Our Des Moines: Maya Boettcher brings big city wit and whimsy to floral company Wildflower
It was the final day of January, about 20 minutes after noon and Maya Boettcher had just arrived.
The innovator behind the blossoming Ingersoll Avenue floral design company Wildflower, who also specializes in event design and planning, was stuck minutes earlier at the company’s warehouse on the north side of Des Moines.
Three employees stood behind the front counter at the company's brick-and-mortar store. “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus topped the Billboard charts that week. A bright pink “Flowers” neon sign was on in the shop’s front window.
That day, Boettcher’s loose schedule experienced even more flexibility as she ran late on the way to the storefront from the other side of town. Shortly after a handful of pedestrians walked out of Lachele's Fine Foods and stopped to look at the store's window display, Boettcher swooped in from Wildflower's back door to discuss her burgeoning floral design business.
How did she get here?
“30 minutes this way.”
The 43 year old, who is originally from Indianola, graduated from Indianola High School and attended Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa before dropping out to move back to the metro.
The chapters of her early 20s were bookmarked by career stops at a Flowerama location on the south side, painting at the Sticks studio and later at Boesen The Florist locations.
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“If you want to be young and you want to work, you have to scrape and you have to sort of hang out with the big dogs and learn everything you can,” Boettcher said of her time at Sticks. “It was like college and then some for me there.”
But the free spirit craved independence from Boesen The Florist. At 26, she started event planning. In 2010, she left Boesen and started doing floral design out of her former Des Moines home's garage.
“I think really my main goal was I wanted to have babies and that’s what I thought I was meant to do, be a creative mom or something,” she said.
Then, five years ago, the floral maven decided to open up a brick-and-mortar spot. Since then, business has bloomed.
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"When we opened this in 2018, it was because I sold my house and realized that our next home was not going to be a studio," Boettcher added. "I needed to separate the two. It was becoming too busy. I had a lot of planning and coordinating clients that were starting to be more high end and needed more stuff, so I got this space."
Wildflower isn't your mom-and-pop flower shop with retail-heavy items. The store includes a grab-and-go cooler, but Boettcher specializes in planning events such as weddings and large custom orders with her staff of nearly two dozen people.
"This is definitely like a hodge-podgey, vibey space," she said. "I wish this was more retail and more Ingersoll ... we're really focused on custom orders, weddings, events."
Her company's floral design elements are experimental and look less like a bouquet from a big box store or supermarket and more like an arrangement one would find at a "big city" wedding ceremony.
"I have a look that I'm trying to achieve," she said.
Boettcher does not believe in strict routines for herself as every day is different. She works out three times a week, takes "a kid or three to school" depending on the day and goes to the warehouse after. She meets with staff members, clients, potential clients and sells events.
"My days initially, for the first five years, were spent every single day at the shop on Ingersoll and now, because most of our design is coming out of the warehouse, that's usually where you'll find me collaborating with designers, my buyer and our logistics team," she said. "Since hiring a larger team, I've been able to focus my energy more on the design side of things."
She achieved her goal of becoming a working mom. Maybe dreams and motherhood arrive right on time.
"I think that it doesn't define you, I don't think it (parenting) has to make you who you are. Just because you're a mom doesn't mean you can't be someone who works."
How to find Wildflower
Location: 2718 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines
Hours: Open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday
Contact: wildflowerdsm.com, 515-259-6955
Our Des Moines
Our Des Moines is a weekly feature on an interesting person, place or happening in the Des Moines metro, the kind of gems that make central Iowa a special place. Have an idea for this series? Contact sstapleton@registermedia.com.
Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. When he can afford to have a massive event, the first person he is calling is Maya Boettcher. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Maya Boettcher of Wildflower dreamt of owning her own business
