The 3W Podcast: Tricia Upshaw - Part 1

She bought the flower shop, then immediately ended up doing the least glamorous owner task imaginable: pushing a van out of the snow. That’s how we kick off a real conversation with Tricia Upshaw, the new owner of Shirley’s Flowers on the edge of downtown Rogers, and one of the most respected floral designers in the region.
We get into the origin story of Shirley’s Flowers, how a small local florist grew into a 50-year community staple, and why the best businesses don’t just sell products, they build relationships. Tricia shares how she started in the floral industry as a delivery driver, how she learned design on the job, and how education shaped her career through AIFD (American Institute of Floral Designers), the Arkansas Florists Association, and years of competitions, judging and hands-on practice.
Then we go behind the scenes: how flowers are shipped, processed and kept fresh, and why a “magical” arrangement is actually the result of systems, clean buckets and constant problem-solving. We also talk the real rules of floral design, symbolic meanings people still attach to certain blooms and the simplest tip for keeping flowers alive longer at home.
If you love Rogers, Northwest Arkansas, small business stories, wedding flowers, or just want your next bouquet to feel more personal, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves flowers, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome And Meet The New Owner

Speaker 2 0:05

Hey everybody, welcome to The 3W Podcast. We're so excited you're here. I have a dear friend here with me today. Her name is Tricia. Tricia Upshaw. Thank you. Tricia is with Shirley's Flowers on the edge of downtown Rogers, and I had to coax her into being here. It's kind of funny. She's like, is there a video? I'm like, yeah, it's in the name of the place we're at. But thank goodness she's all like floraled out. I love it. And got her curly hair going on. So it kind of reminds me of like vine. So it's so fitting. But Tricia, thank you for joining us. So we're gonna dive into this later. Tell us who you are. I am at Shirley's.

Speaker 0:46

I am the owner of Shirley's.

The 50-Year Story Of Shirley’s

Speaker 2 0:48

I wish I heard like balloons and poppers and all the things that would say that. As of January? January 16th. Yeah, that's a big deal. Yes. Congratulations. Huge steps. So we're gonna I've got all kinds of um highlighted notes right here, but we're gonna dive into that. But first of all, congratulations. Thank you. I've worked with you for I don't even know how long. 3W's been in business for 18 years, so I may have worked with you all 18 years, but I kind of feel like we're family at this point. Yes. And I was so excited to see your like undercover teeny tiny announcement in the snowstorm. Well, I love that. You're like, this is what an owner does. I'm like, never mind the fact that like I bought the business. I'm pushing a van out of the snow. Oh, have you seen her videos? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That's how you announce to the universe that you own the business. I love that. Because the true owner is also the janitor. I'm hands-on. You're right. I'm up for the middle. I'm gonna steal that line. I'm hands-on. You're like, what are you doing? I'm like, I'm the janitor. I'm doing it all. You see me? I'm doing it all. Doing it all. I love it. So she's awesome. So go buy Shirley's on 13th in Rogers for sure. Okay, but let's dive into the so that's what I was gonna tell you off camera. I've known you for a long time. I've known Joe for a long time. I knew Shelby for a long time. I guess I never looked at the website, which is really bad of me. I just knew y'all.

Speaker 3 2:14

Yes.

Speaker 2 2:14

And I would just call and get flowers. It never dawned on me to look at the website and that there's a history button on the website. So I did you did you know there's an hour story in the history? Oh yes. Oh, okay. Okay. I'm like, wait, which part of there's two. So I was like, I got so fascinated with it. So I know Shirley is still alive. Yes, ma'am. And in her 80s, I think.

Speaker 2:44

Yes.

Speaker 2 2:44

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And she lives in Rogers. Yes. And I see that Joe and Randy go visit her every time they're in town, so which is so wonderful. But her husband was the chief of police in Rogers, and his name was Jack, and their last name was Cole, so it's Jack and Shirley Cole. Yes. And he was the chief of police in Rogers, and then they were moving into leadership roles, and then in 1975, they bought this little tiny florist. Yes. Which is which is insane. Yeah. Insane. And it's still going. And we're on third, I three and a half generations. Yes. I guess you're a half or you're a four. I'm a you know, we'll just I've been there forever. I'm a family. You are family, family. Framily, yeah. Um, but they went into it blindly.

unknown 3:30

Yes.

