Though she’s been working in the floral industry on and off for more than a decade, Rebecca Atchley hasn’t had much time to work since shes had her four children, all of whom are currently younger than 8. But the Signal Mountain resident recently decided to launch a home-based floral business, Summerfield Studio Floral Designs.
Atchley first got into the business in 2003, while she was in college and had just gotten engaged to her now-husband. In need of money to purchase his wedding ring, she started looking around for a job she’d enjoy. As a child, she loved creating bouquets with flowers from her grandmother’s garden, so when she found a position at Knoxville’s Crouch Florist, she jumped at the opportunity.
After starting out in “permanent botanicals,” aka fake flowers, Atchley moved into fresh design. For her wedding, she did her own flowers – peonies – with the help of friends and family, collecting all the milk glass she used in the décor at garage and yard sales.
When her husband, now a cardiologist at Chattanooga Heart Institute, graduated from medical school and began his internship at Duke University in Durham, N.C., Atchley helped support them financially by getting a job at Durham’s Ninth Street Flowers. There, she said, she learned a lot about the business side of flowers, including the art of efficiently buying flowers in bulk.
She then took a job in association management, continuing to do flowers on the side for family and friends. When she got pregnant with her twins, she put her career on hold, but now she’s decided to get back in the business.
It started when Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club, where Atchley is a member, repeatedly requested that she create floral designs for the club.
“I kept getting referrals, and the word of mouth advanced beyond my control,” said Atchley, who then decided to turn her hobby into something more official. “I’m not exactly looking to expand; our market is extremely saturated right now with florists. I’m a home-based floral designer, and I’m comfortable with where I am in the grand scheme of the floral pecking order.”
Atchley said she mainly designs for events, weddings and dinner parties. As to her style, she said that since she does a lot of weddings, she tends to lean toward the romantic side of flowers.
“I follow floral industry trends and continue to educate myself,” she added. “It’s important that you never get stuck in one style.”
When possible, she said she also likes to forage for items to use in her designs and use what’s available in her cutting garden.
Contact Atchley at 290-4637 or signalsummerfieldstudio@gmail.com, or visit facebook.com/summerfieldstudioonsignal.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.