Stem Studio Floral Assistant $16-$18/hr + Benefits

Description

YOUR FUTURE ROLE:

Stem Studio is growing, and we need an outgoing, hardworking Floral Assistant to help keep it fresh, stocked, clean, organized and ready for customers.

Stem Studio is Moana Nursery’s interactive, farm-to-vase floral experience. Customers can shop individual stems, select ready-made wraps and arrangements, or receive expert help creating something of their own. Many of our flowers are grown by our team in Minden, Nevada, providing customers with exceptionally fresh, locally grown flowers at approachable prices.

This position combines flower care, floral production, customer service and sales. The Stem Studio Floral Assistant serves as a friendly flower guide—helping customers select stems, understand basic design principles, care for their flowers and create something they are excited to take home.

This person does not need to be an expert floral designer. They must have basic floral-design knowledge or experience, understand the importance of proper flower care and want to continue developing their skills. A warm personality, sales confidence and the ability to connect with customers are especially important.

The Stem Studio Floral Assistant reports to the Floral Operations Administrator and coordinates Stem Studio flower, vase and wrapping-material needs with that person.

Requirements

YOUR SPECIFIC JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Upholds Moana Nursery’s strict safety policies and floral sanitation standards.

• Takes daily ownership of keeping Stem Studio fresh, full, clean, organized and ready for customers.

• Opens and prepares Stem Studio for business each morning.

• Moves flowers and other temperature-sensitive Stem Studio products from the floral cooler into the studio each morning.

• Returns Stem Studio flowers and temperature-sensitive products to the appropriate cooler at the end of each day.

• Keeps flower buckets clean, filled with fresh water and properly labeled and priced.

• Monitors flower freshness, hydration, presentation and overall quality throughout each shift.

• Removes, refreshes, repurposes or reports flowers that no longer meet Moana Nursery’s quality standards.

• Rotates flowers and prioritizes older inventory when appropriate to reduce unnecessary waste.

• Keeps Stem Studio displays full, attractive, properly priced and easy for customers to shop.

• Restocks wrapping paper, tissue, ribbon, sleeves, flower food, cards and other customer supplies.

• Produces approximately 8–12 wraps each day for Stem Studio and register displays under normal operating conditions.

• Ensures the daily wrap assortment includes at least five $35 wraps.

• Produces approximately 15 small register arrangements during designated Sunday and/or Thursday production shifts.

• Replenishes wraps and arrangements as products sell.

• Follows established recipes, prices, product specifications and presentation standards.

• Uses available flowers and supplies thoughtfully to maintain product value and reduce waste.

• Communicates promptly when flower availability, vase inventory, customer traffic or other circumstances may affect production goals.

• Welcomes customers into Stem Studio and explains how the experience works.

• Helps customers select stems based on color, occasion, budget and personal preference.

• Provides basic guidance about flower combinations, balance, proportion, wrapping and vase selection.

• Teaches customers how to prepare and care for their flowers at home.

• Helps customers create wraps or arrangements when requested.

• Explains the value of professional floral assistance clearly and comfortably.

• Recognizes when customer assistance has moved beyond complimentary guidance and into a paid floral-design service.

• Uses Moana Nursery’s Finishing Touches service to charge appropriately for hands-on floral assistance.

• Explains applicable Finishing Touches charges before beginning more involved design assistance.

• Applies the appropriate Finishing Touches charge, generally ranging from $5 to $25 or more, based on the time, skill and complexity involved.

• Ensures all applicable flowers, vases, wrapping materials and Finishing Touches services are included in the customer’s transaction.

• Asks the Floral Operations Administrator for guidance when the appropriate service charge is unclear.

• Provides excellent customer service without giving away skilled floral labor.

• Encourages customers to purchase flowers without making them feel pressured.

• Shares the story and value of Moana Nursery’s Minden-grown flowers.

• Explains how local growing allows us to offer exceptionally fresh, seasonal flowers with strong value and vase life.

• Approaches customers visiting nearby attractions, including our complimentary nectar station, and invites them to explore Stem Studio.

• Helps customers understand that flowers can be an everyday purchase—not something reserved only for traditional floral occasions.

• Works to turn customer curiosity into a purchase and help more Moana Nursery customers leave with flowers.

• Receives, processes and properly conditions fresh flowers and foliage.

• Inspects incoming flowers for freshness, damage, temperature concerns and overall quality.

• Ensures flowers are hydrated, labeled, dated, rotated and stored appropriately.

• Helps organize and maintain floral coolers according to established procedures.

• Keeps cooler inventory visible, accessible and easy for the floral team to locate.

• Follows established cooler maps and inventory-tracking procedures.

• Reports product shortages and flower-quality concerns to the Floral Operations Administrator.

• Takes ownership of flower care rather than waiting for another teammate to identify or correct a problem.

• Monitors wrapping materials, ribbon, sleeves, tissue, flower food, vases and other Stem Studio supplies.

• Communicates replenishment needs to the Floral Operations Administrator before supplies run out.

• Helps receive, count, organize and store incoming flowers, vases and supplies.

• Assists with physical inventory counts when requested.

• Uses flowers, vases and wrapping materials responsibly to avoid unnecessary waste.

• Assists with basic arrangements, wraps and established floral recipes when experience and business needs allow.

• Helps professional floral designers prepare flowers, vases and mechanics for customer orders.

• Supports The Florist at Moana during busy periods, holidays, weddings or special-event production when requested.

