BHS Alum Jessica Simoni Combines Passion for Flowers, Eye for Design into Her Own Business
By Chris Johnson on November 27, 2024
For as long as she can remember, Jessica Simoni has loved flowers.
She loves how they smell, how they can provide comfort, how they can bring hope, how they can liven up a room or how they can just simply put a smile on your face.
She knows how important the right floral arrangement can be to one’s wedding day – an event her and her husband experienced a little more than a year ago in October of 2023. It was during the planning for her wedding when her love of flowers and sharing that passion with others was the spark for a life-changing decision.
“When I was looking for wedding florals, and I found a great florist, but I just felt like there is not a lot of modern-day florals, what we see today,” said Simoni, who is a 2015 graduate of Bridgeport High School. “So, I started this new endeavor to bring modern floral design to the area.”
That new endeavor led to the creation of Simoni Floral Design LLC – her own business out of her home in Clarksburg where she lives with her husband and their dog and cat. She turned their basement into a workspace where she both creates and designs.
Her approach may differ than that of some florists as Simoni has incorporated her experience from the interior design world.
“My background and my degree are in interior design,” she said. “I graduated from WVU in 2019 and lived in Pittsburgh just over two years and worked in the high-end residential market, so I was around flower install for big projects as well as the furniture we designed, so I just feel like I’ve always been around flowers and loved the creativity of it.
“I loved flowers as a little girl. I think they bring a freshness to a space and that goes back to my interior design background. We never finished off a room without some type of fresh plant or vase of flowers.”
When it comes to picking a favorite flower, Simoni said she couldn’t choose just one.
“I love a hydrangea, that’s a really good staple flower,” she said. “I love ranunculus and peonies. And you can’t go wrong with a good garden rose.”
She also realizes there is no wrong answer when it comes to picking a favorite flower. There’s a lot to choose from, what’s in season is always a big factor and there is no one “right” way to create a bouquet or arrangement or centerpiece. She simply wants to offer an option to customers that is built around her passion and design background.
Simoni Floral Design is still in its infant stage. The business license was secured, the LLC obtained a relationship with a wholesaler in Pittsburgh has been forged, sourcing from local farms is in the works and a lot of time has been spent learning and planning in addition to some creating.
“This has been my beginning year, I’m getting my footing,” Simoni said. "There is a lot to figure out when it comes to owning your own business and I’m learning as I go. My projected future, my 10-year dream would be to have my own brick and mortar flower shop, but you have to start somewhere.”
There are big plans in place for February of 2025 as Simoni is targeting Valentines Day as her first big holiday for business. That by no means should suggest she hasn’t been able to share her talents with customers already though.
Currently, Simoni Floral Design is offering services for wedding florals, event florals and “just because” florals. More information about those services can be found HERE
Simoni said she has made some bouquets here and there. One of her friends was doing a photo shoot for a kitchen she installed in Bridgeport, so Simoni designed a centerpiece for her.
The photographer for her wedding was looking for some new branding photos, so Simoni did a bouquet for her.
Just a few weeks ago she did a marketing project along with The Groove Coffee Shop in White Hall, where the first 20 customers received an arrangement from Simoni along with their coffee. Working in conjunction with local businesses is something she enjoys and hopes to continue doing.
“I do really love the creative side of it,” Simoni said. "This is still a form of design, and I just want to help make people happy. There has been a learning curve, and I hope to get a wedding, do the holiday and continue to grow from there.
“I’m excited to look back, a year from now, to see how much has changed and how much I have learned.”
Editor’s Note:Top photo shows Jessica Simoni, owner of Simoni Floral Design. Second photo is of a large pastel bouquet she made for a Morgantown photographer. Third photo is of a bouquet in a vase that Simoni created this fall and bottom photo shows the arrangement Simoni put together for a joint event with The Groove Coffee Shop.
