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Business 52 September | 2022 Four Seasons Flowers San Diego, Calif. 4seasonsfl owers.com @fourseasonsfl owerssd ere are plenty of places to visit in San Diego—from SeaWorld and San Diego Zoo to Balboa Park and the USS Midway Museum. You'll also fi nd Four Seasons Flowers, owned by Carma and David White (Carma is a second-generation fl orist; the business was founded in 1974 by Carma's mother, Barbara Bertran). Unlike the other businesses mentioned in this article, Four Seasons Flowers no longer off ers in-store workshops—due, in part, to the pandemic, which caused the Whites to re-evaluate everything they were doing and how they did those things. In the beginning of Four Seasons' workshop history, Carma White says they were an integral part of the evolution of her company. "We noticed that whenever people would walk into our shop, they would say that they would love to be able to make that—which is how it started. So, I decided to make my open house more interactive." e shop's workroom could accommodate eight workshop participants, and it was situated so that all visitors to the open house could see them. "Customers came into the backroom asking what the other customers were doing there, and they started talking to us while we worked," White recalls. "It was a successful way to introduce and spread the word about our workshops." Despite starting small, the workshop concept quickly expanded and became extremely successful and profi table. Four Seasons hosted workshops in the store until just recently, on Saturday mornings, from 9 to 10 and from 10:30 to 11:30. All workshop participants received a 10 percent discount on merchandise in the store. At the time that in-store workshops ended, Four Seasons Flowers was charging $85 per person. Because people have been getting out and about more during the last year or so, Four Seasons Flowers has switched to conducting off -site workshops at various companies and organizations. "With those," White says, "we can include more people than we can in our shop, and, therefore, we generate more income." She points to a recent workshop at a nearby winery—a wine and cheese and fl owers event—where 25 to 30 people signed up. "It was great for the winery and my shop." White acknowledges that hosting workshops in the shop during store hours was diffi cult because they tended to monopolize her time and lessen her ability to communicate with other customers who come into the store. Still, says White, they provided a great way for Four Seasons Flowers to generate repeat business. "Currently, I'm evaluating off ering in-store workshops again," she shares. A holiday centerpiece work shop at Cass School of Floral Design A winter wreath project at Cass School of Floral Design

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