Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Hunt.
Hi Katie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Old Soul Floral Co. was born in 2021 as I was coping with the forced slow-down caused by COVID. My Grandma Blanche had gifted me $100 for my birthday/Christmas the previous year (I’m a December baby) and I decided to launch a business selling no-contact wrapped bouquets. I approached Tawanda Pirtle at Feelin’ Memphis to ask if I could have a Valentine’s Day pop-up in 2021 and she said yes! With that $100s, I got a business license, bought flowers and sold out which was a happy surprise. I continued popping up there for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day for the next few years.
By 2023, I had far outgrown my studio condo with a burgeoning business. I pursued a DMC Tenant Improvement Grant to facilitate the buildout of a tiny flower shop in a vacant space in Central Station and finally moved into the 499 sf storefront in January 2025.
Now I do everything from wrapped bouquets, galas, and weddings to corporate events , large scale installations, and subscription flowers for local businesses. I love when a client has an interesting challenge for me! I have even incorporated car parts in flower arrangements before!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a very organic process with no real set goals, expectations, or intentions for it to take off the way it has. I was looking for a creative outlet and have always loved flowers. I’d say the hardest part was the physical shop buildout because it took a little while to get all our ducks in a row. I am a licensed architect too so I wasn’t new to the whole process but being on the other side of the table was certainly eye opening!
Learning how to run a retail shop has been a lot of fun but as a sole proprietor I wear all the hats… there are things like accounting, taxes, and staffing the shop that have been a steep learning curve. Typically it’s just me running the shop and planning, designing, ordering, and creating the arrangements. My two sisters love to help when they are in town which is so much fun! For large events I rely on a wonderful freelance flower community and my family. I am teetering on the edge of being able to financially consider hiring part time employee to help run the shop on occasion, which is exciting but yet another learning curve!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As far back as I can remember, I’ve been told I’m an Old Soul and that designation resonates deeply within me. As Bukowski so aptly put it, “ I do not have time for things with no soul”. Undoubtedly, flowers have soul. Their temporal nature forces us to stop; to notice the moment and be grateful to experience something at its prime. The ever-changing character of a cut bloom is a reminder that beauty has many phases, all of which are worth noticing.
As an artistic medium, I find flowers to be a potent source of inspiration and am enamored by their rich history. The cheerful sunflower or structured dahlia sends a totally different message than the delicate sweet pea or luscious peony. Of course, the language of flowers has changed throughout the years and is no longer commonly held knowledge but it is always in the back of my mind when creating a special arrangement.
I have long been drawn to unusual, unexpected, and old-fashioned sorts of blooms. I find the richness they add to arrangements makes them more memorable and deeply personal. There are so many captivating and heirloom flower varieties that (in my opinion, anyway) there’s no reason to gift simply a dozen red roses (but I can do that, too)!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I love anything by Brianna Weist and I carry a number of her books in my shop. Her writing is motivational, validating, and thought-provoking.
I am fairly good at “winging it” through life so my approach to business and risk management is perhaps not as traditional as it should be, ha! I am definitely not afraid of failure… Failure is progress in my opinion (as long as you aren’t failing the same way twice!)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: oldsoulfloralco
