“I am a slow flowers advocate, striving to form a strong community of sustainable flower farmers, small business owners, and folks who care about supporting these mindful endeavors. By providing a local, sustainable option to traditional cut flowers, putting a premium on collaboration, and reaching out to the community, I hope to foster change. ”

— Christine Hoffman, founder of Twin Cities Flower Exchange

If you have ever been here before then you know we love stories. We love hunting stories, discovering them and sharing them with you. My favorite stories are the ones that slowly unfold, like a morning glory at dawn. It’s the journey you have to take ’till you realize you have shown up to the place where you belonged all along.

That’s why we fell in love with Christine and Foxglove.

A young girl who loved to run wild in the woods and pick flowers in the river valley found creative expression poured out of her of its own volition. An impulsive go-getter, surrounding herself with pieces of the world that foster inspiration, she never stops dreaming and scheming.

Sitting surrounded by multiple decades of decor that have found an eclectic home together within her walls, it doesn’t go unnoticed how she repurposes beautiful antiques and brings natural elements inside to foster a cohesive native dwelling.

My mind couldn’t hold the muse as I sat there in her presence, surrounded by such gentle beauty. Words rolled through my heart…

Natural
Honest
Spontaneous
Intuitive
Reflective
Whole
Creative
Heartfelt
Stimulating
Invigorating

Sitting with Christine she shared her story of how her love for all locally grown resources turned into a passion to fill a void of locally grown resourced flowers. How she found a way to marry her aesthetic with her values and the way she lives her life.

An instinctive artist, she spent years as a freelance designer curating events, interiors, and commercial sets. Wherever her art muse led her and opportunity presented itself, she would go. Her intuitive clever style was leaving a legacy in her wake. People knew that where Christine showed up, integrity met innovative passion.

Even in her dreams, words and pictures paint a story that moves Christine after the sun comes up. The name Foxglove was delivered to her in just such a fashion. The name for her newest next adventure, her own storefront which boasted a free range mix of home goods, paper and of course her true north love, locally grown flowers.

Christine ran both her storefront and her flower business at the same time. Surrounding herself with beautiful items, and designing locally grown seasonal flowers for weddings in Minnesota she found great fulfillment in her work. Full of energy and passion and drive, she would find local farmers and even engage her customers to help provide the locally grown, seasonal quality flowers she wanted to offer. After three years, Christine decided to move to designing flowers full time.

During all this time, Christine was researching the “why” behind her values and saw how much was missing in the flower market specifically. Passionate about leaving a minimal carbon footprint, Christine discovered the underbelly of the flower market.

Ever wonder where those beautiful roses come from in the middle of February? Or those tropical plants that aren’t native to our very own Minnesota climate?

Most flowers sold in the U.S. are shipped from overseas, covered in chemicals, and leaving a wake of pollution to get them here. They are not grown by local farmers, but flown in from all over the world.

“I thought to myself, “I care about locally grown food, for freshness and to support local farmers. Why wouldn’t that be true for flowers as well?”” Christine states.

And this right here is the heart of this story.

Christine saw a major flaw in the system and decided to do something about it.

To help eliminate pollution and a massive carbon footprint.

To help eliminate chemicals in our homes, our lives, our earth, and our ground water.

To help support local farmers.

To help educate folks about the beauty in seasonal bouquets by using what you have and what is available to you.

This past week, Twin Cities Flower Exchange opened at The Good Acre, the newest business venture for Christine. But not just a business venture, her heart’s passion. A way to increase more local flower farmers and increase awareness for designers about “Where” they buy flowers so they can know “Why” it is so important to know where your resources come from.

We all make choices every day about where we buy the things we consume. We make statements about who we support, who gets our money, what we believe in. Where we spend our money claims boldly what we believe in.

Nowhere in the country is this being done like this. A full fledged locally grown, seasonal, chemical free wholesale flower market. In the Twin Cities we now have the option to use our money with integrity in how we choose designers who purchase their flowers from here.

Christine brings flowers, flora, weeds, herbs, and edibles together in a way that has you wondering, “How did I miss all this beauty before? I never thought I could use that in a flower arrangement.” What I consider a weed, she taught me is perfect in spring bouquets and can also be used as food. She thrives in thinking outside the box and finding inspiration in everything.

It is potent being around the level of creativity. It’s intoxicating of the best variety.

Christine values slow grown flowers. The natural rhythm in the way things grow and the radius in which you purchase your items from.

Twin Cities Flower Exchange opened last week with an impressive 24 local farmers, committed to chemically free seasonal flowers. As everyday folks, we have the great fortune of supporting this intentional and highly mindful business by hiring florists that are dedicated to using Twin Cities Flower Exchange.

If you want to share Christine’s vision and the groundbreaking work she is doing, she leads workshops, teaches classes, bakes pies, and will hopefully someday write a book that we can review! Follow Foxglove Market on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with what she is doing and where you can catch her! She is passionate about education to help folks find understanding about the value in how we purchase.

Thank you so much Christine for opening your home to Kat and I. For gifting us with a glimpse of your work, your passion, and your efforts. What a joy and honor to have met you. We are committed and dedicated fans now! You have helped me grow my conscious in the way I but all the things I consume, and I want to thank you for that.