Photo courtesy of Evelyn Torres.
Sunset High School graduate Evelyn Torres has always known she wanted to be a hard worker.
“I watched both my parents become hard workers, so I knew that that’s what I wanted for my future, was to become a hard worker,” she said. “My mom, she’s a phlebotomist, and my dad he’s a supervisor for a gardening company. … I had just seen them work so much, so I was like ‘That’s something I want to do for me and my brothers so they don’t really have to carry that burden on them.’”
As the oldest and the first grandchild, Torres holds herself to a high standard to be an example for her younger siblings. Family definitely motivates her and inspires her to pursue all she can.
Currently, she is working in healthcare, completing her medical assistant training and running her growing floral business, Created by Evelyn.
The business began working with ribbon roses to create a bouquet, a trend she saw rising as a teenager.
“It was the coming Valentine’s season. I was like, ‘this is a perfect way for me to start and make a little money on the side to help my dad and help my mom out a little bit,’” she said.
Both her parents supported the venture, helping her buy the starting supplies with her first bouquet made free of charge for a friend of her stepbrother’s.
“After I posted that bouquet, I got a whole bunch of orders from school, from other people trying to order the same ramos, like the rose bouquets,” Torres said. “So I guess that started going really good for me.”
With that first Valentine’s Day season of bouquet-making, she said she had over 30 orders within two weeks of her creating a social media account to promote her craft.
During this time, she was attending Uplift Wisdom before later transferring to Sunset. She started practicing more bouquet making with grocery store flowers within her first year. Her mom, a medical assistant, then encouraged to get a summer job helping run physicals and drug screenings as well.
That gave Torres experience in the healthcare field, so she decided to pursue her license to get paid more.
“When COVID hit, a lot of businesses were running down when COVID was hitting. And she was like, ‘the only thing that stayed open was clinics, so you need to get something that you know will not go down in business, which is a clinic,’” Torres said. “A lot of barber shops were going out of business, a lot of food places were going out of business. And she’s like, ‘I need you somewhere that is stable, so try to get into healthcare.’ So that’s how I got in there.”
While her parents are encouraging of her business, they also want her to be secure. Both of her parents have shared the wisdom to have a second career option, either as a backup or as a side gig.
Photo courtesy of Evelyn Torres.
With her finishing up her medical assisting courses this year, she plans to become a full-time florist. Her next certification will be in floral design, starting classes this month and she hopes to share what she learns with others.
“I just want to give out advice and affordable pricing because I know floral classes are really expensive,” she said. “I didn’t grow up with money, so I want to create an affordable way for beginner florists to start, teaching them the basics on how to start a business or promote it.”
Although teaching is a future goal, Created by Evelyn currently hosts pop-ups around Dallas with other small businesses, often in the 75212 ZIP code and West Dallas area, using the opportunity to meet new people and build community.
“I love seeing so many people come together because of flowers and treats and just to have a great time,” she said.
With Mother’s Day coming up in May, she plans to host a three-day pop-up and said she likely already has those orders coming in. She also hopes to have a shed for her supplies built to help her full-time plan next month.
While she’s still working at a clinic, taking courses and making bouquets, her days and nights are busy, sometimes with all-nighters in the mix. Regardless of the time spent, her dedication and passion help her push through.
“I love what my bouquet does to people, puts a smile on people’s faces, and it’s a part of every memory from my clients,” Torres said. “So, the sleepless nights don’t matter to me. It’s all worth it.”
