((PKG))  BLUE RIBBON FLORAL  
((Banner:   A Blooming Business)) 
((Reporter/Camera:  June Soh)) 
((Map:  Washington, DC;  Fairfax, Virginia)) 
((Main characters:  1 female)) 
((NATS/MUSIC))  
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Here you go.  And just sign here.  We are all set.  Awesome, 
enjoy! 
((Customer)) 
Thank you. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
There you go. 
((Customer)) 
Okay. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Hi, good morning. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Today is one of the busiest days I’ve had because it rained 
yesterday and also the owners of this shopping 
center promoted as well on social media and I actually had 
some return customers too who saw it on my Instagram 
post. 
((NATS))  
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Hi. 
((Customer)) 
How long have you been in business? 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
So, I started in November.  I officially launched in 
January.  And then when the pandemic hit, I did a lot of 
contactless deliveries which I’m still doing now, but now that 
we can all be outside…. 
((Customer))  
Yeah. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
And I feel safe outside. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
I am Ali Chrisler.  I'm the creator and founder of Blue 
Ribbon Floral which is a mobile flower truck in Washington, 
DC.  I do a number of fun activities.  One is doing pop-ups at 
different locations in Washington, DC and Maryland and 
Virginia.  I do all the preparation in my home studio and 
then bring it outdoors for a truck pop-up. 
((Courtesy:  Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
I grew up on a dairy farm and my mother owned a flower 
shop in my hometown in Wisconsin and before that, my 
grandmother owned a flower shop in my hometown as 
well.  So, I've always been around flowers in that capacity. 
((Courtesy:  Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
And I am a trained researcher.  I have a PhD in Human 
Development and Family Studies and I've been doing 
research and evaluation for about 10 years.  I had a 
miscarriage about a year ago and it threw me for a loop and 
decided that I needed to really take stock of what was 
important to me.  And I decided to start this business 
because starting a business has always been something I 
wanted to do. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
I am off to purchase flowers for this week.  I often go once or 
twice a week, sometimes more, depending on if I have more 
orders that come in the week.  The question I'm asked 
the most is, “Can you drive legally if you have a car where 
you're sitting on the right side?”  And yes, you can.  When I 
registered it with DC, it was never a question whether or not 
it was legal.  It's a legal vehicle.   
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
So, my truck is a Japanese imported.  I bought it online, 
sight unseen, from Miami and had it actually delivered to my 
house.  Then had it painted this bright blue and had an 
awning fit for it.  It is very small.  It's a three-cylinder engine 
meaning it's a size of a motorcycle but it's been a great fit for 
me. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Often when I am choosing flowers, I am picking a variety of 
colors, textures and also really focusing on long-lasting 
flowers. 
((NATS))  
((Flower Wholesaler)) 
We’ve checked pretty much everything. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Okay, cool. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
That’s for a wedding. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
And then I will come back Friday for another pick-up….. 
((Flower Wholesaler)) 
Okay. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
…..for an event on Saturday. 
((Flower Wholesaler)) 
Oh, cool.  Okay. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Okay, cool. 
((Flower Wholesaler)) 
Perfect.  Okay.  See you right back. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Yep. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
This is flower food.  It just gives them some nutrients, keeps 
them living a little bit longer.  I don’t need a lot of 
space.  Sometimes feel as though my home studio, I have 
already grown out of, but obviously I'm very happy I didn't 
have a storefront given COVID. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
So, to build the flower cooler, I watched a YouTube 
video and simply followed their instructions on how to build 
it.  I saved about anywhere from $5,000 by building this on 
my own.  So, the flowers will stay in here for at least 24 
hours.  It gives them enough time to hydrate, to cool down 
and then, I start to use them in all of my flower bouquets. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Going into COVID, I was very nervous about doing 
contactless deliveries.  I thought this seems so trivial, 
you know.  Flowers are such a minor thing in this of what's 
going on with this pandemic.  How could anybody be 
interested?  And I had a friend say, “Look, flowers bring a lot 
of joy to people’s lives.”  And I really took that to heart 
and when I started advertising that I was doing contactless 
deliveries, people were really excited about it.  I consistently 
have people text message me, “These flowers bring so 
much joy.  I look forward to the flowers every week or every 
other week.  They're always beautiful.”  So, for people who 
are still hesitant to leave their house, this is a way to bring 
nature into their house.  It's a little bit of beauty and 
enjoyment.  But also, because people can't see friends and 
family right now, a lot of people are sending flowers for 
birthdays, anniversaries, weddings that have been canceled 
and this would’ve been their wedding day.  So, I also 
think it's a great way for people to feel more connected to 
others and bring a little joy to them as well. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
I do deliveries sometimes every day of the week, sometimes 
two times a week.  It depends on when people 
are requesting the delivery days. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Don’t worry about it.  You can always manipulate them in the 
vase.  Roses have heavy heads.  
No, these look great.  I love it. 
And then also, I have virtual design classes. 
((NATS))  
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral))   
So then, you can see it just gives it more like a finished look 
with the salal. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Running a business is very challenging.  It has a lot of ups 
and downs and you're thinking, “How am I going to keep 
on doing this?” 
((NATS)) 
((Ali’s son)) 
What now? 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Okay, let’s count them. 
((Ali’s son)) 
One, two, three, four, five. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Wow! 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
It’s also really challenging when you have a family.  I have a 
two-and-a-half-year-old.  I'm now expecting.  You know, 
I have a husband.  So, that is also a balance 
because flowers don't stop being sold on the 
weekends.  That's when most of my events are. 
((NATS))  
((Customer)) 
So, I follow you on Instagram. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Oh, that’s great! 
((Customer)) 
And I saw it yesterday that you would be here today. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Yeah. 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
Some people ask me, “Are you going to make this into a 
massive business?”  And I said, “Absolutely not.”  That’s not 
what I‘ve ever wanted to do with the business. 
((NATS)) 
((Ali Chrisler, Owner, Blue Ribbon Floral)) 
I want it to be a small business.  I want this to be something 
for me that I enjoy doing.  And I think what people enjoy 
about this business is that it's small and it's local and 
everybody who receives flowers gets them designed by me, 
by the owner.  And I think people like that personal 
connection with their florist. 
((NATS))