In this episode, we interview Emily Copus, Western North Carolina native, owner of Carolina Flowers and Zadie’s Market.

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

  • How journalism shaped her thinking for business and economics 
  • The defining moment Emily decided to go into the flower business
  • Elemental questions to ask yourself before going into a career
  • Why Emily believes it’s non-negotiable to defend your personal dreams
  • Why Emily thinks it’s important to not replicate other business models or ideas (and you should try your own)
  • Why investing in mistakes is a good idea
  • What prompted Emily to start Zadie’s market to help the community 

Enjoyed this interview? We think you might also dig this episode with restaurateur, local celebrity, friend, and mentor to Emily, John Fleer.

Season Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by Range Urgent Care an Asheville-based clinic that offers affordable healthcare, transparent pricing, and streamlined, friendly service. Learn more about Range Urgent Care.

*Enjoy your first month free of annual membership at Range Urgent Care. Use code ‘makingitinasheville’ at checkout. Offer valid for a limited time only.

Show Notes

About Emily Copus

Emily is the owner of Carolina Flowers and Zadie’s Market.
Her connection to flower farming started generations before she was born. After graduating with her master’s in journalism, Emily worked for a variety of publications before eventually launching Carolina Flowers in 2016. Regenerative farming and creating careers in agriculture are more important to Emily than ever. Carolina Flowers remains committed to agricultural ingenuity in the Blue Ridge Mountains. To further support farmers, Copus launched Zadie’s Market in 2020, where she purchases produce and dry goods from dozens of farmers and makers throughout the Appalachian region as part of its mission to support a robust, local food system.

To learn more about Carolina Flowers and Zadie’s Market, check out the pages:

Carolina Flowers Instagram
Carolina Flowers Facebook

Zadie’s Market Instagram
Zadie’s Market Facebook

Places

  • Carolina Flowers is Emily’s brick and mortar shop, you have to check this out for everything beautiful.
  • Zadie’s Market is the most recent endeavor and business which connects shoppers with local farms and high-quality products.
  • Mountain Bizworks is a local Asheville non-profit that is WNC’s resource for small business success.
  • AB-Tech is the local technical community college in Asheville where Emily shadowed an electrical course. 
  • Native Poppy is a gorgeous neighborhood flower shop in San Diego, CA.
  • Ware, one of our favorite sustainable shops in Asheville, NC.

People

  • John Fleer, a friend and mentor to Emily. John is an Asheville restaurateur who will make your taste buds say, “hold up!”

Media & Books

Interesting Facts We Learned During our Conversation

  • The United States imports 80% of the flowers they sell. Crazy to think we only grow 20% of the flowers we sell here in the U.S. Carolina Flowers grows most of their own flowers which is out of the norm according to this data. Go Emily!

Preferred Tools & Products

  • Squarespace is the platform that Emily used initially for her website and e-commerce.
  • Shopify is what Emily uses now as her website and e-commerce platform.