Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Burrows
Martha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Kingstree, SC and attended Williamsburg Academy where I graduated in 2013. I then went to college at USC and graduated with a double major in Business and Marketing with a minor in Retail. After college, I took a job in sales and lived in Mount Pleasant, SC. My husband, Jordan Burrows, and I started dating in high school and were married in 2018. When we began discussing starting a family we decided that moving back home to Kingstree would be best for us because we would be surrounded with family and we wanted our children to grow up in the small town atmosphere. I accepted the job of Director of the Williamsburg HomeTown Chamber and this is where I really fell in love with the concept of being involved with the community and trying to make a difference in my town. I got involved in many service projects and some organizations: Kingstree Rotary Club, Professional Women’s Organization, Main Street Promotions Committee, Williamsburg Tourism Board and Keep Williamsburg Beautiful just to name a few. Also around this time, we welcomed our first child, Cannon Burrows in 2020, just in time for a worldwide pandemic. Our lives were full and interesting to say the least! An opening as the Public Information Director for Williamsburg Technical College came open and after a ton of deliberation, I applied. I accepted that position in 2021 and still work there currently. Through the years though, my love for events and florals has continued to “blossom” not to sound cliché or anything. This past year I began feeling like something was missing and I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. Faith and Jesus are a BIG part of who I am and so I began praying for the Lord to guide me as to what I was supposed to be doing and after many of these prayers one day I got a clear “I have given you gifts, and you don’t use them.” Yikes! That wasn’t nice to hear- but it was true! So I began the work of figuring out what it would take to open an event floral business and little by little what was a pipe dream has become a reality.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t know who said “nothing worth having comes easy” but it is about the truest statement and that person had some wisdom! I don’t know that anything I have ever done in life would be described with the word smooth. I think I am wired in a strange way because proving I can do it drives me to do something, If it seems impossible- the ignorance in me says “go for it.” Navigating motherhood, marriage, a full-time job, running a business on the side and managing a chaotic schedule is not easy. Without a very supportive husband and a lot of family support, I would not be able to do it. I also have to miss out on things to work which is hard as well. I keep telling myself it won’t always be this way, if I put in the hard work now I can reap the rewards later.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I created an event floral business, Blooms by Burrows, LLC in 2024. My main specialty is weddings, but I also do wedding showers or baby showers and birthday parties etc. In my area there are not many full service event floral designers including but not limited to design board creations, set up and clean up at the event. I also offer some rentals. I can do large scale custom floral displays for ceremony spots as well as simple bud vases, I can help achieve the bride’s dream vision for their wedding whatever that looks like. I most prefer the more natural style of arrangements. I like for my arrangements to feel “unarranged” if that makes sense. I want it to look just like how it would if you just grabbed a bunch of wild elements and bunched them together. I really love incorporating foraged things into my creations. It is not out of the ordinary to see me stopped on the side of the road just clipping random things that I think are beautiful. Finding contrasting elements like dead wheat grasses and pairing them with things like a gorgeous calla lilies or a dahlias give an arrangement interest. The idea that opposites attract works with flowers.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Right now I am a sponge soaking up any information I can find. I stay up late most nights watching other florists on Youtube or TikTok or anywhere really because everyone’s style is different and learning their methods or mechanics sometimes helps make the process faster. Each florist is going to arrange the same bundle of flowers totally differently, so it isn’t about the actual arrangement, it is more about learning techniques to extend flower life or better tie your boutonnieres etc. As for my personal life, I enjoy listening to the Ron and Hope Unfiltered Podcast and the Sadie Robertson Podcast. I try to apply “seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you” when it comes to my overall approach with life. It becomes harder and harder to find the time for Bible study or prayer and I think getting it in wherever you can- podcasts, worship music (Forrest Frank is my dude) and quick inspirational videos do help me. I also have super encouraging friends and family that constantly send me things to make me laugh or let me know they are praying for me. I know for me, I wouldn’t be able to sustain the chaos long term without having that inner peace of knowing whose I am and how much I am loved.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomsbyburrows/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573109971444
