Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmela Randazzo-Stevenson.
Carmela, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I sold life insurance for 10 years and was looking for something to do outside of talking about death and dying when I tripped upon a printing machine for flowers. This machine allows me to print a message, logo or photo on the petal of a rose or similar flower. I purchased the machine and its accessories and began my floral journey. I knew nothing about floral design at that point. This was the summer of 2016. After months of watching videos and practicing floral design, I opened Talk Ta Me LLC (Talk Ta Me Floral) in October of 2016. I was still selling insurance at that point so it was a side gig out of my house. Customers began to reorder and my business continued to slowly grow over the years. By 2018 I added a walk-in cooler to my basement and set up an official floral design space. My business really took off during Covid. People were looking for a way to show their loved ones they were thinking about them and missing them during that lonely time. I retired from selling life insurance and opened my current shop in March of 2021. We purchased a home in Spring Hill on 10 acres with a barn that we converted to my floral and gift shop. Although we were in the country on property zoned Agricultural, Johnson County would not allow me to open my shop. They said the only way I could open to the public was to receive an Agrotourism Certificate through the Kansas Department of Tourism. I immediately reached out to them and inquired about what I needed to do to receive this Certificate. They indicated I needed to add something to the farm that would bring tourist into the area. Due to process of elimination, we planted lavender and opened Purple Meadows Lavender Farm LLC. Kansas Tourism immediately issued us the Agrotourism Certificate, and I was able to open the floral and gift shop doors in October of 2021. Since then, we have learned a lot about lavender, the difficulties with growing lavender in Kansas and how much people love lavender and taking a trip to the country. Both businesses continue to grow side-by-side. Talk Ta Me Floral has received the Gold Star in 2024 & 2025 for Kansas City’s Favorite Florist & Purple Meadows Lavender Farm received the 2024 Business of the Year award by the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce. Our new adventure here on the farm is the opening of Purple Meadows Lavender Lounge in the spring of 2026. This will be a 360-degree immersive video dome where customers can come year-round and immerse themselves in lavender. There will be breath taking video of lavender fields all across the world, lavender infused cocktails and of course the scent of lavender. This addition will allow customers to enjoy time in the country year-round, as lavender season is just a few weeks in June. We are very excited about this new venture!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our biggest struggle has been figuring out how to keep the lavender alive. Lavender is a Mediterranean plant that likes consistent weather. Our extremes in temperature and the amount of rainfall we receive has made it quit challenging. We just finished mending several rows of lavender and added a French drain system under them to get the water away from the plants as quick as possible. We are praying this solved many of our problems moving forward.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Being a florist and farmer definitely brings out the creative side of me. I have always been an entrepreneur. I grew up in the restaurant industry with my family owning restaurants in Pennsylvania for nearly 100 years. Owning my own business comes naturally to me. I treat all of my employees as family while maintaining a professional atmosphere. Both of my businesses are unique. Although I have a full-service floral shop selling all types of arrangements from a simple birthday bouquet to a full wedding/event, I am the only one in the area that has the capabilities of printing on flowers. There are only a few lavender farms in the region. As far as I know, I am the only one that invites everyone to come out and pick your own lavender, have a picnic in the field, and shop our amazing line of lavender products in our shop. To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t another immersive video lounge anywhere in the US.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I couldn’t have done any of this without my husband, Kendall Stevenson. He is the one that operates all of the farm equipment and makes all the repairs whenever a piece of equipment goes down. He is also my biggest cheerleader! Without his love and support, none of this would be possible. Our 5 grown children have been wonderful during all of this also. Even though they have lives of their own, they are always willing to chip in whenever we are shorthanded. The women at the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce have also been wonderful sources of information and support. They are always willing to help solve a problem when I need help. In addition, they spread the word about businesses in the area to continue growing our community. The Kansas Department of Tourism and The KState Innovation campus in Olathe has helped us with grants, product licensing, distribution, etc.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.talktamefloral.com/
- Instagram: @talktamefloral
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talktamefloral
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/purplemeadowskc
