Q&A With Local Business Owner
Janet Walsh is the owner of Rose Mountain Floral, a local florist and gift shop on Main Street in Kalispell.
What does your business offer?
Rose Mountain Floral is a nature-inspired, premier floral boutique on Main Street. We offer an eclectic mix of decorative items, beautiful gifts, a new baby corner, chocolates (for survival), along with lush blooming and green plants and succulents in decorative containers. We have a cooler with a wide variety of flowers and shades of color, featuring field-to-vase (supporting local growers), the great favorites we all love, and the new popular stems (think ranunculus, anemone, and dahlia).
One of our missions is to give back to the community. One way we have done so is by featuring a floral design on our webpage dedicated to Sparrow’s Nest of Northwest Montana, offering a 12% donation for every sale.
Who are your customers?
Our customers are the best. It’s a real joy to create designs that they are thrilled to have and send. Customers range from the flower aficionado, the desperate partner needing flowers in time for a birthday or anniversary, the thoughtful friend who’s always sending flowers to cheer someone up or celebrate their special day, the sympathy customer who wants to honor a lifetime with a beautiful arrangement, and the star struck lover – when more roses are better. Nothing is more powerful than receiving flowers with that special message!
Our first-time customers just come in to smell the flowers and explore our eclectic offerings. The Flathead area is growing in the destination wedding business and we are seeing that business increase every year with our brides locally and from all over the country.
Why did you recently choose to move to Main Street?
When we took over Rose Mountain Floral, it was located on 3rd Street East, and we loved the little shop. One little boy walked in and shouted, “This is the smallest shop in the world!” When the landlord decided to renovate our space and turn it into offices, it was a real challenge to find a space to relocate. It was the 11th hour when finally, 344 Main Street came on the radar. It worked out to be the best choice we could have made.
From your perspective, what does it take to succeed as an entrepreneur in the Flathead?
In the short time we have been a shop owner in Kalispell, the tried and true adage of offering the best customer service and best product consistently helps to build a strong customer base and loyalty to your brand. We focus on sourcing new customers by word of mouth, our website, Facebook, and making donations to local non-profits.
Getting involved in the community and participating in special events offered to the downtown shops is a great way to promote brand recognition and visibility. The Art Walk, Shop Small Saturday, and The Chocolate Affair are all wonderful events. Supporting surrounding shops with referrals helps build a community of strong businesses.
How have you seen the Flathead Valley change in your time doing business here?
We moved here when Cabela’s was just ready to have their grand opening. Since that time the area has attracted more retail than I had imagined. Main Street was in transition with buildings in need of repair and for sale. Now they are all renovated with thriving businesses. The future of Kalispell looks bright!
Rose Mountain Floral:
344 S. Main Street, Kalispell
www.rosemountainfloral.com
406-752-7673