On Valentine’s Day last year, two friends turned their love of flowers into a business. Since then, their fledgling floral shop, J&A Flower Company, has weathered its first year of weddings, holidays and hands-on lessons in entrepreneurship. Now, the teen owners are ready to let their floral ambitions bloom even bigger.

Abbey Bobbett and Jordan Jelinek, both 18, met at Richland High School and participated on the same team for an FFA floral contest. The two got into flowers from slightly different directions: Jelinek’s mom taught floral design, while Bobbett’s family runs the Beaver Bark garden center at 607 Aaron Drive in Richland.

The two joined the same team in their sophomore year of high school and worked alongside each other for three years, eventually winning a Washington state competition and placing second in the nation. Bobbett also placed seventh in the nation individually. 

FFA floral competitions involve plant and tool identification, a knowledge test and problem solving. There are also several practicums covering specialized jobs florists might need to know.

“The skill side is where Abbey and I kind of learned how to best promote our team together, because … I do a lot of the actual like, cut flowers, and then she does the nursery side of things,” Jelinek said. “Both are large aspects of the floral industry, and we both specialize in different ones.”

After winning in Washington, they weren’t allowed to compete again, but they also weren’t ready to let go of what they’d been practicing.

That’s when the pair decided to launch a floral business together. 

Bobbett’s grandparents founded Beaver Bark, and once she and Jelinek were set on their passion, they got the go-ahead from Bobbett’s family to take over the unused coffee bar at the back of the garden center. 

The agreement was they could try it out for a year – and now, a year in, they’ve gotten the OK to keep going.

Space to create

Now that they’re graduated high school, Bobbett and Jelinek can do more than they were able to practice in a classroom. 

In their program, they were limited to the flowers they could get on a slim classroom budget. 

“We learned the elements of design, but we didn’t get to practice all the abstract or the more expensive, high-end quality flowers,” Jelinek said. 

Now, they have a lot more freedom and can create bigger arrangements. On New Year’s, they did a wedding that primarily used orchids, a very expensive flower, Jelinek said – and their first time working with them. 

As they keep learning, they gather tips from other florists on social media.

“I think we both like the freedom of it,” Bobbett said. “I know that I enjoy doing the bigger arrangements … it’s just more fun because you have a bigger space to create.” 

Their prices can range from about $13 up to $300 for individual arrangements. Prices look different for events like weddings. 

During the busier seasons, through December and the springtime, there will often be flowers available in-store, though they have to order ahead for major flower holidays like Valentine’s Day. 

They get their flowers from a Yakima wholesaler, and the proximity is helpful when they have last-minute orders. 

For those ordering flowers, more advance notice is better so Bobbett and Jelinek can get what they need, especially for big events like weddings. J&A Flower Company takes a mix of in-person and online orders through social media messaging. 

Perfect pairing

J&A Flower Company is currently just a part-time endeavor for the teen entrepreneurs.

There’s not enough demand to run the shop full time, but they’re working on finding the right niche to fill. In the meantime, Bobbett works at Beaver Bark, and Jelinek owns and operates JDJ Farms, which breeds Boer goats. 

For both of them, the flower shop is a nice contrast and side passion. Jelinek said the amount of business they’ve done has exceeded both of their expectations. 

“We’re looking forward to continuing to get more orders and more business as the years continue, but right now it’s just really fun for us, and then we love making people happy with the products we’re creating,” she said.

Their work hasn't gone unnoticed. Bobbett recently spoke about their business as part of a student panel in November at TRIDEC's Tri-Cities Workforce Forum.

Bobbett and Jelinek’s differences have kept their partnership – and their friendship – strong. 

Where Jelinek is a perfectionist, Bobbett is calm. Bobbett handles the more analytic tasks, while Jelinek focuses on some of the more creative challenges. 

Their design styles are different, too. Jelinek loves foam arrangements, which allow her more control over where the flowers go and how the arrangement looks. Bobbett enjoys using focal flowers particularly, like roses and gerbera daisies. 

On Valentine’s Day, when they’re making different individual arrangements, they’re able to lean into their unique styles. 

“But for a big thing, like a wedding, we kind of both mesh together,” Bobbett said. When they’re making 30 of the same thing, like wedding centerpieces, they combine their styles, Jelinek said. 

It’s been a big learning experience that both have enjoyed, bringing them closer.

“This stemmed from both of our parents and our grandparents, so I think that’s really fun, not only for us to see these are skills that our family gave to us, but also for our family to see how much they’ve influenced our lives and given us an opportunity,” Jelinek said. 

J&A Flower Company: 607 Aaron Drive, Richland. Contact through Facebook and Instagram, or 509-412-2121.