> ROOM TO GROW?
Last December, Lisa Hays Holmes
was hunting for a third home for Tiger Lily Florist in Charleston, South Carolina. She had two properties in her sights: a charming commercial building that had recently flipped for a massive profit and an old automotive garage. With a $1.8- million budget and a vision to optimize either space, she put in offers. By the New Year, the math —
influenced by market pressures and long-term implications — had changed and Holmes opted not to buy. Instead, she chose to lease 3,200 square feet in an upscale shopping center. It was simpler, less risky and offered a new kind of opportunity to potentially support other local business owners facing a similar struggle to find the right space. Holmes’s story illustrates how flo-
rists are overcoming the challenges in today’s market of higher interest rates, tighter inventory, and intensified com- petition for prime locations, and that whether a florist holds a deed or a lease, real estate is more than a line item; it’s a
value engine. By treating physical space as a flexible tool — optimizing square footage, leveraging locations, and align- ing real estate decisions with a shop’s business model, growth, goals and even- tual exit strategy — savvy florists are maximizing every inch of their current footprint into a top asset. “It’s personal and not one-size-fits-
all,” says John Kobylinski of The Floral Consultants and the former owner of In Bloom Florist, which he and his wife sold in 2022. “You have to weigh your specific business model — whether you’re wedding-heavy or retail-focused — against the footprint.” What’s clear, he says, is success-
ful floral shop owners are treating real estate as a tool for leverage, ensuring every square foot contributes to the eventual valuation of the company. Understanding this relationship is
critical not only for operations but also for when it comes time to sell the busi- ness, Kobylinski says. Having a defined spatial strategy becomes the ultimate
22 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | Mar/Apr 2026 |
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differentiator during an acquisition, with the efficiency and structure of the real estate footprint often determining whether the business owner walks away with a modest check or a life-changing financial outcome.
A Calculated Leap Tiger Lily’s real estate legacy began in 2003 with a chance encounter. A tourist couple — former florists — walked into the shop and left then-owners Clara Varga-Gonzales and Manny Gonzales with one tip: Buy your property. Years later, the couple took a chance
on an old gas station with arches and historic charm that had just seen a price drop to $575,000. At her kitchen table, Varga-Gonzales crunched the numbers on kraft paper using her kids’ Spiderman calculator and crayons. The math was undeniable: Owning the 6,800-square-foot landmark cost $80 less per month than their lease. They scrounged together a down payment from a 401K and a home equity loan,
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