Tracy’s Trendy Floral Designs are a holiday inspiration

By Utamu Belle

Floral arrangements can add a touch of radiance, brightening and transforming the appearance of any room or space. Just ask Linden florist Tracy Smith, who has been designing florals and arrangements made of natural-looking flowers for over 10 years.
The demand for exquisite floral designs tends to increase around the holiday season. Smith told Guyana Times that she was encouraged and motivated to create floral arrangements by a friend who is also involved in the trade. That was approximately 10 years ago, and she admitted that her passion for the craft continues to grow as she keeps improving.
“My friend, Robin Grant, she gave me the motivation to start. She said, ‘man, why you don’t start? Just try’. I tried one and I got through. Then she said, ‘You should just try and do it and this could be something that you could make money from like for Valentine’s and Christmas’,” the florist related as she reminisced on how she was encouraged to pursue floristry.
“So, when I first started, I would do it and if I see like I wasn’t getting through with one, I would go to her. When I go, she would say, ‘Hey, sit down, but I’m not doing it for you. I’ll show you how, but you’re doing it for yourself’,” she continued.
It was this bit of encouragement and tough love that Smith noted set her on the path to designing her own unique creations. Also a businesswoman by trade, she said this became an avenue to supplement her income. She has been depending on her craft to enhance her income over the past 10 years.
“Year come, year go, I got better,” she related.
She would take her creations and display them at her stall at the Mackenzie Arcade. She also works according to customers’ orders.
Smith explained, however, that for her to focus on creating, her mind would first have to be at ease. Though she has never attended floral design classes, Smith said she would create designs based on her own inspirational thoughts.
“I said, you know what, I can be creative. Instead of buying flowers, I started getting these unique things like water lily nuts; then I would get pointers and pine cones. So I would get these things, dry them and spray them in different colours. If I get a bottle, I would think about all that I could do to design it – put some stones, do something to make it look decorative,” she related.
And it’s all about making her customers feel comfortable with the designs, as she explained she would work to ensure that they are 100 per cent satisfied. As such, she would also offer specific advice on what might be suitable, based on how they choose to design their space.
“I would say to them next year is another year and I would want you to come back. I need my customers to come back, so I always try to put them first and make sure they’re happy … there are some customers that don’t like flowers. They prefer the natural-looking arrangements. One time I took the dry shavings from wood and made roses with them. I used the fat end of the pointer to make the sticks for it. I use the small coconuts and dry, spray or polish them,” Smith said.
She explained that utilising natural materials for her arrangements is also a way to save. She would buy flowers wholesale from Georgetown, as she noted they are more affordable when purchased there. While she makes florals all year round, orders increase around the holidays and special occasions. Smith also makes special gifts for occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Additionally, she makes holiday door wreaths and lately added cement vases to her creations.
Smith said to this day she could still count on her friend for advice and she would also share her design ideas with her. This, she said, she is quite grateful for.
“She never one time pushed me aside. She always help me and I thank God for that. She’s a very good friend of mine, very rare you would find a friend like that,” she said.
Smith notes so far, by God’s grace, she has been successful and continues to work on perfecting her craft.
She is encouraging young people to invest in a trade, even if you have little finances, and to be a motivation for others.