Speaker 2 3:31

Shirley came from banking. She was not a designer. No.

Speaker 3:35

And she just she's like, I'm just gonna do some flowers today. That sounds fun. I think that's how you get started. I was just gonna be a driver, and the next day I was designed. Oh, good! We're gonna go into that. That's good. I didn't know that.

Speaker 2 3:48

Okay, good. Okay, so then they buy this little flower shop, rename it Shirley's Flowers and Gifts. And then Joe starts there in '79 after coming off of her interior design background. Major. Yeah, I did not know that either, but it does not surprise me.

Speaker 4:05

Decorating malls, doing all that stuff. A mall. Yeah.

Speaker 2 4:08

Decorating a mall for Christmas was doing which was magical in the 70s and 80s. Hard work. I can't even imagine. Magic transformed at malls. And then in 85, Joe and Randy bought it from Jack and Shirley. Yes. And then raised Shelby up in the business as well. And then in 95, you came on the scene.

unknown 4:33

Yeah.

Speaker 2 4:34

I've been around.

From Delivery Driver To Designer

Speaker 4:35

Tell us how that happened. Okay. So I have been in the industry for 35 years, 36 years. And I started out as a driver.

Speaker 2 4:47

So in 95, you just walked in there one day and you're like, I would like to drive for you.

Speaker 4:52

No, I I had started at another flower shop in Castille, Missouri. Okay. But my we lived here in Arkansas when I got married. So then we had a really close friend of ours pass away. And I came into the flower shop and I said, I said, hey, do you mind if I do my friend's flowers?

Speaker 2 5:15

I wish y'all knew Tricia, the way I know Tricia, because not one part of this is shocking.

Speaker 5:20

Not one part. I said, Do you mind if I do the flower arrangement for my friend's funeral? And and they were looking for a designer, and I didn't know that. And so she she said, Oh, sure. Look at you like you were a weirdo. I think the like when you're a floral designer, you know, we all do stuff like that. We're all family. When you're a florist, you just kind of I feel comfortable with it. I just walked in and Joe was like, you know what? Come on in here and you can make it. So I made the floral arrangement. And then she said, Are you looking for a job? I am. And I'm like, you know, sure. Why not? And so I started. My baby was my youngest was six months old. And so I would bring him up there, and he was part, you know, he'd come in the back and I would cry because I'd missed him. And and then we would, my husband would take him back home.

Speaker 2 6:22

Circle of life, because there's still babies up there today.

Speaker 6:25

So he'd come in the shop. You're gonna see babies. Yes, yes. Oh my gosh. Yeah, you didn't know all that, did you?

Speaker 2 6:31

I did not know that. I also like did a Google search yesterday and I felt like such a ding-dong for never looking at the website and the true history of Shirley. So I was like, I knew you'd been there a thousand years, but I wasn't, I didn't realize you started in '95 as a driver.

Speaker 6:47

I was a designer there. Designer, like I where did you drive flowers? So up in Missouri? Yes. I was I was just 16. I was a kid, and and it was a flower shop slash pawn shop. Of course. Monty's flowers in Casper Lizouri. It's no longer there. But because when you think of flowers, you think of pawn too. It's synonymous. So I went in and said, Hey, can I deliver flowers for you?

unknown 7:15

Oh my gosh.

Speaker 7:15

And so I started delivering. Okay. But their designer quit the next day. And so you started tinkering. I just kind of like a customer came in, she left me about myself, and I said, Okay, she said, I want a half dozen roses. And I was like, I'll all right. I'll take care of you. Yeah. And I remembered what she had made, and I just started designing. And she came back. She's like, You're gonna have to make that arrangement again. Let me see that. And so I did, and she was like, Okay, you're a designer. You've got talent for this. And I said, Okay. It is a talent, it is a skill set I do not own at all.

