gina lett-shrewsberry

inspirations by gina | sacramento, california

Launching a floral studio after working in entertainment banking and public sector finance for decades felt to Gina LettShrewsberry like coming home. "I was making great money in finance, but it didn’t give me joy,” she recalled.

Inspirations by Gina began with event design for the Black Student Club at her son’s school, and soon expanded into planning weddings—including for ceremonies at San Francisco City Hall—which approved Gina as a preferred vendor.

The planning business was originally her “side hustle,” intended to generate additional income after the state of California (her employer at the time) asked employees to take a 15% pay cut. While booking wedding clients was a success, Gina often felt frustrated when DIY couples bought flowers in bulk without having a plan for arranging them.

SLOW FLOWERS SUMMIT

June 26-27, 2023

SLOWFLOWERSSUMMIT.COM

Gina Lett-Shrewsberry will speak at the 6th Slow Flowers Summit as part of the Floral Design Track on Day Two. Her presentation, “Sourcing Local Flowers for Your Wedding Designs,” will be accompanied by a floral design demonstration.

A colleague recommended that Gina study floral design at American River College, which offered programs in hospitality and horticulture. With an expanded set of design skills and training gained by freelancing for other florists, Gina inched her way toward full-time floral design.

“I had a hybrid business from 2017 to 2019. Wedding planning was good money, but the imposter syndrome loomed as I watched others getting published, receive speaking invitations, and be recognized in other ways."

Encouraged by friends and people in her church community to embrace her natural gift for floral design, Gina dropped wedding planning entirely and began exclusively promoting herself as a floral designer in October 2019. Since she was already a preferred wedding planner for San Francisco City Hall, Gina went through the vetting process to be added to its list of preferred florists.

“San Francisco is known for its sustainability, and because the City Hall is a historic building there are all sorts of rules for events there.”

Mother’s Day in May 2020, and floral delivery sustained me through the pandemic.”

Like many who enter floral design as a second career, Gina acknowledges the sense of comfort that connects her with gardening influences from her late mother, Juanita Dasher Lett.

“My mom was an avid gardener; I mean, she could throw something in the dirt and it would take root,” she recalled. “She was ahead of her time, collecting coffee grounds, tea leaves, and eggshells to compost –everything went back into the ground. Her sister, my aunt Arlene Dasher Saunders, was a nurse, but she would come home from work to tend her beautiful rose garden in Sacramento.

Just a few months later, though, the pandemic prompted City Hall to close. “Weddings represented 80% of my business,” Gina reported. “At the time, no one knew how long the pandemic would last, but when a colleague asked me, ‘Why don't you deliver flowers?’ I started doing what I already was doing; I changed to designing for individuals instead of for weddings. My first clients were for

They knew about sustainability before it was hip. They knew how to repurpose!”

Her values influence her approach to flower sourcing, responsible foraging, and sustainable design – including foam-free mechanics and repurposing vases. Gina buys at the San Francisco Flower Market from Mayesh Wholesale Florist, and direct from flower farms throughout Northern California. She incorporates green mechanics learned from designers Susan McLeary and T.J. McGrath at past Slow Flowers Summit conferences.

The accomplishments that Gina once admired in other florists are now part of her own resume. Inspirations by Gina designs for corporate events and venues; frequently appears on local television as a lifestyle expert; teaches at home and garden shows; and was the first Black-owned floral studio to design for San Francisco’s deYoung Museum’s “Bouquets to Art” event in 2022.

In June, Gina will share her approach to sustainable floristry and discuss her sourcing philosophy at the Slow Flowers Summit.

Gina’s joy of building an intentional life in flowers is expressed beautifully in a statement she wrote for her website: “We create memorable experiences that promote happiness. We believe in purposeful design and repurposing those designs whenever possible. We love elegance without being overblown and simplicity that’s not shabby or gaudy. Our design style is romantic, serene, and thought-provoking with a nod to Mother Nature.”