If you’re ever wandering around Newtonville, a display window of ornate floral arrangements might stand out from the abundance of food businesses in the area. 

A European floral and wedding design studio, Floristika brings a breath of color and elegance to the street. Behind its delicate, carefully decorated storefront are equally dedicated florists who bring those designs to life with patience and creativity.

“You can do anything with flowers,” said owner Kseniya Khromina.

As a Russian immigrant, Khromina emphasizes the importance of bringing something unique from her homeland. Khromina implemented the use of headboxes for her floral designs—a popular concept in Russia where flowers are arranged in decorative cylindrical boxes instead of vases.

“The containers were really something [that] attracted attention to the business, because you brought something new, something that no one did here before, and that gave me lots of energy,” said Khromina.

Floristika no longer sells floral arrangements in headboxes due to shipment complications with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Still, Floristika maintains its creativity through social media. Long before Floristika opened in Newtonville, its story began online in 2015 through Instagram, where Khromina first started sharing her floral designs.

“So I remember that I was posting a lot from my personal profile, because there was not even business profiles at the time,” said Khromina. “It definitely helped, because at that time it was less commercial.”

Today, Floristika’s carefully curated Instagram has over 5,000 followers. Khromina emphasized how difficult it is for small businesses to stand out, especially in the age of social media.

“Now, like this crazy algorithm, you really need to create something super crazy, super original because you need to stand out from the ground of already creative, crazy people who create new content every day,” said Khromina.

Khromina explained that social media can often be unreliable and misleading for business, underscoring her commitment to the business beyond the screen. 

“Even if you have lots of likes on Instagram, it doesn’t help to sell stuff,” said Khromina. “Like, you might have 300 likes but have zero clients. One thing is Instagram, another thing is real life, when you really have to build business.”

For Khromina, a necessary tool for increasing business is customer relations. 

“It’s more about building the relationships with clients,” said Khromina. “They can refer their relatives, their friends to us. Building relationships with planners also helps because we work with the same planners, so they refer their clients to us.”

And her strong relationships with her clients opened doors she never imagined possible. After staying in touch with a past client, Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary, she was able to design flowers for an episode filmed in Boston. 

“They were doing an episode here in Boston,” Khromina said. “Kevin O’Leary was officiating the wedding, and I did flowers for the bride, for the ceremony, and for the boutonnieres … It’s crazy. My flowers on ABC—my life is done.” 

Business for Floristika has especially boomed after COVID-19. Khromina elaborated on how the wedding industry faced pure frenzy as many couples rushed to make up for lost time.

“It was crazy, and that somehow helped us because we got more clients—we got more exposure,” said Khromina. “We met new people, new clients, so that was a good way for us to get into that business, and again, do more events and weddings.”

For Khromina, running Floristika is about more than flowers—it’s about contributing to the fabric of her community and the broader economy.

“Small business, it’s something that keeps this country going,” Khromina said.