08/06/2026
Tonight, I want to share something from my heart as a small business owner. 🤍
Today shook me a little.
I had a conversation with a customer about the price of work I completed a couple of months ago. They were happy with the flowers themselves, but looking back, they felt the price was higher than they expected. A review was left, and although it has since been removed and grace was shown on both sides, I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect me deeply.
I am a people pleaser at heart. The thought of someone walking away from Blossoms of Elnora feeling like I didn’t treat them fairly genuinely hurts me.
But there’s another reason things like this affect me so deeply that most people probably don’t know.
Blossoms of Elnora is named after my great grandma.
Her name isn’t just part of a cute business name or something I picked because it sounded pretty. Her name is attached to everything I create.
And this may sound silly to some people, but when someone doesn’t like my work, leaves a bad review, or feels disappointed by my business, sometimes my heart doesn’t process it as simply, “Someone wasn’t happy with an order.”
It feels personal.
There is this little piece of me that feels like I’ve somehow failed something that carries my grandma’s name. When I see a one-star review beside a business named after someone I love so much, emotionally it almost feels like someone is putting one star beside her.
I know that’s not what they’re actually saying. I know a business review is about a business transaction. But when you’ve built something from the ground up and attached the name of someone you love to it, separating the two isn’t always easy.
Maybe that’s part of why I take things so much to heart.
And today’s situation was even harder because underneath everything was something much bigger than flowers or money.
There was grief.
I know this customer is hurting. I know what it is to watch a family grieve someone they love, and I know grief can consume you in ways other people may never see.
That’s honestly the part that hurts me the most tonight.
Not the review.
Not losing a star.
Not someone questioning my pricing.
It’s knowing that someone trusted me with flowers for one of the hardest moments of their life and later walked away feeling like I had taken advantage of them.
I never, ever want someone to feel used during their grief.
Had I known in that moment that the price was causing concern or creating additional stress, I would have done everything within my ability to adjust the design, change flowers, work within a different budget, or simply have a conversation about the options available.
I can’t go backward and change something months after it has been designed and delivered, but I can learn from it.
And it made me want to say something that I hope every person who has ever ordered from me knows:
The amount you can spend with me has absolutely nothing to do with how much I value you as a customer.
Flowers are expensive. Supplies are expensive. Running a small business is expensive. My prices have to account for flowers, mechanics, supplies, time, labor, waste, overhead, sourcing, designing and everything it takes to keep a small floral business going.
But a price on an invoice will NEVER determine the value of the person receiving it.
If you have a small budget, I want to make something beautiful for you.
If you have a large budget, I want to make something beautiful for you.
If something I suggest doesn’t fit your budget, please tell me before approving your order. There is no judgment. I would much rather change flowers, adjust the size or design, or find another option that works for you.
Once an order has been approved, purchased, designed and delivered, there isn’t much I can change after the fact. I never want someone to stay quiet because they’re embarrassed about their budget or afraid to tell me something is more than they wanted to spend.
Give me the opportunity to work with you while I still can. 🤍
Because here’s the thing about being a small-town florist…
I remember you.
I remember the birthdays and anniversaries.
I remember the husband ordering flowers for his wife. The mom celebrating her daughter. The new babies, graduations and weddings.
And I remember the hard ones, too.
I remember the names on funeral cards.
I remember sitting with families while they tell me someone’s favorite flower or favorite color.
I remember the stories people tell me about the person we’re designing flowers for.
I remember standing in my shop making funeral flowers and thinking about a person I never even had the privilege of meeting because, by the time I’m finished, their family has told me enough about them that I feel like I’ve gotten a tiny glimpse of who they were.
Those orders stay with me.
Some of you started as customers and became people I genuinely care about.
That’s why today affected me so much.
A review may look like a few sentences and some stars on a screen, but for a small business especially in a community like Bandera reviews and word of mouth matter tremendously.
We don’t have giant marketing departments or corporations standing behind us. Our names, reputations and relationships with our community ARE our businesses.
I also recognize that I won’t handle every conversation perfectly.
I’m human.
When I feel like someone believes I intentionally took advantage of them, my instinct is to explain everything because I desperately want them to understand that was never my heart.
Today reminded me that sometimes the better thing is simply to listen, show grace and learn.
And tonight, more than anything, my heart isn’t angry with this customer.
My heart hurts for her.
I’m praying for her and her family. I’m praying for comfort in a season where flowers, money and reviews are so incredibly small compared to the person they’re missing.
I’m also thankful that grace was ultimately extended both ways. 🤍
I don’t want anyone reading this to feel sorry for me.
I just want you to understand the person behind this little business.
Blossoms of Elnora isn’t just invoices and flowers to me.
It’s people.
It’s your people.
It’s your celebrations, your heartbreaks, your milestones and your memories.
And tucked into the name of this business is one of my people, too.
Maybe that’s why I feel everything involving this little flower shop so deeply.
I will continue learning. I will continue pricing my work in a way that reflects the true cost of my flowers, supplies and time while keeping my business sustainable. I will continue being transparent about pricing before orders are completed.
And whenever possible, I will continue working with different budgets because I truly believe beautiful flowers shouldn’t be about proving how much you can spend.
Thank you to every person who has trusted me with a moment in your life especially the moments when flowers have had to say what words couldn’t.
I remember more of you than you probably realize.
And I am incredibly grateful that you trust me with your people while I build something in honor of one of mine. 🤍
— Mickenzi
Blossoms of Elnora
Where flowers tell a story.