• Continues developing floral-design skills through training, supervised practice and feedback.

• Maintains clean and organized worktables, tools, buckets, sinks, floors, coolers and customer areas.

• Cleans throughout the shift rather than leaving cleanup for another teammate.

• Removes standing water, flower debris, cardboard and green waste promptly.

• Returns flowers, vases, supplies and tools to their appropriate locations.

• Leaves Stem Studio and its cooler inventory organized and prepared for the next shift.

• May serve as a backup floral-delivery driver when regular delivery coverage is unavailable. 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & ACTIVITY:

• Applicant must be able to stand and walk for extended periods.

• Applicant must be able to regularly lift and carry up to 50 pounds.

• Applicant must be able to move flower buckets and products between Stem Studio and the floral coolers.

• Applicant must be able to bend, reach and perform repetitive hand movements.

• Applicant must be able to work in and around refrigerated floral coolers.

• Applicant must be able to safely use floral knives, clippers and other tools.

• Applicant must be able to handle water, flowers, foliage, boxes, buckets, vases and floral supplies.

• Applicant must be able to perform regular cleaning, flower-processing and inventory tasks.

• Applicant must be able to work effectively in a busy retail and floral-production environment.

EXPERTISE & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Basic floral-design knowledge, training or relevant hands-on experience.

• Basic understanding of fresh-flower care, processing and conditioning.

• Genuine interest in flowers and a willingness to continue learning.

• Strong customer-service and communication skills.

• Comfort approaching customers and starting conversations.

• Ability to explain products, services and prices confidently.

• Willingness to actively sell flowers and turn customer interest into purchases.

• Understanding that professional floral assistance has value and must be charged appropriately.

• Ability to explain and apply Finishing Touches service charges.

• Ability to follow recipes, production goals and established product standards.

• Strong attention to cleanliness, flower quality, organization and presentation.

• Ability to work independently while following priorities established by the Floral Operations Administrator.

• Ability to balance customer service, production, flower care and cleaning responsibilities.

• Dependable, punctual and prepared to work at the beginning of every shift.

• Availability to work a flexible retail schedule, including weekends and peak floral holidays.

NICE TO HAVE SKILLS OR EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in a flower shop, floral studio, garden center, farm stand or retail environment.

• Floral-design coursework or entry-level professional design experience.

• Experience creating hand-tied wraps or simple floral arrangements.

• Retail sales or consultative customer-service experience.

• Experience caring for flowers, plants or other perishable inventory.

• Knowledge of locally grown and seasonal flowers.

• Experience using a point-of-sale system.

• A warm, engaging personality and enthusiasm for teaching others.

• A valid Nevada driver’s license.

YOUR FUTURE WORK SCHEDULE:

This is a part-time position scheduled for approximately 24–32 hours per week. Because Stem Studio operates within a seven-day retail environment, the schedule may include opening shifts, closing shifts, weekdays, weekends and holidays based on business needs.

Availability on Sundays and/or Thursdays is particularly important because these days may include designated production responsibilities.

Availability during major floral holidays and peak periods—including Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and other high-volume weeks—is required. Some schedule flexibility will be necessary when customer traffic, large orders, events or staffing needs change.

YOUR FUTURE SALARY & BENEFITS:

The starting pay range for this position is $16–$18 per hour, based on relevant floral, retail, customer-service, sales and design experience. Benefits for this role include:

• Paid time off.

• Store discount.

• Training and educational opportunities.

• Hands-on floral-design development.

• Career-advancement opportunities.

• The opportunity to grow into a more advanced floral-design position based on demonstrated skill, speed, reliability and business needs.

• The chance to help shape Moana Nursery’s growing farm-to-vase Stem Studio experience.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

The ideal candidate loves flowers, enjoys people and takes pride in creating a fresh, inviting and well-maintained shopping experience.

They may be a floral assistant or designer in training rather than an expert floral designer. They understand basic design, care deeply about flower quality and want to develop their skills. They are equally willing to create wraps, assist a customer, clean buckets, rotate cooler inventory, restock supplies and maintain displays.

This person understands that Stem Studio is both a creative experience and a retail business. They can explain the value of our Minden-grown flowers, recommend a purchase with confidence and help someone who came to Moana Nursery for another reason decide that flowers should come home with them.

The ideal candidate is generous with basic guidance but understands that professional design assistance has value. They can comfortably explain and charge for Finishing Touches without making the customer interaction feel awkward.

Most importantly, they take ownership of Stem Studio. They notice what is empty, wilted, dirty, disorganized or missing—and take action without assuming someone else will handle it.

If you love flowers, enjoy helping customers and want to develop your floral-design skills, this position might be right for you. There is plenty of opportunity to grow your career at Moana Nursery while helping us introduce more people to the power of flowers.

ABOUT MOANA NURSERY:

Moana Nursery is a vertically integrated, family-owned company specializing in growing, selling, installing and maintaining top-quality High Desert products and services that beautify and enhance our communities. Established in 1967, we are northern Nevada’s premier garden center, nursery and landscape-services company, supported by Oregon’s best “Hardy Plant” wholesale nursery.

Stem Studio is our evolving farm-to-vase floral experience, connecting customers with fresh flowers and seasonal materials, including products grown by our own team in Minden, Nevada.

We are recognized both regionally and nationally as an industry leader, community member and consumer favorite. We are committed to continued education and community involvement. If you want a career—not just a job—and want to grow as a person, we might be the right fit for you.