Jennys Floral featured in national magazine

A few years ago Jenny Behlings busily leafed through Flowers&, a teleflora magazine based out of Los Angeles, Calif., studying shop profile spreads. Understanding the open floor plan was the new way to go in floral shop design, Behlings wanted some ideas. With a few snips and rips, Behlings kept what pictures she cut out and showed them to the architect who was going to remodel her building. Once the job was finished and she was able to move business back into the shop, she thought to herself that her business would be the perfect fit for a profile section of Flowers&. So, she contacted them.

After a few phone passes by Flowers&, Behlings wasn’t able to speak with editor Bruce Wright, but did speak to his secretary. 

“After five minutes of me babbling about my business, the secretary told me, ‘ you should be in our magazine.’ I told her I thought I should be in the magazine also,” Behlings said.

Towards the end of the phone call, the secretary told Behlings if Wright didn’t call her back in a few days she would. Eventually Wright did call Behlings back, and once again she gave her spiel. Wright told Behlings to write up a small paragraph explaining the store’s story. Two pages later, Behlings sent the story off. 

“Once he read it over, he called me back and told me he would like to cover my store,” said Behlings.

But since Flowers& is based out of Los Angeles, Calif., Wright asked Behlings if she knew of a local photographer who could take some shots for the magazine spread. For that job, she contacted Kevin Eilbeck of Rapid City who spent a day with Behlings at the shop.

The writer of the profile was Rich Smith, who contacted Behlings by phone in January. After an hour and a half conversation, Smith contacted Behlings a few more times for some clarifications before the August issue—with her profile—was released in July. 

Once the issue containing the five page, eight photo spread came out, the phone started to ring.

“I think I’m the only South Dakota florist who has been featured in Flowers&. At least in the last 25 years,” said Jenny. “It’s fabulous. As soon as the issue came out other florists were calling me to tell me how famous I was.”

Even during the summer, while waiting for the issue to come out, Behlings was telling florists from across the nation who stopped by her  store to check out the profile. With the issue out now, connections were made.

“I’ve made connections with people from all over,” Behlings said. “Just yesterday I had a couple stop in who recognized me.”

While at the American Institute of Floral Design Symposium in Kansas City, Mo., this summer Behlings had a chance to finally meet Wright, who was there giving a talk. 

“When I introduced myself he told me that he thought I looked familiar,” Behlings said. “He knew exactly who I was. He told me my story was just about to go to print and that it was probably one of the best storees the magazine has ever done.”

Behlings added that Wright told her she was a joy to work with and that rarely does any business actually contact them about a story. But to Behlings that is what needs to be done to get her store, Jenny’s Floral, on the map.

“This story took a teeny, little shop and opened up doors all over,” said Behlings. “When people read the story, just maybe they will get some ideas from me when they are building a new shop or remodeling an existing shop."