Community Highlights: Meet Sarai Rodriguez of Stella’s Flowers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarai Rodriguez

Hi Sarai, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all begins with an idea and that’s how we began with an idea. An idea to bring the beauty of flowers to life. I grew up watching my mom express her love for flowers throughout my childhood. She cared for them like she did with my siblings and I with love, compassion, and devotion. Many times I did not understand why she cared for flowers in such manner if for me all they were, was simply flowers. However, now as an adult I completely understand. A flower alone can be beautiful but arranged with other flowers, it creates something magical. Floral design is just that, magical.

My mother, Esthela ( or Stella) had many years of experience working professionally as a seasonal designer at a flower shop in Raleigh, North Carolina. She had mentioned many times that someday she wished to have her own but it remained just an idea. However, after we lost our Dad and my mom, her husband in March 3, 2020, our lives turned upside down and left my mom being the only provider for my younger siblings at the time. So in October 2023, we took a leap of faith and decided to take our ideas and turn them into a wonderful reality. Wendell, North Carolina has been our home our whole lives since we moved here from Smithfield in 1999 and it just felt right to serve this community. We are a mother-daughter duo here to celebrate with you, give you beautiful bouquets and arrangements, so that you too can see the magic in flowers. We are here to make your heart bloom through our floral designs.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think we can all agree that no matter what your goals are, there will always be challenges and it will never be easy. This business is not easy. It’s hard, stressful, there is a lot of competition, and many times you fail. The process has definitely been a learning experience for my mom and I. Currently we do not have a storefront so all of our designs are created from our home and if you know anything about prepping for bouquets and arrangements, then you know it can get very messy!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Before starting Stella’s Flowers with my mom, I was a teacher for 3 1/2 years in Wake County. I taught grades K-2 within those 3 1/2 years. In December 2022, I made the decision to leave teaching and pushed through until June 2023 because I loved my students! In June 2023 I started helping my husband, Jose run his home improvement business, JNS Home Improvements. I would manage everything behind the scenes, from emails, social media, website, and other admin work. Today, I am an owner of both businesses and has been amazing to see both business grow.
Our goal with Stella’s Flowers is to have your heart cultivated by beauty the of our floral designs. Which is why we coined the saying, where the heart blooms in our business. We specialize in traditional but with a twist of modern bouquets and arrangements. We are faith-based and believe everything we do is to be done with love. Our foundation above everything else is God. We create our floral design for every season of your life including, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, events, or holidays. Whatever it is, we make our designs with a happy heart.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
There were many things my dad taught me simply through leading by example. He was a hardworking man, everything he wanted to accomplish he would do it. He came to the United States at a young age and met my mom in Texas, then later married in Minnesota. They had nothing. No house, no car, no money. However, he worked at a factory in Minnesota for many years and was able to get enough just get by. They later moved to North Carolina, and my dad was able to find new opportunities. In 1999, he had saved enough to buy a mobile home in Wendell, NC then in 2004, he bought our very first house. God continue to blessed him through his work so much that we able to travel to Mexico every summer. It was in our trips to Mexico that my dad would remind how blessed and privilege we were to live in a country where we could dream and work to accomplish anything we wanted. He was prime example of that. He started as a factory worker getting $4.00 an hour to becoming a General Contractor and accomplishing more than imagine. So why say all of this? I say this because when I feel like we’re getting nowhere, or like if our business is a failure (because sometimes it is), I always remember my dad. The one who came to this country as a young men with nothing but dreams and aspirations. I always remember growing up and not having a lot but somehow never lacking anything and it’s due to the hard work of my father. He was great example of hard work, of never giving up, trusting God, and chasing your dreams. Success is finally reaching your goals and having your dreams come true because of all the failure, learning, persistence, and self-discipline that came before it. Our success for Stella’s Flowers will be having our storefront, spreading God’s love through our floral designs, and creating lasting relationships with everyone we meet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stellasflowersnc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stellasflowersnc?igsh=ZmgzcHRnbzJwZXhy&utm_source=qr https://www.instagram.com/stellasflowersnc?igsh=ZmgzcHRnbzJwZXhy&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551364539504