{image1}Milwaukee, when is the last time you took a minute to stop and smell the roses? Sue Shunta of Fresh Design is making it her business to add a little flower power to your life and brighten up the city bud by bud.
With a degree in finance from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, an MBA from UW-Madison and professional experience in the healthcare industry, Sue Shunta was looking for a creative outlet. In the fall of 2004, she decided to attend the Milwaukee School of Flower Design.
Did you know Milwaukee has a school dedicated to flower design? Well, we do. Milwaukee School of Flower Design is in the Brewers Hill neighborhood.
After participating in the eight-week program taking classes such as vasing, exotics and tropicals and Asian, Zen and contemporary design, she spoiled her friends with her newfound hobby. While she wasn't looking for a career switch, her friends were quickly spreading the word and showing off her floral creations. A few business cards later the seed was planted and her business was in bloom by January of 2005.
"I just love her stuff; she is very creative," says Fresh Design client Jasna Dolgov. "She is not a typical florist. If you want something different, Sue is who you go to."
"It has been going very well, I have been amazed," says Shunta. "I don't do a lot of marketing. It has grown strictly through word of mouth, and I feel very flattered."
Milwaukee is embracing style, enjoying boutique shopping and condo living, so Fresh Design is just another way to help people express their personalities and reward themselves. "I think it is just a small, affordable way to treat yourself well," Shunta says.
{image2}Shunta believes in keeping things simple. She does not describe herself as a florist, and she doesn't have a storefront. She works with her clients to understand their style and individuality, and then designs with a variety of flowers to create the perfect arrangement.
"I naturally gravitate to contemporary flowers like gerberas and orchids" Shunta says, "but I would like to work with the more romantic roses and peonies."
Whether wrapping roses in asparagus or featuring a single gerbera in a cylinder bud vase with a striped flax leaf, Sue Shunta explores simplistic yet unusual designs. She works with unique flowers like the king protea and plays with presentation such as submerging cymbidium orchids under water.
"I like to find things that are simple that can stand on their own or design with one flower massed together. It is still like designing with one flower. It has the air of simplicity, but it is bigger and more decadent, even luxurious," says Shunta.
While she enjoys using more unique specimens such as the king protea, she also likes to take more common flowers such as chrysanthemums or daisies and use them in unusual ways or place them in interesting containers. "I want to give them a fresh look, hence the name of my business," comments Shunta.
Shunta researches magazines and websites and looks to cities such as Chicago and New York for trends and inspiration. She continues to take classes in order to perfect her skills and expand her designs. More so than ever, she finds inspiration from the world around her. "I just pay attention, I am much more aware of my surroundings now," Shunta says. "Whether I am in a hotel or restaurant or just around town, it is amazing how much you can pick up day to day."
Shunta's current client list includes both homeowners and business owners who enjoy fresh flowers in their spaces on a regular basis. She provides these clients with unique floral designs every other week. She also works with some clients on a project-by-project basis or for special events.
Carrie Arrouet of Lela in the Third Ward comments, "We always get a lot of compliments from customers on the floral arrangements."
"She arranges flowers in unexpected ways," adds Lela's Stephanie Sherman. Both agree that Shunta can even make a carnation look classy.
Andrea Dow is the owner of Core Concepts and another Fresh Design client: "(Shunta) is incredibly creative and innovative with her product and makes her service convenient for her customers. Her work is more like artwork when you consider the alternative of picking up a bunch of flowers from the store."
Dow uses Shunta's expertise in both her home and business.
"I try to create a look for my clients and people appreciate the attentive service I give them," says Shunta. "All of my clients have a strong sense of personal style, so they enjoy seeing that reflected in my designs for their homes or businesses."
Shunta was born and raised in the Midwest and has lived in Milwaukee for six years. She is enjoying her entrepreneurial endeavors and finds this city to be the perfect environment for her business. As she watches other people take on large capital risks to open boutiques and restaurants, it gives her confidence that Milwaukee is a good place to pursue her own venture.
Next time you see an interesting floral arrangement, take a minute to stop and admire the work ... stop to smell the rose, gerbera or king protea, it might just be a Fresh Design by Sue Shunta. You can also call Shunta at (414) 467-4310.
