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By HILARY ROSENBERG | ||
finds the best arrangement 
AFTER A CAREER IN the fashion business spanning 15 years and several companies, Barbra Scott had had enough. "When the last company went Chapter 11, that was it," she says. Longing to have her own business in a field that would allow her to continue working with shape, color |
and design, Ms. Scott found the perfect solution in her mother's longtime hobby of preserving flowers. One of the first things Ms. Scott learned was the importance of patience. Selecting hundreds of blossoms per week at the city's wholesale flower market, she covers each one gently with fine synthetic particles that absorb the moisture. She then creates floral arrangements that appear fresh for up to a year. It has also taken patience and persistence for Ms. Scott, 44, to build her Manhattan business. |
Starting out in her Manhattan apartment, she used her life savings plus credit cards to found her eponymous company in 1990. In each of the first few years Ms. Scott took in under $5,000 in revenues. Sales grew gradually and took off when she hired a telemarketer in 1998, who today is one of a staff of seven. This year, the business should post $250,000 in sales from more than 500 mostly corporate customers, including Tiffany & Co. Now, Ms. Scott is beginning to take orders on-line at barbrascott.com. |