Meet Hope White | Floral Designer & Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hope White and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hope, what do you want your legacy to be?
I think I would like my legacy to be rich in creative design and a business that stood the test of time. I would like to be remembered for different things to different people. To my customers and counterparts, I would like to be remembered for the businesswoman that I have always strived to be. To be known for my work ethic and my desire to succeed. My desire to run my business with pride and know that it will survive long after I am gone because of how I ran it and how I took care of my customers. To my employees and friends, I would like to be remembered for my willingness to take care of and be there for them. When they speak of me they will say things like, “she would do anything for you” or “she would buy you lunch if you didn’t bring yours that day” or “she made work my happy place”. It is my desire to make my employees feel like they have a safe space and my friends feel like they have a place in my heart. That is the top priority even when I work too much or don’t let my hair down enough.
To the design world I would like to be known as that little nobody who showed her love for wedding floral design to the world (Ok, maybe just East Tennessee). The girl that brought Hartman’s Flowers back from the edge of extinction and then made it a Wedding Florist!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I want to be known as a wedding designer. I am working on getting my name and our florist out there as such. Under the previous ownership, Hartman‘s was never known for its outstanding wedding florals. They did many weddings, but they were not lavish or high-end. Hartman’s is known for its everyday floral designs, but I am known for my creative, funky designs. I want to do the wild and crazy ones! I want to be anything but normal. When customers call, they sometimes ask, “Can you just tell Hope to do her thing?“ That is when I know that they want something different. Something more modern, abstract. They want me to create, to design. They don’t want me to use a stock photo and duplicate it. They want me to use my imagination. My favorite part of the business is doing weddings. I love working with brides and making their ideas come to life. I love to design. Working with Flowers is my happy place.

I have been designing and running Hartman’s for almost 20 years. I can create arrangements quickly, run the computer programs, do the books, be the HR person, and take out the trash if I need to. I tell everyone the owners manual is in my brain when something isn’t working correctly, and they need to know how to fix it. Even though I can do all these things, it takes a great partner and team to make it all work properly. I am lucky to have that.

Flowers are a labor of love. Running a florist is long hours, fast turnaround, short shelf life, and high costs. It is not easy and not for the mere mortal or faint of heart. We have created an amazing work environment, And with the help of our amazing employees, our business is blooming. We have grown from leasing to owning the space Hartman’s calls home and hope to continue growing as each new year passes.

Since the economy fell and up to Covid, the florist industry has been slowly declining. Because of the rising costs, flowers are a luxury, not a necessity. They have become a special occasion item where they were once every day items. A few times at the beginning of this adventure, we thought that ride was over. We thought we were going to have to close. But, this was my dream. I refuse to give up and Amy wouldn’t let me. Being the owner of a small business like Hartman’s is not an easy thing. There will always be ups and downs to any business. We are blessed every day I have the doors open. We are grateful to our customers that they see the value of our designs and talent and how hard we work.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to Resurrected Relics for sure! It is one of my favorite places to plunder. We would have to eat at The Walnut Kitchen one evening and another evening we would have to take dinner home from La Cucina, The Italian Apron! We would also go by Southland Books to have some coffee and pastries. Maybe go to the Maryville Farmers Market.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This shoutout is dedicated to my partner, Amy. She is a partner in so many ways. She quit her life and joined mine to help me navigate this crazy dream of mine. She is my life partner, my business partner and my spouse. She gave up her government job, moved her life, emptied her savings account and started over. She showed support and encouragement when I thought we weren’t going to make it. She dedicated her life and love to my passion and to me succeeding when I wanted to burn it all down because I thought I was going to fail or times were hard. Many times over she has sacrificed her goals for my dreams and because of her never giving up on me, we are here. We are successful in life, family and have a little business that can be passed down someday.

But there is not one single person that doesn’t deserve a little credit or recognition in my story. As I mentioned in the July 20,2023 article of Canvas Rebel, the previous owner of the building where Hartman’s Flowers now resides and we now own, needs to be mentioned again, if not by name. She continues to mentor and teach me how to be a strong-minded businesswoman. I am always able to reach out to her for guidance when I need business advice and she continually lifts me up and encourages me in my growth.
My employees, also know as my team deserve credit too. They are steadfast when times are hard and stand by me when the business can’t give them what they deserve. They have grown to be great friends and are just as invested in the future of my business as I am. They will truly be the future of Hartman’s Flowers.

Website: Www.hartmansflowers.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hartmans_flowers

Twitter: www.twitter.com/hartmansflowers

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hartmans_flowers

Yelp: www.yelp.co/hartmansflowers

Other: www.pinterest.com/hartmansflowers, www.google.com/hartmansflowers.