Flowers By Alexes has been a staple in D.C.’s Petworth community since 1990. Alexes Haggins was exposed to managing the day-to-day operations of the floral shop at the age of 9 under the apprenticeship of her late father, Bernard Haggins. Her father managed Colony Florist, a Washington, DC flower shop, in the late-1960s which he later renamed Flowers By Alexes after Alexes. He continued to operate the business until he became ill in 2001.
Flowers By Alexes eventually closed its doors in 2003, but Alexes was determined to continue her father’s legacy through the business. As a licensed real estate agent, Alexes’ success in helping her clients build generational wealth through homeownership led her to pursue building generational wealth for her own family when she reopened Flowers by Alexes in 2021 with her real estate earnings.
Four years after reopening, Flowers By Alexes is once again facing a threat to the sustainability of the business. The winter season was especially challenging due to slower than usual foot traffic combined with the recent economic uncertainty resulting in a decrease in sales. Flowers By Alexes is at risk of closing its doors and is in need of the community’s support so the business can continue to flourish.
Despite the decrease in monthly revenue, Alexes has continued to infuse the business acumen she learned from her father by preparing to continue Small Business Saturdays, offering retail space in her floral shop at no cost to local small businesses. She also intends to continue teaching live workshops and offering a weekly Experience and participating in Community Day festivities.
Bernard Haggins created a legacy for his family and the community in 1990 when he opened the doors of Flowers By Alexes. With your support, Alexes will not only continue to build her father's legacy, but you will help the business thrive for another 25 years. Your donation today will ensure Flowers By Alexes will remain a signature establishment in the Petworth community and in the District of Columbia.
Flowers By Alexes currently serves the community with two locations in Washington D.C's Petworth neighborhood including and indoor and outdoor plant and gift center where we offer opportunities for local small businesses to showcase their products on our shelves for free. We've remained an active connector in our communities, hosting events, and providing flowers for nonprofit organizations.
Your donation to this fundraiser will help go beyond addressing the immediate needs for Flowers By Alexes sustaining its presence in the Petworth community. Your support today will also ensure the long-term success of a business that not only sells flowers that grow and fill spaces with beauty, but a business that also seeks to nurture, grow, and beautify its surrounding community so everyone can flourish.
Here are some of the ways your donation today will make a meaningful difference:
Immediate Needs:
Mitigate Flowers By Alexes’ financial deficit that was caused by decreased sales and revenue during Winter months and off seasons.
Ensure the financial sustainability of the business by implementing the necessary team infrastructure.
Provide a consistent space that gives the community an opportunity to showcase their products through the plant, gift, and garden center.
Flowers By Alexes blends artistry, experience, and community engagement in a way that goes beyond just selling flowers. Founded by Bernard Haggins who he named the florist after his daughter Alexes, who is deeply personal and family-rooted. You aren’t just buying flowers; you are supporting a story of passion and heritage. We offer floral subscriptions, workshops, event space rentals, and community-driven experiences. Flowers By Alexes is a hub for creativity, connection, learning, and community.
Experiential Offerings – Our events create lasting memories, not just bouquets. From "The Experience" floral-making classes to large-scale workshops, we make flower arranging interactive and fun. .
Community Events –Flowers By Alexes gives local artists and poets a platform to showcase their work, merging floral beauty with creative expression through a free "Poetry in Bloom" event series.
Supporting Local Artists & Small Businesses – Whether through collaborations, events, or offering a space for artistic expression, Flowers By Alexes uplifts and supports other entrepreneurs and creatives by providing and connecting them to resources that will help elevate their business, in addition to allowing them to vend without the obligation to pay a vendor no fee.
Flowers By Alexes is more than just a shop—it’s an experience and a community hub. We’re dedicated to finding ways to maintain and grow our
Who is Flowers By Alexes owned by?
Alexes Haggins is the Founder of Flowers By Alexes and a native Washingtonian. She is a professional floral artist and designer specializing in full-service retail, special events, and corporate projects. She is recognized as an expert in cultivating relationships with suppliers, consulting with customers and high-end clients, and artistically arranging unique creations. She has been featured in the media and publications including DC Business Woman Center, and various articles highlighting small businesses.. When she is not managing the floral shop or actively involved in her community, as a mother of four, she enjoys spending time with her family, and cooking.
What has changed since Flowers by Alexes opened its doors in 2023?
Flowers By Alexes exists and operates thanks to the overwhelming support of its customers - many of whom were introduced to Alexes and the business through the media, events, and extensive news coverage. In an effort to keep up with the increasing demand to sell and deliver our products, make sure we stay ahead of the trends by providing unique floral arrangements, and continue to listen and respond to the needs of the community by giving them the opportunities and resources they need to thrive. Running a florist is expensive! During our slow season we ran into some challenges as prices rose and our revenue declined. We are adjusting our business plan to ensure the physical and financial sustainability safety of our team staff and the store. Having grown to meet the demands of 2024 and 2025, we now find ourselves with some wonderfully devoted customers and neighbors but a need to create steady revenue due growing costs.
What are y'all doing to cut costs?
While operation and inventory costs have continued to rise over the last three years, we’ve continued to negotiate our leases with our landlords, look for different vendors for our supplies, and improve staffing and operations to create a more sustainable store model. Operating across multiple locations and event venues can be costly, so we are working on staff streamlining and cross training while also offering support. Alexes invested her own personal savings and removed herself from payroll as needed to support the store during the challenging times for the business. Flowers By Alexes has always been a passion project sustained by community and sacrifice, but we hope to move it to stability in order to ensure the long term health of the store, its employees, and owner.
What are some strategies Flowers By Alexes will use to sustain during the slower months?
We’re working with neighboring businesses to create better traffic and safety by, but it can cost a lot. Teaming up with other local businesses, artists, and creators and makers, will help us move in that direction. Investing in marketing during slower months (off season) can help generate consistent revenue and increase brand awareness by boosting online and social media presence, and running targeted ads, creating engaging content and collaborating with influencers, hosting events, and improving our website. We will also expand our inventory, employee and business development and continue to host more community events.
Overall Emergency Funds:
Like many florists, Flowers By Alexes experiences seasonal highs and lows. While peak times such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and the holiday season bring in a surge of orders, the months following these major events can be significantly slower. During these off season low months, we have faced a sharp decline in daily sales. The combination of reduced consumer spending, fewer special occasions, and decreased foot traffic has led to a notable drop in revenue, making it difficult to cover operational expenses. This dip in sales is especially challenging because floral products are perishable, meaning unsold inventory results in direct financial losses. Additionally, maintaining staff, utilities, and inventory during slow periods strains cash flow. To combat this, Alexes has been exploring ways to generate more consistent revenue, such as expanding subscription services, offering corporate accounts, increasing marketing efforts, and developing new community-focused events.
How can I help?
Donating any amount you can will get us closer to our goal.
In addition to making a monetary donation, please spread the word about this fundraiser on your social media platforms and directly to your friends via word of mouth.
You can also support Flowers By Alexes by visiting our store in-person or online to purchase plants, flowers, and products or attend Flowers By Alexes events.
Be sure to follow Flowers By Alexes on social media to stay informed about upcoming events. When you visit the store, be sure to also tag us on Instagram: youruptownflorist and Facebook: FlowersByAlexes
How does supporting Flowers By Alexes benefit me?
In addition to making sure Flowers by Alexes continues to sustain its operation, you will be able to take advantage of a combination of benefits including a limited edition of classic Flowers By Alexes swag, lifetime memberships for discounted shopping, and chances for unique experiences with amazing florists and staff!