Speaker 2 7:50

I've done it ever since. It's amazing, and I love it. So tell me, this is off subject because every time I pick up flowers from y'all, inevitably I spell the water all over my rubber mats. It's okay, it's my fault, not anyone else's. But in instantly my head goes to the delivery people. I'm like, right? How do they manage this? Now I know y'all got fancy stuff in the back of your vans and all the things now, but in the 90s, no, right?

Speaker 8:19

I know. I did heard back in the day. I would drive all over the place.

Speaker 2 8:26

And I'm sorry, but Castillo does not have many straight or paved roads, probably back then. And we would go, I I mean, if you want to hear my story. The quick one, the quick version.

Speaker 8:37

Oh my goodness. Because we're still on page one of my seven notes. Oh my goodness, it was crazy driving. Were you like I ran out of gas on the side of the road? Oh, okay. And you and like Roaring River spilt spilt water, you know. Dumped them over. Yeah, and you have to bungee cord stuff, you know. That's how you get it. They don't drive around with bungee cord, but maybe for the bands, you'd bungee cord those big, you know, like I don't know how y'all do it, okay. Major arrangements. We would at Shirley's we I've been a part of the weddings and months and doing all that. And that's impressive. But I'm like, I don't even under I can't even wrap my head around all of moving those big containers and yeah, I know how to know how to keep it from falling. Yeah, well, every single time. Unless I'm driving sometimes.

Speaker 2 9:26

Oh sorry, hold on. Whoops, my best. I'll fix it when we get there. It's fine. Okay, and then so you joined in '95 with this hidden talent that you had, untrained, you just developed, just developed, and you've won all kinds of awards.

Speaker 3 9:44

Okay.

Speaker 2 9:45

You're kind of like the Miss America of flowers over and um national recognition, national, that's crazy, and inductioned into AIFD. What does that stand for? So that's the American Institute of Floral Design. Wow. And how does one get recognized and fancy for that?

Speaker 10:05

So you have to you have to test. We do a whole um a written test of everything about the floral industry. Like all these flowers. They are, yes, okay. So you're gonna we do written test and then you have to go to a symposium, and that's where you do like an actual test of if you know your principles and elements of design and all that. And so you're gonna design and they give you like two, two hours maybe to complete three arrangements. Like I did a bright of okay, a you had to copy an arrangement, and then another centerpiece, maybe. I can't remember it's been a minute, but yeah.

Speaker 2 10:46

So I popped in and you have been like braiding vines and leaves and you do some like just wacky out of the the universe type designs. Was any of that for this A-I-F-D?

Speaker 10:59

I mind it. Like I I think I probably weaved some lilygrass and stuff back then. And then everybody. Oh my god, what are we doing? You just learn through the years, which I I've sat on the board for the Arkansas Florist Association, which is huge. Yes, and I went last year with the giant party at this summer. Is it the summer? In August. Okay. We have a big convention, which we're gearing up for this year's convention. So um, and I am past president this year, but I've sit on that board and worked with the association for the whole time I worked at Shirley's. So and you learn, you're educated, and we take our all of our employees, you know, that want to go, and they learn. And um, we have like a master's class, an Arkansas Master Floors class that we and we have someone in right now, one of our designers. That's cool.

Speaker 2 11:51

Yeah.

unknown 11:51

Wow.

Speaker 2 11:52

Yeah. National, fancy, numerous state and floral design titles in 26. And then in 26 you stepped into the role. So which we already knew that, but which is amazing. Um, but I'm just like, wow, you have all these letters after your name. Like, I just make up letters after my name. So if anybody really goes and looks at my signature, I just made up an acronym. I won't say what it is, but somebody could easily figure it out. But um, I just was like, I don't need letters after my name. I'm just gonna make some up, but you have real legit ones. A I F D C D F.

Speaker 12:33

I'm a certified judge, design judge through the ARD Association. Okay, and I have to take you have to take a big test for that as well. So I I um judge competitions. That's awesome. So AMM certified for that. The Arkansas Master Florist. Oh, we just talked about that. I'm an Arkansas Master Florist, and and I said I recently um was voted into the SAF Society of American Florists. I'm in their retail council. Gotta update the website. We don't have that one on here.

