Meet Toni Reale | Owner of a Magical Plant and Flower Shop

We had the good fortune of connecting with Toni Reale and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Toni, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Being an entrepreneur involves inherent risk—the risk of losing money, time, and relationships. Diving into the unknown requires a significant amount of trust. Trust in oneself, one’s abilities, and in the surrounding community. When I launched Roadside Blooms, I took a leap of faith by emptying my small retirement account—around $18,000—to purchase a 1971 British Ice Cream Truck. That truck became Charleston’s first mobile flower shop in 2012. I trusted that my concept would resonate with people, and if it didn’t, I trusted myself to figure out the next steps.

Thankfully, I wasn’t diving in completely unprepared. My safety net was the full-time teaching position I held at a local college, and I also ran an eco-friendly event planning and floral design business. I knew I had the skills, passion, and drive to make something work.

I knew that in order to be successful, I had to remain true to my ethos. I had a passion for the environment and educating customers on a better way to buy flowers. Most people don’t know that over 80% of all of the flowers used in America from weddings to funerals are sourced from countries that have little to no labor or environmental laws. The impacts of the traditional floral industry are immense and I was on a mission to change that in my local market. I discovered a movement called Slow Flowers whose mission is to expand the use of American grown flowers in floristry. I felt like I found my people, that community I needed in my industry who understood that change had to happen and how to do it.

The truck ended up being a success! Customers resonated with my style and my ethos. I had an opportunity a couple of years later to open up a brick and mortar in Park Circle in North Charleston. I jumped at the opportunity albeit it was full of risk. I needed to move on from the truck although it was successful it wasn’t enough to sustain a burgeoning business. I sold the truck and then moved into a retail space.

After 9 months of being in that location, we outgrew it. I also went from just me to multiple employees. Our retail business was growing along side the event floral business and we needed more space. We landed into a much larger retail space for 5 years. The business rode the wave of Covid and thanks to the Payroll Protection Program, I was able to keep everyone employed. The year after Covid weddings were getting rescheduled, business was booming. We went from a huge loss to a huge profit. I had hope again that we’d be successful.

I took another huge risk and that was to purchase land and build a building with a partner, a permanent home base for Roadside Blooms with apartments above for additional longterm revenue. We’ve been in the space now for a year and although business is going through ebbs and flows it was the right decision.

My best advice for any business owner or someone wanting to open up their own business is to figure out what your values are, what you want for your future and what risks are worth taking.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m passionate about floral design. I’m inspired by nature and take composition cues from mother nature herself. What grows together goes together and I love the intersection of new twists with things that already exist in natural harmony.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of my most favorite things to do is go shark tooth hunting. 30 million years ago the Lowcountry was a megalodon and other large prehistoric shark nursery which is why we find so many in the area. There are lots of outfitters that do shark tooth hunting excursions or find a local to show their favorite spots.

My favorite restaurant in Charleston is Jackrabbit Filly. Every single bite is unreal and full of so much flavor.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
From the very beginning, my Mom has been an incredible pillar of support. She has embraced my vision with excitement and is always eager to lend a hand. Whether it was cleaning countless candles left over from weddings or letting me transform her home into a temporary design studio, she has always been there for me. Her unwavering support has been a constant source of inspiration and she continues to be a bright light that guides me.

Website: https://www.roadsideblooms.com

Instagram: @roadsideblooms

Image Credits
Olivia Rae James Photography
Thomas Runion Photography
Kristy Tasca Photography