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

Hi Rebecca, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
From the time I was a little girl I always knew that I was a creative. When I was in kindergarten, my mom would take me to the Rag Shop (equivalent to a Michaels or Joanne’s today) and I would pick scraps of fabric, pins and whatever miscellaneous items I could find to make crafts, that I would give away as gifts. I knew that one day I wanted to create beauty and give it as my gift to the world. I choose the medium of flowers because I was always so inspired and moved by them and they’re alluring charm.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
After meeting my husband and being a floral designer in the industry for 15 years, we decided to leave suburbia and buy 23 acres to live out our dreams as homesteaders. I’d learned how to design flowers over the years, but my goal was to learn everything I could about growing them. I’d been inspired by flower farms that sold to some of the various places I worked as a designer.

After moving to our new property, I decided to have some flowers shipped in to design weddings while I was still learning how to grow and cultivate flowers. I’d incorporate some of what we grew into our wedding work, along with what other local flower farms had to offer as well. Using local product became a passion that I continue to pursue.

Little did we know that we stepped into a flourishing wedding destination location. After just one season of freelancing for other florists in the area, we set up shop in our 12 x 24 wood tech shed, that we converted into a flower studio. We fully booked a second season and hit the ground running.

It was challenging to keep up with the demand of work that we were receiving and shortly after we started we grew out of our 12 x 24 wood tech shed. To keep ourselves close to our land we built a larger building which we now use as our flower studio on one side and my husbands carpentry shop on the other.

I want any budding creative entrepreneur to know that anything is possible and you never know where the universe is going to take you and your talents. I could never have dreamed of what we created in just a short 5 years, but when you have a dream and put one foot in front of the other, amazing things can happen.

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?
If a good friend of mine was coming to visit our area I’d have to show them some of the award winning local wineries and breweries. The Finger Lakes is specifically known for it’s wineries, breweries, food, scenery and of course, The Finger Lakes themselves.

The Lake House on Canandaigua Lake is a newly renovated hotel, event space, bar and restaurant which is a must to stay at when visiting The Finger Lakes. Their spa is amazing and the food is a foodies dream.

The best place to get married is Crispin Hill located on Keuka Lake! With breath taking views, incredible food and the best service, they are hands down a destination wedding location.

Keuka Lake has lots of fun dive bars along the way. You can spend the day on the lake or visit their unique pottery and wine trail.

Watkins Glen is a naturists day dream with breath taking waterfalls, lots of trails to hike, places to camp and local spots to stop for some food and drink.

Each lake has it’s own interesting personality and assortment of places to stay, shop, eat, and drink.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank my boss, previous owner of Flowers by Melanie, for teaching me the ropes in the floral industry. She taught me not only how to design flowers, but how to run a business and make it successful. I worked by her side for 12 years and still use her knowledge and techniques to this day. She allowed my to be myself creatively and was the first person to ever tell me that I was an artist. That forever changed me and the trajectory of my career.

Website: www.FooteFlorals.com

Instagram: Foote.Floral.Designs

Facebook: Foote Florals

Image Credits
Michelle Scott Photography, Jennifer Santoro Photography, Mary Doughtery Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.