Outside a red brick building on Russell Street in Rochester, artfully arranged bouquets of vibrant flowers hang in wicker baskets beneath a mounted sign— Stacy K: FLORAL, GIFTS, DÉCOR.
Inside the vast, airy shop, a mass of leafy botanicals surrounds an eclectic mix of candles, gifts, and clothes. Lingering in the center of the high-ceilinged room, I order a pumpkin latte from an artisanal café housed in the same space—Winter Swan Coffee—while natural light flows through lofty windows and illuminates the shop.
At the front desk, a congenial staffer assists a customer buying roses for his wife. Pausing mid-transaction, the employee guides me to my interview, while he carries a bouquet of flowers in one hand and my drink in his other.
When I meet Stacy K. Ercan—owner of Stacy K Floral, Inc.—she is wearing a black shirt featuring bright, polychromatic blooms.
Ercan, who was born and raised in Hammondsport, accepted a position at a local greenhouse when she was in high school, unknowingly shifting her trajectory toward a future in floriculture.
“I just love getting my hands in the dirt,” she says, smiling.
After secondary school, Ercan was ready to commit to her passion for flowers. First earning an associate degree from Alfred State College in floriculture merchandising, Ercan later transferred her credits to the State University of New York at Brockport (SUNY Brockport), where she completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
While pursuing her tertiary education, Ercan also started her business, which initially operated out of a small apartment.
“Pretty quickly after leaving Alfred State and working in the floral industry, I realized I was lucky to have a job I loved . . . even on Mondays. That’s what helped me decide what I wanted to do for my bachelor’s degree,” she says.
“While at SUNY Brockport, I was able to apply the concepts I was learning in school to beginning my business.”
In 2016, Stacy K Floral moved to its current location after twelve years. Then, in 2023, the facility expanded to include both Winter Swan Coffee and Fleurish Co Candle Shop.
“Going from your home to working in a brick-and-mortar space is a huge leap. I find that for female entrepreneurs especially, there’s a lot of pressure we put on ourselves. We worry we are going to let people down and that fear of failure can cloud our many capabilities,” says Ercan.
So, what has helped Ercan when she feels the “weight of the world” on her shoulders?
“Instead of [envisioning the worst],” she says, “I think . . . what if it all works out? Often, we are the only people holding ourselves back.”
Stacy K Floral, now in its twentieth year, is a whole lot more than your standard florist. The business—whose mission is to bring joy to the community through flowers—offers a wide variety of services for clients, including decorations for weddings and funerals, daily deliveries, interior stylings, commercial art installations, plantscapes, flower arranging classes, holiday embellishments, and more.
“It’s always been [different every day]; I can’t do the same thing day after day,” says Ercan. Stacy K Floral is active in the local community, regularly participating in events like the Viciously Crafty Maker’s Market, a flower bar pop-up with Parkleigh, and even the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.
“Last year, one of our favorite projects was the PGA,” says Ercan. “It wasn’t even super floral-heavy, but we provided all of the plantscape materials for the hospitality tents, so that was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Large-scale events like the PGA require significant investments in time and energy, but, fortunately, Stacy K Floral has the infrastructure for monumental feats. Ercan—who previously worked in an industry with trade shows and tents—is experienced with projects big and small.
“We had a team of ten to fifteen people there,” she says. “It was Mother’s Day and it was chaos, but it was such a cool opportunity to see how it all works behind the scenes.”
“To thrive and survive, I have to have systems,” adds Ercan.
And when systems fail? That’s when a reliable network of dedicated colleagues becomes essential.
“I have a really great team,” says Ercan. “Most of them are probably more talented than I am!”
Stacy K Floral employs fifteen to eighteen day-to-day staff members as well as additional supports who are called in during particularly busy times.
Drawing inspiration from her entrepreneur father, Ercan leans into the motto, “Be humble and kind.”
“When we come in to help a client, I care about their brand as much as they do. I love to see where we can all get together versus trying to climb [the mountain] on our own,” she says.
Throughout the last two decades, that’s exactly what she’s done.
In the company’s newly renovated space (which now occupies both 43 and 53 Russell Street), Ercan is able to effectively address the needs of her clients.
She unveils the Stacy K Floral website, which she redesigned amid the COVID-19 pandemic to highlight the business and its offerings in a fresh light. Ercan describes the virtual intake process, where clients submit an inquiry and are then connected with a designer to help plan their event.
“There’s a lot of psychology and guidance entwined with what we do [and] in helping people select an arrangement or design an event. There are a lot of emotions around our projects, as they are personal and intimate. We work with clients to create memories each and every day,” she says.
“Building around something that we love is what we love to do.”
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of (585).
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