Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Christy Hulsey, ran a small, but bustling flower shop in Statesboro, Georgia. When the pandemic hit, sales of home décor items on her website, Colonial House of Flowers, took off with the online shopping boom. Now, she’s freelancing as a floral designer while operating a thriving e-commerce business — and enjoying newfound family time.

“We were afraid business would dry up , but people started buying anything we had online — vases, baskets, pillows, linens, down to our floral tools,” she says. “I had somebody pay $400 for floral glue. My husband joked that we should rebrand as the Colonial House of Adhesives!”

The dearth of events in 2020 and her success with e-commerce encouraged Hulsey to lean-in to hard goods and position Colonial House of Flowers as a home decor business. “Our message on social media became ‘Let us bring beauty into your home!’” She included shopping links in Instagram and Facebook posts and often sold out of materials. “There’s definitely been a maker’s movement lately,” she says. “All these DIYers need to buy their containers, foam, ribbon, scissors, glue somewhere, and they seem to prefer supporting me, a small business owner, than a big box store. Plus I have the cool Accent Decor vases they don’t see everywhere!”

In August 2020, her family relocated to Atlanta. Hulsey put her merchandise in a storage unit, with the intention of reopening her physical shop, but found it wasn’t necessary. “I work with a lot of drop shippers, which is so key to my success,” she says. “I don’t need to store a thing! Plus, a lot of this merchandise is breakable. These companies are great at packing; I am not.” Paying a small percentage to her suppliers to handle shipping is “extremely worthwhile,” Hulsey says, as doing it herself would be time consuming and expensive. Furthermore, it allows her to sell all sorts of products, including large pieces of furniture, and helps her service customers all over the country. (Hulsey sells the physical inventory from her storage unit through pop-up events in local boutiques.)

Interested in expanding your non-floral business? Here are Hulsey’s tips:

First, go to market. Hulsey has been a regular attendee at America’s Mart for years. “Even when I couldn’t attend, I sent a few employees,” she says. “It’s such a valuable use of time to find what’s right for your shop.” Seasoned shoppers like Hulsey can go “from sunrise to sundown,” but she recommends most people allot two full days. “It can be overwhelming because there are so many vendors,” she says. “Plus, you’ll also find designer superstars like Martha Stewart, Holly Chapple and J Schwanke there and it’s so fun to watch their presentations and get inspired.” (Other big markets include the Dallas Market Center, the NY Now Gift Fair and the Las Vegas Market.)

Be true to your style. All sorts of aesthetics — luxury, country, contemporary, whimsical, religious, etc. — are represented at the various markets. “For our brand, I buy items that I’m attracted to — that I’d like to have in my home,” Hulsey says. She recommends following your gut on what your clientele likes, rather than feeling beholden to any specific trend.

Ask vendors about photography. “Product images are so important! That’s what motivates someone to buy,” Hulsey says. Often, companies have professional stock photos that they’re happy to provide for your website. “This saves time and money and helps me move items.”

Cast a broad net. While vases and planters are obvious buys for a florist, “you never know what merchandise will really take off,” Hulsey says. Last month, a local influencer posted a shot that included a trio of corrugated metal ghosts (retailing for $272) Hulsey sold. She commented as such, and subsequently sold a case load. “Those ghosts literally paid my mortgage,” she says. Home decor has been Hulsey’s sweet spot, but other florists have had success with gift baskets (especially those curated for men), gourmet treats and giftware celebrating state pride, jewelry and other small accessories, religious items, pet products and more.

Katie Vincent is the senior contributing editor for the Society of American Florists.