Giving Back As A Business Habit

Speaker 2 13:06

That's amazing. I'm just you got all kinds of accolades, which are so deserved. Thank you. They're so deserved. Oh, you're just you're just like an angel inside and out. So I just I love that. I love that so much. And on top of being amazing, Shirley's flowers has been amazing for 50 years, but it doesn't stop with just the flowers, right? Your people, anyone that comes in the door becomes family instantly, but you also give back to the community. Yes. So over a half a million dollars has been donated, or in flowers has been donated back to the Northwest Arkansas community. Many of them are our partners as well, like Sunshine and School and Development Center, the Children's Shelter, which is now Ever Hope, Mercy Hospital Foundation, Charity Ball, you always go all out for that. Crystal Bridges, like there's so I don't really know what event I go to and I don't see Shirley's flowers.

Speaker 1 14:09

Yeah.

Speaker 14:10

We we're part of the community. I love giving back. And and I'm always, you know.

Speaker 2 14:16

Don't say no, but don't go calling her all the time. She doesn't say no, but that doesn't mean take advantage of it.

Speaker 14:23

I just love, you know, helping everyone. I try to do my best to you do to help everyone.

Speaker 2 14:30

Is it hard to do your daily job with because everyone wants to see you? I know I've gotten, I've tried to let go when I walk in the door of can I see Tricia? And try to just let other people help me. Because I'm like, they're there too, they're just as valuable, you're just my person. And I'm slowly but surely letting go. But is it hard to get your daily job done? Whatever that looks like, because I know it changes every day.

Speaker 14:57

Every day it is different, but I enjoy it. I enjoy the customers. And sometimes I just come up there and just wait on customers just because I can see that I enjoy being part of all of it. So sometimes I might work later. Yeah. And sometimes I get up early in the morning and I'm doing wedding proposals, you know, at home. I'll just be working on it. But I do that so that I can be part of every all of the Do you still get in there and do arrangements?

Speaker 2 15:29

I do. Do you do like how many arrangements do you personally do a day? Do you think anymore?

Speaker 15:37

So I'm not able to do it as much. Right. But I do like once or twice a week, I'm coming in and I'm helping the girls.

Speaker 3 15:45

Uh-huh.

Speaker 15:45

So I'll get in there and get involved with it. And then so when customers come in and I take their order up front, I'm like, give me just a second, I can do it. Cause I want to take it, because it's personal. If I if I just waited on you, I want to be the person to make your flowers.

Speaker 2 16:02

Sometimes you have to say no. The girls are like, and you don't have time for that. I will handle it. Yeah.

Speaker 16:07

So they'll say that to me, like, you need to get you. I have some other things to do. Yeah. Like, I know. Do you miss this? I knew. Yeah. But I still can just go up there and do it whenever I want. And then when we have big events or it's busy, it's holidays, so Mother's Day, Valentine's, all of those. I just I don't book anything for that week. So I can be up there and I can design with them. Yeah. Then they're like, you know what, you're being called a million different things.

Speaker 2 16:35

You are. I that's why I'm like, do you even do an arrangement a day from start to finish? Do you even do one arrangement?

Speaker 16:44

Sometimes I don't, I'm not able to do one. That's hard.

Speaker 2 16:47

But because you are, you're like Oh, Tricia, someone's here to see you. Oh Tricia, oh, phone call.

Speaker 16:52

Oh, sign off on this bill or do some business back office work for something. Maybe work in the office more. That was a hard thing to start when I've talked about transitioning to that. And I want to be up there designing all the time. Because that's your heart. Yes. Yeah. And people are your heart too. Yes. Yeah. I love, I love the customers.

Speaker 2 17:16

What is um so someone comes in and says, I just need something. Do you automatically know what that something is in your head?

Speaker 17:29

I mean, I'm kind of creating it right now. Right. You can't, can't you?

Speaker 2 17:35

Okay.

Speaker 17:35

And I'm just gonna ask you a few things, you know, like what would be your favorite color? Yeah. Or her, you know, like what is there a certain flower that she likes? Yeah. And I can already and you already basically know what it's gonna look like. Yeah. Creating it in your mind. Do you ever get stumped on creativity? Sometimes. Do you? You know, like if you're um if we if I we're tired and you know, we have the best team. You do, you do have a great team.

