Meet Melissa Maas of Bank of Flowers
Love is often described like a flower, blossoming and flourishing. It’s no wonder flowers play such an important role in a wedding. With all of the colors, varieties, heights and arrangements for brides to choose from, why not have someone who has a long-standing relationship with flowers to create something magical for your big day?
Melissa Maas, owner of Bank of Flowers, can’t remember a time when her life didn’t include flowers. From her childhood days of arranging flowers in her mother’s and grandmother’s vases (including her favorite—the romantic, lush peony) while begging her father to build her a greenhouse, to today as the owner of two shop locations (Pewaukee and Menomonee Falls), Melissa is nothing short of a floral mastermind. “One of my first floral jobs was in a grocery store’s floral department at age 16,” Melissa says. “This is where the love grew.” From there she went on to work as a florist for four years while she was studying at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh soaking up everything she could about the flowers, plants and business.
After graduating from UW-Oshkosh, Melissa journeyed to Seattle, Washington., to the Floral Design Institute where she received her Advanced Floral Certificate. “I wanted to experience the West Coast floral ways,” Melissa explains. “There were students from all over, and even one from Alaska. It was interesting to see how things are different from the Midwest.”
After the Floral Design Institute, Melissa worked at the TV ABC affiliate in Madison with her degree in Radio-TV-Film, but that didn’t keep her from her first passion.
A flower shop nearby hired her to help during Valentine’s season, and she stayed on afterward to work nights and weekends after her day job.
Then, she learned that Bank of Memories & Flowers in her hometown of Menomonee Falls was going up for sale. “So at the age of 24, I followed my dream and put everything I had into the shop,” Melissa elates. “That first year I worked 10-plus hour days, 6 days per week, and I loved it! I loved it so much that a year later I started another shop in Pewaukee.”
Melissa loves to continue learning and as a member of the Teleflora Board of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, she has an unlimited pool of talent and resources to draw from. “I love learning new tips and tricks—anything I can bring back to the shop and show the girls,” she says.
With a passion as deep as Melissa’s, you can be sure that your wedding day—a day she is overjoyed to share with you—will be nothing short of sensational. “I love weddings; my eyes light up,” Melissa says. “I am in the moment, excited about your wedding and wanting to hear more. The consultation is an experience of personalized attention—creating a customized design just for you.”
