Conversations with Tammie Brown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammie Brown.

Hi Tammie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I have come to realize that I have been blessed with an artistic spirit, an eye for design coupled with a passion to create topped with an overwhelming desire to serve. When my children were young and we were living in New York, I made costumes for their school plays, party favors for their birthday parties, and centerpieces not only for their school events but also for organizations to which I belonged. Then, I started putting together gifts and flower arrangements and giving them away as presents to friends and family. I began to realize that this was something I truly enjoyed. It didn’t feel like work and admittedly, at times it was, and still is, therapeutic for me. I worked full-time as the Assistant Director of Grants for Nassau County.

My gift basket and flower creations were just something I did on the side. However, more people began to request my help or ask me to make something for them. I knew with the creativity inherited from my mother and the undeniable support of my husband, God wanted me to formalize and turn this gift into a business. I hated to use the cliché “I love what I do”, but I did and still do. I do, I do, I do! I loved it so much that I wanted to serve everyone. I felt that what I did was not only providing a product but more importantly providing a service that must be done exquisitely. Nor did I ever feel that I just put items into a basket and called it a “gift basket”. I took great pride knowing very early on  that it was important to focus on keen personalization and putting quality products into my baskets, which transformed them from a gift to rather an ensemble. These two factors are how the name Exquisite Ensembles and Gifts by Tammie came to be.

Fast forward years later and a move to Arizona, I still had my business, but I worked full time and didn’t do anything with it. I occasionally made gift baskets for my church. That was the extent of it until a friend of a friend was getting married. I offered to make her wedding flowers and design a small purse for the flower girls. A couple of years later, this same friend was getting married. Of course, I offered to assist her with planning her wedding as well as making her flowers and jumping broom. From that moment forward, I sought more opportunities from all encounters including at the gym. Initially, I worked out of my home. I used a stand-alone, portable air conditioner and a humidifier to convert our study into a “quasi” floral cooler. As my jobs and client base grew, I prayed more for God’s help with running the business and finding a place to move the business out of my home. When you pray, God wants us to pray with intent, listen, and act on what He tells you.

I did not put a lot of effort into identifying a place to move my business out of my home but did establish an LLC. One day a year or so later, God put it on my heart to check the commercial listings on Craigslist, yes Craigslist. I could not believe my eyes. There was, what appeared to be from the posting, a location with an insulated room a cooler, and for a price that I could afford. I called the poster and was informed that someone had already expressed interest in the space but had not yet paid a deposit. I asked if my husband and I could see the space that very day and told the agent that if we like it, we were prepared to give a deposit. I know that it was truly divine intervention because I found this space right before COVID shut everything down. I have been in this location for three years now.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like any business, there have been struggles. Sometimes they are self-induced. For example, I sometimes struggle with letting things go, because my business bears my name and a very powerful adjective, a descriptor. And, there is nothing more important than being accountable to both myself and THAT adjective – exquisite! In addition, my slogan, “just the gift, day, or design you have in mind” elevates this pressure.

I want my customers to become more than satisfied clients because my aim is to not meet but exceed their expectations. There have been times when flowers arrive, and they are not the color I ordered. Or, the airline has experienced a delay and the shipment or truck doesn’t make it in time. During COVID and the hard goods shortage, some of the essentials were just not available or in limited supply. Having to think fast, pivot, and pray that the resolution I have devised is liked by your customer.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a flower and event designer, it is imperative to know and plan what goes into the arrangement or execution of a flower arrangement or an event. Well, understanding that from the vases and flowers to the event space, everything I work with relies on someone else. Knowing that this is a commodities, exports, and relationshipse business. Also knowing that this business is about color theory, angles, and balance together with a bit of psychology, timing, chance, and the all-too-important trust!

Knowing what colors evoke a feeling or mood and which flowers work well together and in a particular space. Going beyond what you have planned to know what your customer or client had in mind from the pictures they have shared. Knowing how to take that picture and transform it into an actual tangible item that has not been airbrushed or edited for the picture your client loves so much. This profession or business is something that can be taught BUT only to someone that inherently wants to and cares to understand it. You must know that your work has to be more than just a job, it must be fueled by a passion for what you do. You must be a creative thinker, and you must work tirelessly to take that picture, consider your client’s personality and own it and turn that vision into something real. And, you must surround yourself with people that share the same work ethic and values as you.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I am the youngest of four children and grew up on the Jersey shore. Let me start with a disclaimer that growing up there was nothing like it was portrayed on the reality tv show, perhaps that was Central Jersey vs. South Jersey thing! I don’t know… I always loved the purple, blue, and pink hydrangea my mother grew in our back yard; the crabapples that hung over a neighbor’s fence – which my grandmother had us pick so that she could make applesauce; the concord grapes and strawberry patch another neighbor grew down the street that I loved to pick and eat; and of course, sitting on the stoop of a place we coined “the shady rest” because of a large tree that hung over the stoop and a place where we would go just to sit and talk after playing outside all day. I also have a fond memory of the honeysuckles that grew everywhere around us. We would pick them, break off the bottom, and eat the nectar that grew inside. I remember my parents taking us to a farm named Delicious Orchard where we picked apples, bought fruit from its country store, and where they made the best cinnamon donuts and hot apple cider. We’d also spend hours at the beach arriving in the morning during low tide and leaving late in the afternoon during high tide. I remember eating delicious seafood – particularly steamers and fried clam strips. I played the guitar, learned to skateboard, and was a cheerleader. My sisters took piano lessons and my brother the drums. I would venture to say that our musical interests were influenced by my father and uncles who were all incredible, renowned singers and musicians and for who my mother would make their performance outfits. This was a time when band members all wore eye-catching, matching clothing. Looking back, I guess I always had a fondness for all things stemming from nature and the arts. No doubt, all of this combined nurtured my appreciation for flowers. I would end by saying that flowers are beautiful by themselves but become a piece of art when put together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ensemblesandgifts.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exquisiteensembles/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExquisiteTam

Image Credits
Emily Rodriguez