Speaker 2 18:03

And y'all should go follow their socials because not only do they work hard, but they party hard. Party hard in that flower shop.

Speaker 18:12

Yeah, we have fun.

Speaker 2 18:13

Yes.

Speaker 18:14

Because sometimes you just have to like take a break. Sometimes I'm like, come on, let's walk around the block. I feel like y'all have to do it. And so I'm like, come on, everybody, let's go. We're gonna go outside and we're gonna walk around the block. So if you guys see Charlie's out there walking around the block. Or my niece has um had us go out there and do a relay race, and I couldn't walk for a week, I think. And you can go back on reels, I guess, and look at that. But I was I was like, you know what? I'm not gonna be able to participate in those games again because I'm just not fit enough to try to be on you, but maybe that's the goal.

Speaker 1 18:51

Maybe that's the goal. You're gonna be like Buck Granny or something next year when she's like, hey, Olympics 2.0.

Speaker 2 18:59

Yeah, yeah. Oh, I love her. She's transformed your social media. Yes, she's amazing. Yeah, I should have her come hang out with because she's poor little Ashley. She's um she's stretched thin, and so and I kind of semi-detest social media. You kind of do too, sometimes. And so I'm like, I don't really, I just don't want to create it or it's just it's another job, right?

Speaker 19:25

At times, you know, like so when I before she came along, I was trying to post and do all that. And so um she she went back to the area and she worked there when she was a young, young girl with me. So she was excited to come back. She's done amazing, yeah. And she so she picked that up and she does such a good job. She's just wonderful. And she comes up with such I don't know how she does. That's it. I think that she just it's you know, that younger generation, that's all they do. They and they're they're excited to learn new things and they'll run it past me, or sometimes they're sneaking them in on me. And I'm not for sure what I'm doing.

Speaker 2 20:03

They're like, stand here and smile.

Speaker 20:05

You're like, what is about to happen to me? Like they blindfolded me one day and was like, and you're gonna be like, Oh, you had to put an arrangement together, didn't you? Like, I'm sure I can do it. Yes, it's amazing.

Shop Culture And Social Media Joy

Speaker 2 20:16

You can do it. I think there's nothing you can do. I it's just it's so inspiring. I love it. But like watching your socials is like a giant smile. That's what I like about it. Yeah, you don't have to think you just you just watch what y'all are doing and you just smile because y'all are having fun. I love that. Where do you find inspiration for these arrangements? I think it in just every day.

Speaker 20:38

Every day nature and and the beauty of all of it, you know. Um, but we do we do a lot of education and and things to keep up with all the trends and everything that's going on. So we search all the you know the new things that are out there.

Speaker 2 20:55

Do you go to like a flower market? Like people go to like gift market.

Speaker 21:00

I mean, y'all do have gift. Yes, there is a flower market in Dallas that we go to, and so you're gonna catch the new trends and everything that's coming on. Um and then, you know, your color palettes and and like with the wedding, it's always trending, you know, something new.

Speaker 1 21:18

Uh-huh.

Speaker 21:18

And so all the big bouquets that had all the greenery that we've done for years, it's starting to transition out. So, you know, so we then you just have to start researching and doing uh seeing why all is out there that's changing. But when when you go to symposium like AFD symposium, and we go to the um Arkansas Florist Association conventions, then we're learning the new trends as well. So we keep up with all the all the new trends and everything that's coming on.

Speaker 2 21:46

Does is it cyclical like fashion?

Speaker 21:49

Yes. Okay. Yeah. Really? Yeah. So back in the 90s, you know, everybody had just the bouquets with no greenery and the wedding bouquets and stuff. Like that.

Speaker 2 22:00

Okay.

Speaker 22:01

I could just picture just they seem the early 2000s. I'm probably just trailing. That was in the 90s, so I'm just thinking I'm older than what I think I am. Same. Same. And in the 2000s, you know, they went, and then all of a sudden the European bouquets came in the hand tides.

Speaker 2 22:18

Okay, yes.

Speaker 22:18

Mine was real small.

Speaker 2 22:19

Right.

