Name: Diane Lane, 46

Business: Bela Flora Florist and Gifts

Address: 701 E. Ocean Ave., and in the Vandenberg Air Force Base PX

Title: Owner

What are your duties?

"I do everything. I go to the growers and pick up the flowers, make arrangements, customer service ... I even do deliveries, mostly because I like to see their faces."

How long have you been in business?

"It's been a year and four months now. Before Bela Flora, I used to work at Avenue Florist on Ocean. That was my big start."

Was the flower business your first career?

"Oh no, I used to be a glamour makeup artist.

I'd travel up and down the state doing that for eight years."

Where does the majority of your business come from?

"Well, the mortuary is behind us here. The hospital is over there, and many of the local businesses around here like to come in for decorations. We do a lot of weddings and school dances, too."

What sorts of flower arrangements are you asked to do?

"I really try to do something unique, even if you come in asking for 12 dozen roses, I'll put it in a unique vase. I'm doing two very Halloween arrangements right now. This one with the black twigs and the spiders all around it, the wife picked out the Raiders colors for the roses - silver and black."

What's the most unique floral job you ever had?

"There was a wedding with a lot of black, it was a Goth wedding."

What's your favorite thing about this job?

"I'm a people pleaser. It's great to get a smile, or a call on the phone letting me know I did a great job.

"I also love to shop, so I can bring it here and people will enjoy it, buy it, and let me buy something else."

What is your least favorite, or most challenging part of the job?

"My brain is one way, it likes people and being artistic. Having to learn the business aspect, like paperwork and taxes, that's hard to learn. Paperwork never thanks you."

What do you do with your free time?

"Shopping. I love to go find new items, go to LA to the gift shows. It's like a kid in a candy store."

If you are an employee or owner of a local business, and would like to be profiled by On The Job, call 737-1059 or e-mail gwallace@lompocrecord.com.

October 27, 2009