Nature Trailer and Beulah Middle Schooler Abby Vernier is known for her hard work and dedication to developing many different talents. This spring, many neighbors were very excited to discover that Abby was offering her very own pop-up flower shop right in the neighborhood. And her first event was a smashing success — she sold out in two hours!

 

Back in February, Abby started talking with her dad about the details of selling flowers out of her bus, a fabulous VW bus named Viloula (which is a whole other story for another article!). By March, Abby had really developed the idea — so much so that with the encouragement of her FFA teacher and fellow Nature Trailer, Leanne Jenkins, she entered the district contest with FFA for ornamental horticulture, specifically, agriculture marketing. She did a presentation and demonstration about her pop-up flower shop business and took 1st place, moving on to the state competition.

Leanne saw Abby’s talent at an early age. “When Abby was in sixth grade, she started helping me make bouquets. I love flowers and buy them quite often. We would make flowers for teachers, for friends, for anyone we thought needed them. She naturally has an eye for floral arrangement, something I feel cannot be taught.” Nature Trail certainly agrees and can’t get enough of Abby’s beautiful arrangements.

“Her favorite part about the flower shop is seeing people’s reactions when they pick up the flowers and see the bus,” her mom told us.  “She loves it when people take pictures with the bus, and she loves meeting our neighbors. She has a couple of repeat customers who are little boys that always get a mini bouquet. One of them even hugged the bouquet of flowers. It was precious!”

 

Abby has a forward focus when it comes to her business, too. The young entrepreneur already has a plan for the money she is making through her flower shop. “Abby‘s reason for having a flower shop is to save for investments,” her mom shared. “She wants to have enough for a down payment on a house when she graduates college. She normally puts away 75% savings and then keeps 25% for spending money.”

 

Abby, we are so excited for you and can’t wait to see what the future holds. And in the meantime, let us know where you plan to be with your bus full of flowers, and we will be there!