Speaker 22:20

So they went with that and no greenery. Yes. It was just a pretty ball of flowers. So now that trend's coming back, which it went from that to all the greenery and everything lush, and now it's going back trending to more of a clean line, and you're going back to the whites and the no greenery with it.

Speaker 2 22:39

Which I'm okay to make a change for I can't even picture greenery in a bouquet at a wedding anymore. Like it doesn't. Plus, I haven't been to a wedding in a hundred years because I'm old, but it's transitioning now. Remember that plastic thing? The nosegate.

Speaker 22:56

And it had the drape thing.

Speaker 2 22:58

It'd be like this plastic thing bouquets. That's what you held. And I was like, I mean, I didn't do it, but um Yeah, that's what like dynasty is what I have in. Yes, yes.

Speaker 23:07

The big uh that was the 90s. That's what I had when I got married. Did you have a bunch of fluff too? I had a hat. Oh the fat. Hoofie. I wish I shouldn't. And the flowers in it. Oh my goodness. Yeah. We don't want to see that. I think we do. I love all that.

Speaker 2 23:31

Are there any rules in floral design? Do y'all have rules?

Speaker 23:36

There is rules. Really? That's why I went to c what I went to class for to learn the rules. You know, you have complementary colors that so if you're thinking of color palettes, it's like an art. You they have to complement each other or like red and green complement each other. Okay. And that's why you see that in Christmas, the red and greens, because they complement blue and orange. You know, so there is rules in color palette.

Speaker 2 24:06

Is there what's the like number one flower rule that you don't break? What's the like most sacred? Is there a sacred rule? You're like, oh, that goes against our floral code.

Speaker 24:21

So like it's like one of my big heads. What leaves no is like if you're doing like a bright colored arrangement, uh-huh. I'm not gonna throw it bright.

Speaker 2 24:33

I mean, this is bright.

Speaker 24:33

This is more of like a pastel bright color, but um, like this white, you don't you can't really see it, so it's not popping out, but it's just a all one solid color kind of. Uh-huh. But if I was doing a bright color arrangement with all reds and yellows and just doing something bright, I wouldn't throw a white, like those white hydrangeas or something like that in there because it's gonna diminish your color. Oh, interesting. So I and so the color palettes are very big for me, like important. And when you're judging competition, you're gonna get marked off for those colors. Yeah. If your color palette isn't correct, you will definitely be scored lower. That you have to have line in your arrangement. Line, you have to have depth and movement in your arrangement. So there is a lot of rules, and you have to learn you need to if you're a good designer, so that you're able to create.

Speaker 2 25:29

Because I because a lot of people in the universe are like me. They're like, I ain't gonna do this. No, I cannot. I'm like, I've seen people put tape and I've thrown my gotten emptied my flowers, and I'm like, I see y'all's little tape grid in there. I can do this, and I'm like, wow, that's special.

Speaker 25:48

It's like me and the cakes. I thought I could make a cake too. If you see our social media from yesterday, and I'm making cake for one of those girls, one of those ladies of the shop. Not a baker. Okay, that's fine. We all have our own skills. I'm not a sweet baker because you gotta measure. That cake kind of fell apart.

Speaker 2 26:08

I'm not a measurer.

Speaker 26:10

I'm like in a hurry. Okay, I'm sure.

Speaker 2 26:12

I don't know what that you made a cake in the morning?

Speaker 26:16

Yes. Janna's birthday was yes, we celebrated it Tuesday, so I got up early to bake her German chocolate cake. We celebrate everybody's birthday.

Speaker 2 26:24

Everybody's birthdays, yes.

Speaker 26:26

Okay, and I didn't wait for it to cool off, so it fill apart. And I just kind of slapped that stuff on in there.

Speaker 2 26:34

Still warm, try it. It probably tasted really good when it was warm.

Speaker 26:39

I was off yesterday when I came back today. There was no cake in there, so we're good. Mission accomplished.

Speaker 2 26:44

But if you do need a good German chocolate cake, call me. I don't do it, but I can tell you where to order it. Oh, I'm not even kidding. The cake occasion. She has the very best chocolate cake, German chocolate cake, and carrot cake. That's what I because I go to Shelby Lens for every all my other cakes.

