E
ven before the pandemic, Firehouse Flowers founders Addison Sturges and her husband, Montana, realized they needed to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. In 2018, Montana’s near fatal bicycle accident made the couple rethink their someday “retirement project” of having their own flower shop. While Montana has since recovered and is back working as a Spokane firefighter — hence the business name — Addison has pursued her childhood passion.“I’m that crazy lady that stops on the side of the road if I see something cool,” says Addison, who likes to forage for unique items such as berries and floral herbs to incorporate in her arrangements.
“My style is pretty free-spirited and organic looking,” she says. “I find my best work is done when I get in my element and just design away.”
Sturges is very particular about sourcing, she says. She has a hefty garden growing veggies and flowers like dahlias, cosmos and zinnias at her midtown Coeur d’Alene home.
She likes to work with local growers, too, such as Skyline Flowers in Spokane Valley, both to support local business and to reduce her footprint.
“The flower industry can be harmful to the environment in its growing/shipping processes, which makes it even more important for us to use local florals,” Sturges says. She practices sustainability in her design, such as reusing containers and substituting chicken wire for floral foam.
Although they started the business in 2019, Sturges says, her interest in flowers goes back to her childhood. Her grandmother and a friend owned a Grangeville-area flower shop, the smell of which lingered in her memory for years. She smiles at the memory of a photo of herself as a 2-year-old sitting in flowers.
Now her floral arrangements are often a centerpiece of other people’s photos. That’s when Sturges can see all the pieces come together: her designs, the best blooms for the event and all the prep work she puts into making sure her floral arrangements are Insta-worthy all day long.
One of the bonus parts about starting Firehouse Flowers, says Sturges, is the new family of like-minded wedding vendors she has bonded with doing what she does.
“When you work from home, you don’t have co-workers, so these are essentially my co-workers,” says Sturges. “It really feels like a community, and I feel lucky to be part of it!”
