today. And make our way down town. We shop for Birkenstocks and some cute clothes, Tsuru for the funnest collection of clothes around, from there pop across the street to Stella for your wardrobe basics that are high style, and around the corner to Ruby Bagonias for your vintage fix. lunch at Honest Abes complete with boosy milkshakes. top the day off with a show at Pinewood Bowl our outside amphitheater. Some other must dos are Flower picking at Harvest Home flowers, the farmers markets, both Haymarket and Prescott Sunday, Dinner or Lunch at Venue, Momos for the Portabella fries and Lobster pizza, Bliss Nails for the best mani/pedi, Coffee house for the best coffee and treats like the Cromlette. Wax Buffalo for the best smells around, Ivanna Cone, 402 Creamery for ice cream treats. Bloom Coffee is delish, Mary Ellens, Stur 22, Muchachos and Taste of Lousianna. Shows at Leid center, the Huskers at Memorial stadium, and a drink at The Tavern on the square or Other room. Dinner at Lazlos, a tour of the Capital building and a tour of Sheldon Art Meuseum.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Natalie from Native Poppy in California. She was a speaker at the Team flower conference that I attended that gave me to boost to bloom my idea.

Website: oftheearthflorals.com

Instagram: oftheearthflorals oftheearthweddings

Image Credits
Mullers Nikki Moore Photo Emily Jessen