Always & Forever Florist

Always & Forever Florist

Written by Tiffany Young Monday, 07 January 2008

Tucked away in Chase Point lies a welcoming florist shop with two doors. The door on the left leads customers into an intimate French-inspired room showing photographs of brides adorned with elegant blooms. A pink floral settee and a cream leisure chair offer brides and their mothers a place to plan their bouquets with a floral designer.

Through the door on the right is a retail shop where a collection of gift items including jewelry, soaps and purses is elegantly displayed.

When she was 18, Carrie Beamer walked into a florist shop in her hometown and asked the owner if she could try her hand at floral design. After a month, and no formal training, the manager handed Beamer the keys and said, “You’re in charge.”

Now Beamer owns her own florist shop Always & Forever, along with her husband Russ Beamer.

She trained as a florist at the Texas School of Floral Design in San Antonio under Mark Witte with a two-week course in floral design, where her standards for quality were honed.

“They would take your bridal bouquet and throw it to see if any flowers flew out,” Beamer said.

In 1997, Carrie and her husband began a florist business from a small studio and a year later they were able to quit their full-time jobs. By 1999 the Beamers opened their first retail storefront on Burnet Road. In its first year Always & Forever did arrangements for 130 weddings. In 2002, the retail business moved to its present location, where walk-ins went from just three to four a week to three to four a day. Carrie attributes these added walk-ins to nearby apartment complexes and slower traffic on Pond Springs.

With weddings being the florist’s specialty, a young population nearby is beneficial, but the shop gets delivery orders from as far away as Cedar Park, Round Rock, Pflugerville and south Austin.

Always & Forever has six employees on a regular basis, with a special wedding staff employing as many as 15 per wedding. Staff consists of recognized American Institute of Floral Design designers and a certified master florist for 30 years of combined experience. Always & Forever hires drivers for deliveries instead of hiring outside delivery services to ensure flowers arrive fresh and on time.

Though the business once did about five weddings per weekend, now it does fewer weddings, focusing on quality over quantity.

When planning weddings, Beamer said brides should book flowers six to eight months ahead of time. Typically her wedding arrangements cost between $2,500 and $5,000 and include personal flowers for the wedding party, church arrangements, arrangements at the reception and basic table centerpieces.

Since weddings are Carrie’s specialty, she recently hired a retail designer to manage the retail shop so she can focus on what she loves.

Valentine’s Day Details

A full staff will be on hand Feb. 14 to accommodate the rush, and hours leading up to Valentine’s Day will be extended. Early bird pricing of $10 off any order will be offered for orders placed by Feb. 1. Arrangements can include roses or a variety of flowers. Always & Forever also carries plants, balloons, chocolates by Sweet Shop and plush animals. Orders can be made at: www.alwaysandforeverflorist.com.

Always & Forever Florist, 13033 Pond Springs Road, Ste. 105-106, 302-9969, www.alwaysandforeverflorist.com