As Pressed Bouquet Shop (PBS) continues to grow and evolve, founder Amelia Paradysz says her goal is to stay true to the business's mission of empowering local creatives with employment opportunities, connecting industry professionals and always striving for more sustainable practices. And she hopes to bring this mission outside of the Valley by expanding PBS's footprint to preserve the sentiment of once-in-a-lifetime florals for clients across the country.
Amelia Paradysz
Founder, Owner & CEO
Tell us about the journey to launching Pressed Bouquet Shop. Where did the idea come from?
I have always had a love for nature and flowers. Growing up I would watch my mom tend to her flower beds, and my dad would plant a vegetable garden every year. When I moved into my Downtown Bethlehem apartment, I was lucky enough to have an outdoor space with a tiny patch of land. It was there that I planted my first flower garden and watched it grow. The zinnias I started from seed grew nearly five feet tall. I was so proud. Remembering the single pressed white rose my grandmother gifted to me on my sixteenth birthday, I decided I would give this preservation method a try.
Tell us about the launch of the business.
As I began preserving my own flowers, social media began working in my favor, as I was sharing my newfound hobby with friends and family online. Not long after my first post, I was requested to press a former coworker's wedding bouquet. The snowball effect of social media continued and flower-pressing requests began piling up. I launched the Pressed Bouquet Shop on Etsy at the peak of the pandemic. While many couples postponed their big day, there were some who opted for a micro-wedding, which heightened the sentiment of their tangible wedding-day décor, including their flowers—driving a need for preservation. After many late nights, I felt a calling to make the Pressed Bouquet Shop my life's passion. I left my steady full-time job and opened a storefront just 30 days later to fully begin the journey of entrepreneurship.
How has your team grown since initially launching?
When PBS was born, I brought on my mom to join me. She was my first unofficial hire—from pressing, to designing, to packaging and even bridal shows, she was with me through it all. She still works with the shop today! About a month after opening our storefront, I brought on my first “official” team member, Nikole. She has grown to be our client relations manager and handles every customer conversation. I wouldn't be here without her, and I am so grateful for her dedication to this small, woman-led business. We now hire a few new team members every season. Today, at our shop in Allentown, we have a team of 19 individuals working behind the scenes to give every order the attention it deserves. We pride ourselves on our company culture, benefits and positive work environment. The team continuously mentions their love for their positions, and I am so grateful for their dedication.
Tell us about your variety of offerings!
We are proud to have a wide product line that complements a variety of décor styles, while keeping with the “modern bouquet preservation” theme. We have our flagship product, our Bouquet Frame (16”x20”), which can be created with an archival-grade white background or as a float frame, which showcases the pressed blooms between two panes of glass. These options are also available in two smaller sizes, our “giftable” size (10”x10”) and the “mini” boutonniere/corsage frame (6”x6”). We also have our resin preservation line—a trendy option where form meets function. We create pressed flower designs within serving trays, display trays, coaster sets and even dainty ring holders! We also offer bundle deals that combine some of our most popular products to make the most out of the preservation experience while saving a little, too! In addition to our custom products, we recently launched our “Just Because” line, a collection of ready-to-ship pieces perfect for any occasion or simply just because!
Tell us a little bit about your pressing process.
When fresh flowers arrive, either shipped directly or dropped off at our showroom, they are immediately placed in our large, walk-in cooler for safekeeping. Within a day of their arrival, the pressing process begins. Great care is taken with each bloom, and the process and timeline are adapted to the needs of each flower based on factors like species, color, moisture content and arrival condition. We have a team of flower preservation specialists who are experts at turning fresh flowers to pressed, preparing the art medium for our designers to then work their magic.
Is there something that readers may be surprised to hear that you offer?
Yes! We often get the question of working with already-dried flowers, and while we cannot press dry flowers (they would just crumble to pieces), we can take small pieces of the dried flowers and turn them into petal confetti to be used in our resin offerings. This is a great way to dust off the bouquet that's been sitting on your dresser and give it new life as something functional! We also offer recreations, which is essentially a replica bouquet created by one of our partner florists that we then press and design as if it was the same bouquet from the original event. This is a great gift for anniversaries or Valentine's Day. This process takes a bit longer since we have to source new blooms, so be sure to reach out with plenty of time before you need the finished piece!
Describe the overall vibe inside the shop.
Our aesthetic lives somewhere in the middle of boho and garden shed, which is exactly how I describe it. Plants and flowers are everywhere (both fresh and pressed!) in our showroom and even our offices and workspaces are decorated with blooms. We have music playing in all working spaces at all times, and since the shop is open concept, we can easily chat like we've been friends for years. We're very collaborative, and I love that on any given day I can connect with just about every member of the team. The energy is contagious! Feel free to stop by our showroom for a visit and you will see what I mean!
How has the shop been received by the Lehigh Valley community?
The community has been unbelievably gracious in the launch of the Pressed Bouquet Shop. Having the opportunity to network with other small businesses in the Valley has granted us a list of referral partners. Often, we find ourselves being referred to by other community members whom we have never even met. We focus on embracing community both online and within the Lehigh Valley, building out a network of like-minded businesses to simply celebrate each other's successes and spread the word of their offerings. We wouldn't be where we are today without the businesses that have supported us along the way.
And how about outside of the Lehigh Valley? You've grown quite the social following!
Our social media following has allowed us to scale on a national level. We receive sentimental bouquets from all over the United States, including both Hawaii and Alaska! We are nearing 12K followers on Instagram, and it is all thanks to our clients for sharing their experience with their own network. Word-of-mouth marketing has been our most valued source of advertising to date. Although we are growing quickly, we always treat each order as if it is our own memento—it's the human touch that makes a small business so special.
Tell us about your events, past and future!
Building off of our community value, events are one of our favorite ways to get the community involved. One of our very first events was a virtual pressed flower frame-making class we coined “April Showers” in 2021. We sent out all the materials needed to create a blue-and-green design from the comfort of your own home. We also had a similar concept for the holidays with a gold-wire wreath classl; our most recent was an in-person consultation event. We invited six of our vendor partners to show off their offerings all week long while we demonstrated our preservation options to couples and their loved ones. We completely transformed our showroom (with the help of Lavish Haus Design + Event Co.) into a dreamy and inviting space with champagne, macarons and charcuterie, of course! We are planning another consultation event in the fall—keep an eye on our website or social media for details!
Showroom by appointment only:
6330 Hedgewood Dr. Suite 220, Allentown | 484.546.2440 | pressedbouquetshop.com
Published as "Get the Goods" in the July 2022 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
