Helen Olivia’s Online Floral Workshops
Well, this is not the article I was planning on writing for April.
In early March, COVID-19 came barreling into our business and left a wake of destruction in its path. In the span of 72 hours, we saw our entire spring events season cancel or postpone, all of our contract work suspended, and a steep decline in daily orders. It was surreal, impossible to predict, and left us reeling. We knew we needed to pivot, and find new, safe ways to continue to bring beautiful flowers to the community.
When we set out to reshape our business in the era of pandemic and social distancing, we knew a big part of our offering would be our workshop program. It’s a part of our business that spans 15 years, and we’ve been fortunate to teach weekly classes to so many of you in the Alexandria community and beyond. We never thought we’d be moving the entire program onto Instagram, but then again – we never thought COVID-19 would turn our world upside down.
Here’s how it works:
We’re releasing two new workshop dates per week. On Tuesdays, we have a traditional floral design class with beautiful seasonal blooms. Each is different in terms of color and style, so it’s perfect for those on the hunt for a weekly flower fix. On Fridays, we have a themed kid’s class that’s perfect for children of all ages. This week, we’re creating succulent terrariums. (Full disclosure, we’ve seen a few adults sneaking into the kiddo classes. 😀)
The day of the workshop, our delivery team will drop a bucket of beautiful flowers and a vase on your doorstep. We’re armed with Lysol and gloves and promise to keep a safe social distance. If you prefer, you can always do a curbside pick-up from our Alexandria studio – just call when you’re outside and we’ll bring your bucket out to your trunk.
We’re teaching our classes via Instagram Live & Instagram TV so you’re able to tune in for a live floral workshop taught by one of our Helen Olivia designers. We’ll talk you though the mechanics of making an arrangement, how to condition flowers, and how to craft a beautiful Helen Olivia style design. We’re blown away by the number of you that have been signing up, or just tuning in to watch. It’s keeping us going!
If you’re interested in signing up for a workshop, head over to our website and click ‘Order Flowers’. You’ll see a section for DIY workshops with the current offering.
For those who aren’t into DIY, we’ve got you covered too. We’re continuing to deliver beautiful arrangements from our studio using our new delivery protocols. We’re also offering floral subscriptions for those who are looking to set up reoccurring deliveries of flower arrangements…because I think we can all use a little something pretty right about now.
All photos by Erin Tetterton (who took one of our virtual workshops and surprised us with the most amazing photos!)
- About the shop
Helen Olivia is a boutique floral design studio located in the Del Ray neighborhood. Known for a lush and timeless style, the shop is a favorite among locals. Outside of beautiful flowers, Helen Olivia is a destination for house plants, decorative pottery, and an endless selection of stylish front door wreaths. The shop is also well known for its weekly floral design workshops — come visit us and try your hand at flower arranging! Helen Olivia is owned by Chuck and Rachel Gang who are veterans of the bustling Washington, D.C., events industry. Both are D.C. natives, and reside in the Ft Hunt neighborhood of Alexandria with their son Jack.
1519 Leslie Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301
703.548.2848