Speaker 27:04

Okay, yes. Because uh, some of them some of our girls, that's what they like is German chocolate. Take occasion. It knocks it out of the park. I'm not even kidding. She's the very best. Two more coming up that like that. Okay. The German chocolate. Yes.

Speaker 2 27:17

I also have a homemade recipe that is not pretty. It's so feeling I can't do it. It takes a box. Let me I say it's semi-homemade. Let me see. This one just lives in a nine by thirteen. Okay. And it is heaven in a nine by thirteen, but it is not pretty, it is not presentation worthy, but it's divine. Okay. Yes, I will.

Speaker 27:40

I can send you that. Now we do have that cake, and I, you know, it's hard. I'm not a baker in any shape. I can make your flowers all day long.

Speaker 2 27:48

All day long. You can even make a cake shape.

Speaker 27:51

I even sew some, but doanna cake is not my forte.

Flower Meanings And Color Signals

Speaker 2 27:57

I love that. I love that. Oh, here's a good one that I grew up with, and we'll probably touch on it in Mother's Day. But do different flowers still have symbolic meanings? And I can halfway answer this because every year we send plants to our clients from you all. And I had this genius idea one year to send peace lilies for a peaceful new year. No, Tricia shot me down and told me I was sending them all sympathy because that's what you send to funerals.

Speaker 28:31

And I was like, I think that that's what people think about me sending peace lily. It didn't even be like I love peace lilies, and then I can have them in my office, and you know, we can do that.

Speaker 2 28:42

And I have a hard time killing a peace lily. So I thought this was good for everybody, and you're like, you're sending them to Casey, you can't do that. Like, oh, it's really not the end of the day. I feel bad about the peace lily. We love the peace lily.

Speaker 28:55

Yeah. But they are a candle that didn't even. You see them a lot at at funerals and people take them home. Yes. They love them and didn't even occur to me. But sometimes that's what they associate the peace lily with.

Speaker 2 29:08

So do we still have that in flowers? In flowers. And I feel like at Mother's Day, like I said, we'll touch on this. There used to be this old thing of like white, white, yellow, and something meant something. Your mom was still alive.

Speaker 29:21

White means your mother has passed, passed away. Okay. And red means that she saw blood flowing. You know, she's still there.

Speaker 2 29:29

Oh, that makes sense.

Speaker 29:29

So white. Was it not a yellow? I mean yellow is for friendship. Oh, friendship. Okay. So yellow is a color. It's for friendship. Oh, red. Like love in your interesting.

Speaker 2 29:41

Okay. Yeah, don't send piece of lilies to your friends. So that's why.

Speaker 1 29:46

Is there anything new upset at and you just want to send a message? Maybe shooting your peace on the other side.

Speaker 2 29:58

Um but do are there any do flower do people even care about the flower colors anymore? Like of like this means the symbolic similism that's going to be. I don't feel like people call except for Valentine's Day.

Speaker 30:15

And and I don't even, I don't think that people actually ask for symbolic.

Speaker 3 30:21

Okay.

Speaker 30:22

Now I know that like on an everyday basis, if a guy comes in and and he's wanting roses, and I'm like, would you like red roses? And he's like, oh no. You have him, I've had them say that. Oh no, it's not that serious yet. Oh, that's funny. I wonder at what so it crosses over to it's serious, we can go to red rose.

Speaker 2 30:44

I know, right? What do we go with? Pink?

Speaker 30:46

Yeah, they'll go with like a pink or a you know, like I don't even know that they go to white. They're gonna do like a pink, a yellow. Okay, you know, and sometimes they'll be like, let's mix those colors. Maybe just one rose in there, it's fine, or like a couple.

Speaker 2 31:00

One rose means I love you, doesn't it?

Speaker 31:02

A red rose.

Speaker 2 31:03

Just one red rose means I love you.

Speaker 31:05

So they're some guys are like they know that, so they're like, no, I'm just gonna skip that right now. Let's do something else. Do you laugh? Not that dedicated. I would totally laugh, but not making fun, but just that I get tickled. There's conviction in there. And you can always see my expressions of people, if you come in, please. I try not to let my expressions show, but sometimes. So I might would laugh. I love that. And be like, uh, so you're not that serious.

