Christine Guenther, a self-described change agent, has harnessed something magical with the brand she is building in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Two flower shops now operate in her backyard under her ‘WildFlower’ brand.

Raised by parents who have run a successful small business since 1978, entrepreneurialism seems to be in Guenther’s blood. To see this firsthand, I stopped by one of the shops and chatted with her about her vision. Her energy is contagious, and it was clear to me that her spirit of “serial optimism” has made it possible to transform her flower shop dreams into a reality.

She hopes that her stores are places where “anyone is comfortable walking in” and her vision is to build a brand that makes flowers accessible by intuitively including her customers in the process of crafting the perfect floral arrangement or gift.

Guenther and her team have managed to pull this off beautifully at their store in Arnold, Maryland, just outside of Annapolis. They’ve chosen an open layout where the retail and production spaces are seamlessly integrated. The customer can be an active part of the experience of selecting their arrangement. As someone who often finds it hard to put into words the type of gift or flower arrangement that I am looking for, being able to see the options available on display in their “Stem Bar” made it possible for me to visualize what I wanted more clearly. The staff was friendly, welcoming and excited to answer my questions about the collection of sundry items offered from local artisans.

During our chat, she talked about her ability to always find the silver lining and how amid the COVID shutdowns, she and her husband hatched the idea to relocate one of her two stores.

The location being relocated was originally known as “The Petal Pusher” and has served the Greater Linthicum and suburban Baltimore communities for over four decades before Guenther purchased it in 2016. She has been busy introducing her WildFlower ideas ever since. The relocation is already underway with plans to officially transition to the new space by Thanksgiving of this year. Her hope is to replicate and expand upon the model that has already proven successful. The new location will be a short distance from the store's current location and has amazing visibility that Guenther and her team hope will be an improvement for current customers, while opening up the opportunity to attract new business. A major believer that you don’t need a special occasion to send someone flowers, Guenther hopes that this change will encourage people in the region to make flowers a more regular part of their lives.

Whether you’re shopping on the WildFlower website, in the Arnold store, or in the soon to open Glen Burnie location, Guenther and her team hope that the experience they have curated for you engages with all of your senses, triggers your curiosity, and opens your eyes to how powerful a well-crafted floral arrangement or gift can be for you or a loved one.

The WildFlower team is available to transform the process of endlessly searching for the perfect gift into a seamless experience where you can work with a professional to create exactly what you need. Next time any of you are passing through the Baltimore or Annapolis areas of Maryland, I encourage you to pay a visit!

With passion and appreciation for how amazing our customers are,

David Henry
Card Isle Co-Founder