Since opening Beautiful Expressions in April, florist Amber Mustain has seen her business flourish.”I like knowing my customers. Here I feel like I can, versus other shopping center flower shops where you’re just going to get whoever is shopping in that center at the time,” Mustain said. “Here you can actually have people that come in on a regular basis.”Soon, her shop will transform into a holiday emporium with gift ideas and unique floral arrangements. “We like to use a lot of props like ornaments, fresh branches and pinecones; just to give you something really special for the holidays,” Mustain said. Using texture is also a holiday decorating technique, she said, with the use of berries, holly and branches.Although the holiday season is right around the corner, Mustain said Mother’s Day is the busiest time of year for her business. She does have help during the busy times. If you visit her shop, Mustain’s 3-year-old daughter, Ashlynn, is usually around to assist with a helping hand.Her arrangements are created to customer specifications – traditional, seasonal or contemporary. “Our arrangements are a little more contemporary. We try to offer people a higher quality flower.” Flowers aren’t her only forte. “We try to be creative with things,” Mustain said. “We offer a wide variety of gifts for different occasions – birthdays, get well, thank yous. Weddings and corporate events are our specialty.”She said weddings are her favorite event because it gives her the opportunity “to help the bride make her statement. It’s fun when they are excited.”Mustain has Colorado roots. Born and raised in La Junta, she started as a floral delivery driver at age 16 and worked her way up to “greening in,” or inserting the greenery into the arrangement before the flowers are placed.While in La Junta, Mustain was involved in sports and 4H. She said she enjoyed growing up in a small town. “You have a sense of community bigger than your family. There was a lot of support from a lot of people,” she said. “I liked knowing everybody in my class. The majority of us went K through 12 together.”After graduation, Mustain moved to Alamosa to attend Adams State College. Between studies she managed a floral business. Mustain graduated with a small business and marketing degree.High school sweethearts, Mustain and her husband, Brysen, moved to Colorado Springs in 2004.Before Mustain opened Beautiful Expressions, she worked at a high-end floral company in Colorado Springs for about three years.To further develop her floral expertise, Mustain plans to attend Colorado Professional Florist training in March to become accredited. She said the accreditation program is new to Colorado and it will give her greater knowledge of design style, products and composition.Mustain plans to continue to bring that expertise to Falcon for years to come. “I enjoy working in Falcon. It reminds me of home.”More on Amber MustainWhom do you admire and why?My dad. He’s just taught me a great work ethic and always to be honest even if it’s not to your benefit, to live with integrity and to be the best I can be with what I’ve been given.What is your favorite memory?It’s silly, but I wanted a scooter one Christmas. We got through all of the presents and I didn’t get it so I was really bummed. My dad asked me to get him a pop out of the garage – I think I was 7 or 8 – and I went and I got the pop and there was something in front of the fridge with a sheet covering it. When I brought him the pop, he asked me, “Wasn’t there something in front of the fridge?” So, I went out there to look and it was the scooter. I was very excited.What are your hobbies?I like to run and scrapbook. Also, doing anything with my family æ hiking, camping.How do you see yourself in five years?I would love to be well-known in the community for what we do. I would like to be a floral dÈcor staple for weddings. This would be the first place they look for wedding flowers and dÈcor. We would like to move out here because my daughter is infatuated with horses. I grew up with them, and I would love to share that with her.
