Meet a Mom: Meet Kerry Patel! | Union County Moms

Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town?
I grew up in New York, made my way back to New York by way of North Carolina, and have called Madison home for the past 16 years.

Child(ren) and Age(s)? I have a 13 year old son in seventh grade

Favorite things to do with your kids?
Travel. It’s important to experience difference cultures, see the world through a different lens, and receive an education that a school book can’t give. It’s also the only time he’s truly adventurous with food will eat just about anything you put in front of him!

Favorite places to eat & shop in the area?
Believe it or not, there are still places I have yet to visit, but I’ll give you my perfect day: I’d first stop for an oat milk-and-lavender matcha at Sunday Motor Cafe, followed by THE BEST EVER chocolate croissant at Fleur de Sel; a little shopping at Quartet, perhaps? Followed by lunch at Harvest Bistro or Central and Main; I’d make a detour into Tons of Toys for my son, grab a gift at The Pink Pear, and head over to Gary’s Wine to pick up a few favorite bottles. For dinner, if it’s a pizza night, I’m grabbing it from Madison Market, or if it’s a fancy night, I’m at Serenade.

Favorite form of self care?
When I need to decompress, refocus, or clear my mind, I grab some flowers, a unique and challenging vessel, and design. I get up in my feels with my favorite personalized playlist on Spotify and let the music control my heart and my hands.

Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
I am a boutique floral designer of intimate weddings with guest counts under 50, creating personal floral experiences for the niche client that revels in intentional details.

But as 2020 challenged us, and the wedding industry as a whole, my business looked much different than it once did.

As we entered the uncertain times of the new pandemic world, I realized the economic impact that was facing the floral industry. Seeing an opportunity to help ease this economic impact more locally, I reached out to a local green house and began selling bouquets of their gorgeous greenhouse-grown flowers within our community – donating the proceeds from the sales to local charities such as FLAG, Madison Area YMCA, and more recently, Helping Hands of Chatham. Week after week, I looked forward purchasing buckets of flowers that would inevitably bring joy and cheer to those in our community. Before I knew it, twelve weeks had gone by, countless floral arrangements were designed and delivered, and the Flowery, my retail flower shop, was born. The Flowery offers daily deliveries of artfully designed florals, weekly and monthly flower subscriptions, dinnerscape services, and artisan-crafted objects for the home. Philanthropy will always be a core value of the Flowery and, to date, has donated $5,000 to our community. I’m pretty proud of that.

If you could give one tip to fellow Mom Entrepreneurs what would it be?
Take the risk, and don’t base your decision on what you think people with think of you if you do – do it because it makes sense for your business and your life.

One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I love hosting dinner parties – whether intimate, informal or fun – creating a memorable aesthetic and capturing a feeling through the details is something I love to do. I think that’s why designing the tablescape for a wedding client is one of my favorite aspects of a wedding. That’s why I’ve added dinnerscapes as a service offered through the Flowery. I can take the stress out of making sure you’ve remembered all the details to create a memorable, gorgeous evening for your friends.

How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
Weddings are wonderful, but having the opportunity to design artful floral arrangements for clients week after week, I don’t take their trust in me and trust in my talent lightly. I put my heart into every design, and my clients know that. I’ve been able to bring joy and beauty to this community through my flowers, and they’ve helped me give back to those in need. For that, I am so very grateful.

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