Owner: Desiree Berman
Location:4249 W. Ina Road Suite #117 Marana, Arizona
Interviewer: Local Marana
LM: Let’s start with right now. What brought you to where you are today as the owner of Forget Me Nots Fine Floral & Gifts?
Desiree: For as long as I can remember I have had a flower obsession. The only thing that trumped my love of flowers was the love and adoration I had for my mom. I really thought she hung the moon! I was forever seeking a dandelion or rose to delight her with. Then about 18 years ago, I lost my mom to aggressive breast cancer. I always think of flowers when I think of my mom. In fact the other day I was flipping through some photos of my mom and in one she was holding a huge bouquet and you can probably guess who it was from. Every holiday gave me an opportunity to shower my mom in flowers.
LM: Tell us a little about your mother and your childhood.
Desiree: No matter what home we lived in my mom always had a garden, usually a vegetable garden and I would be delighted in seeing the yellow and orange squash blossoms. She had a knack for growing veggies and fruit, we even grew watermelon once!
LM: Please share with us a little about your business and personal background.
Desiree: I worked in both property and retail management for many years. I went back to school and finished my Bachelors in Business Management in November 2011. After many years of soul searching personally and professionally I decided on a whim to visit with a well known Psychic (Patricia Kirkman) to look for guidance. I asked if she could connect with my mom and she brought up my mom’s favorite flower, the Magnolia. Magnolia’s are huge white flowers that grow on large trees, which grow plentiful in Georgia. I also asked Patricia what career path I should follow and she said “you are able to sell anything to anyone.” At the time I didn’t make the connection between what she brought up with flowers and my career path until years later. All of my career choices made me happy but nothing I did gave me such a sense of pride like designing flowers did. What started out as a fun hobby and a way to give back to friends and family, sparked the same excitement I had as a little girl when sharing flowers with my mother.
LM So how did you make the pivot?
Desiree: So many interesting things fell right into place for me to run my flower shop. From going to my first bridal fair and getting work that would keep me busy for at least a year and a half, To my hubby finding my location. Then as they say “the rest is history.. and the list goes on… I love my job!
Thank you so very much for your time and sharing your story with us Desire!
Written By: Local Marana Collaborative