Meet Sarah Massara

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

Hi Sarah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always wanted to own and operate my own business. I come from a long line of entrepreneurial women in my family so its been engrained in me since a young age that I CAN be a business owner as I had really good examples to follow. For me, owning a business is also about claiming my power as a woman and having the means to directly control and influence my own future. I find so much power, fulfillment, and agency in being a business owner. So for me – it wasn’t about whether I would or wouldn’t start a business, but it was more so about finding the RIGHT business to start. Lilac Alley is all this and more! Flowers provide a constant logistical challenge coupled with such a beautiful and pure creative outlet. Add in the joy I get to provide for my clients through floral design, and I was immediately hooked.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I let imposter syndrome stand in the way for far too long. I finally took a leap into my interest for floral design in 2019 when I applied for and secured an internship with a leading florist in Denver. I’m so glad I did! While that year was really challenging as I leaned into a creative pursuit and away from the stability of my corporate job, it was a beautiful crash course in both the artistry and hard work of floral design and running a floral design company. Since then, I’ve continued to develop my floral skillset by freelancing for other florists and beginning to take on my own clients. Now it’s been five years of “official” florist training and experience!

I’ve learned an incredible amount in these five years and not all of these lessons have come easy. I think my biggest lesson has been in always coming back to trusting in myself, my abilities as an artist, and my natural skillsets on the operations side of running a business. Both myself and my business are happiest when I am leaning into what brings me joy and not following trends or giving into the “pressure” that can come from trying to emulate other florists or business owners.

I’ve found that Lilac Alley is at it’s best when I keep my inspiration for this business at the forefront. I’m personally driven by finding and cherishing moments of truth, beauty, and goodness in this chaotic world and life. Flowers are the pinnacle of this, for me, as they force us to slow down and take in all they have to offer; their offering is fleeting and if you blink, you just might miss it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oooh! Love this question. 🙂 I love Denver – it’s such a cute little city and has just enough of a “wild West” feel and grittiness to it. If I were to host a friend for a week, I’d start by introducing them to the best coffee in the city (and probably world, tbh). We’d immediately head to Queen City Coffee where the sweetest and most genuine baristas are slinging mind blowing espresso.

From there, Denver (like many cities) is really about its neighborhoods. I’d structure the visit around them and the hidden gems within each. We’d have to get tacos and pozole from La Diabla in the Ball Park District, visit Katherine Smith at Little Black Church tattoo, and then grab a Messed Up Negroni and oysters from Cart Driver. Those are the heavy hitters in the downtown / five points area.

Now onto the Santa Fe Arts District. Gotta hit Queen City again in Town Hall Collaborative. Then on to Petals and Pages for a good read. From there, it’s about wandering up and down Santa Fe and popping into the art galleries and shops.

Truthfully, I’m more at home further south – so we’d head down to South Broadway from there. We’d have to check out Ti Cafe for an insane Vietnamese coffee. Usually, we’d then pop into Mutiny but sadly South Broadway lost a real gem a month or so back when the establishment had to relocate further down South Broadway to Englewood. After being sad about Mutiny’s move, we’d move on and check out some other South Broadway establishments. Fern & Skye for local goods, Goldmine Vintage, Trve for a ridiculously sour beer, Beet & Yarrow for a bouquet, and Sputty (aka Sputnik) for the best happy hour in the city. South Broadway feels like home to me and I love to share that with others!

In my neighborhood (South, South Broadway aka Overland) – it’s about cozy walks through the neighborhood, thrifting at Arc and other vintage stores, and snacks / drinks from Joy Hill.

Other things not to miss in Denver – walks through any of our city parks to enjoy some of the public green space, live music at any of the smaller venues in town (Hi Dive, Larimer Lounge, Lost Lake, Globe Hall, etc. etc.), and Pho 95 on Federal. For me, what keeps Denver exciting is it’s close-knit communities and little pockets of very niche interest groups. You can find your people and your space here and I think that’s lovely.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have two shoutouts!

First, HollyAnn Bruns, owner of Wild Hare Floral Co. HollyAnn was my first tangible introduction to floral design. She pulled me into this world and I will forever be grateful to her! Her constant encouragement, advice, and excitement for me has been such a linchpin for building my confidence not only as a floral designer but also a business owner.

Second, Josh Massara, owner of Permanent Ephemera Photography. Josh is my husband and also pursues his own creative endeavor as a band and show photographer. This has been a relatively recent adventure – but seeing his willingness to persevere and continue honing his craft, even when it gets tough, has renewed my own dedication to floral design and investing in my small business.

Website: https://www.lilacalleyfloral.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilac.alley

Other: https://www.townhallcollaborative.com/marketplace

Image Credits
Permanent Ephemera Photography Lyndsey Leach Photography Vintage Violets Photography Dylan Crossley Photography