ABOUT US

ENTERTAINING WITH A FLAIR

We serve the greater Indianapolis, Indiana area. We are a family owned business and opened in 2006. Pam Monahan is the owner.

PAM MONAHAN, OWNER

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to decorate. I am an avid shopper and love to shop vintage and antiques. I think the reason that I love these pieces, is the hunt for something different, the appreciation of the details, and the joy that comes when I find something special.

I am a paralegal by trade, but I have an artsy side as I am drawn to interior design and decorating. My friends say I have an active right and left brain. Our home decor is traditional, coupled with French and American antiques. I am somewhat addicted to china and porcelain and currently have 3 sets of antique china, and teacups in several rooms. And, to be real honest, I still search for china once or twice a week. At the holidays, I decorate three trees and each and every room. No one is allowed in our basement, not even the cleaning ladies, as we have a lot of storage!

I was born in Cincinnati and grew up in a small town in Indiana along the Ohio river, with easy access to Cincinnati being only 20 min away. We moved to Indy in 1990. Our family consists of my husband Don, our daughter Stacy, son-in-law Brad, and grand kids, Karissa and Garrett. We were fortunate to be young grand-parents, which we spoiled them the best we could, and of course - they have decorated rooms at our house as well.

HOW WE GOT STARTED

When our daughter got married, I was one of those moms who thought I could do it all. I had worked for a florist in high school, so I thought this was something I could easily do. I quickly realized that it was a lot of work and a lot of time. After the wedding and when we met with the photographer to view the pictures, I noticed that I wasn’t in any of the pre-wedding pictures. My daughter quickly reminded me that it was because I was the one running around getting everything ready. It was then that I realized that I missed out on precious time that I couldn’t get back.

A few years later, I was out and came across a beautiful set of antique dishes at a garage sale. I love vintage and realized how detailed and beautiful they were. Thinking about my past experiences, I began leaning toward starting a company who could help those who “entertain at home.” We began shopping for inventory and opened “Entertaining with a Flair” by offering boutique tableware.

Being a rental company, we began receiving inquiries from brides. We started with chair covers and linens. A few years later, brides began asking for more color, textures and design options. Nicer linens came into play and we began creating custom accents for their tabletops. We wanted to offer our clients additional options by designing beyond the tabletop. I had past retail display experience and had taken a few interior design classes, so we began offering design and decorating services. As we grew, we realized that it was time to bring our designs into the centerpieces. I enrolled and completed my floral design courses and we started offering centerpieces as well.

Our centerpiece designs have branched out even further. We now offer themed centerpieces and corporate clients are part of our clientele. This has enabled us to do some of our most detailed design work - which we truly enjoy.

PAM’S CREDENTIALS

ART-RELATED

Floral Work – 3 years; small floral shop

Retail Display – 9 years; LS Ayres Flagship Store

Interior Design – 2 certifications; IUPUI

Floral Design - 4 certifications; IUPUI

Professional Gift Wrapper – 1 season; Von Mar

Various Entertaining Seminars – Lazarus Department Store

Currently, Entertaining with a Flair, owner - opened 2006

BUSINESS-RELATED

Real Estate Law – College of Mount St Joseph, Cincinnati

Commercial Real Estate Paralegal

Currently, The National Bank of Indianapolis - part-time, joined 2011

Assistant Vice President, Paralegal, Commercial Closing Officer and Coordinator

OUR TEAM

I primary meet with our clients to determine their needs. When needed, I pull in certain talented individuals who bring in their own experience and expertise. Some of their work is shown in some of our pictures, and I believe in giving credit where credit is due.

DESIGNERS

Pam Monahan

Karen Abbott

DECORATORS

Pam Monahan

Karen Abbott

Martha Noffsinger

Stacy Mundy

COORDINATORS

Pam Monahan

Martha Noffsinger

CENTERPIECE PACKAGES

CUSTOM-MADE ACCENTS

Pam Monahan

CUSTOM FLORALS

Courtney Wiley, Florist and owner of Violets are Blue Floral Design

Lori Christy, Florist and owner of Elsie’s Flower Shop

Tracy Mosby, past florist

Gene Fulmer, past florist

DELIVERY TEAM + TEARDOWN

Don Monahan

Tom Schneider