Speaker 2 31:33

All right, so we're not getting married tomorrow.

Speaker 31:35

Got it. Okay. But when you are ready for that, we've got all of those red roses for you.

Black Roses And Painted Blooms

Speaker 2 31:42

I love that. That's a good that touches on memorable stories. Dis is good. What's the most unusual unusual request you've had in your 30 years?

Speaker 3 31:57

What?

Speaker 2 31:58

I don't know. Really? I mean, I don't know. Has anyone just been like I don't know, like the most off-the-wall order?

Speaker 32:07

Does anybody order black? There is people like back a long time ago when people called and asked for black, you were like, Oh, that means Does that mean like we're mad at you? It used to. Okay. I it meant death. You're right. Black. Yeah. So you you'd be like, no, we can't do that. You're trying to. And unripped. Are you mad at that person? Do you have a Ouija? Why were you sitting black? Because I feel like you're that's being ugly. Yes. But you know what? It's popular now. They colour black and people like that. So we will get black roses in just for holiday. Is it black rose?

Speaker 2 32:47

Ish? There's a they don't come naturally.

Speaker 32:52

Oh, you can't do that. But they can be dipped before they at the far. You know, they'll send it to us like that. Interesting. Yeah. Now I can spray paint it all day long, people. Does it stay? It's gonna stir it. But it's a little strong, you know. There might be some aromas. But do you paint flowers every now and then? Now you can. There is a a paint that's just for flowers. It's called just for flowers. Amazing. And so, like, if you have a hydrangea that needs to go into the purple, if I don't have a purple hydrangea, I can kind of airbrush it where you wouldn't even know that it was that color. Oh wow. And then we're all gonna be running out by them, you know. But we do I do airbrush stuff. And you know, we just got new white doors on the back. And the girls were like, great, when can we paint those? We stay away from white doors. I better not see paint on them. No, please. Yeah, I find a box to paint in. I don't think. Don't paint those doors, please. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 33:58

Says the owner. Please, please be careful of all the things now. Well, you don't have some crazy flower story where like you went down and they were all remember that movie, American pie, like okay.

Speaker 34:14

Well, if you want to know stuff like that, one year about at Mother's Day, we were extremely busy and we had a big event, like a wedding or something. I don't even know if I should be talking about it, but it happened. Well, you don't have to say what it is. It could have been a wedding or nonprofit event. But the the semi that we had rented had the cooler froze.

unknown 34:34

Froze.

Speaker 34:35

And so when you walk in, they were all dead, everything was froze solid. And so, Joe, at the time, you know, we she we were she was calling everybody and getting flowers FedExed in so that we could and and we were all like crying. For sure, crying, but you know, like so sad because we have to do it. We have to like literally and it's Mother's Day week, we had to flip it and still work. So you're gonna work later at night. We're gonna work hard to to fix that. And we were just like devastated, but we of course you fixed that. Yes, we had it all, nobody even knew that we that it happened. Now I have alarm systems on everything.

Speaker 2 35:17

So if you on those fancy trucks that you all bring in, they have alarm systems.

Speaker 35:21

I have an alarm system that wakes me if it even drops to a certain temperature. Oh my gosh! And I will go up in the middle of the night.

Speaker 2 35:30

As an owner does.

Speaker 35:32

Yes. Uh-huh. I've done it for years. I'll go up in the middle of the night if it drops to a certain level.

Speaker 2 35:38

So those trucks are there all the time?

Speaker 35:40

We just have them during the holidays. Oh, okay.

Speaker 2 35:42

That's what I was I was but I don't want to Are they the same trucks or is it just one company? You're like, okay, it's Valentine's or it's like. It's one company that we use and they bring them each time.

Speaker 35:53

Okay. And they're amazing. That's nice. So yeah. Wow. And you know, one time I had a big M that I was making, you know, for a um for a wedding that had all this, it was solid M with flowers on it. And I, you know, was out looking and I had it turned back on the opposite side.

Speaker 1 36:18

You decorated the back of it? Nice.

Speaker 36:21

Yeah, you know, those things happening. And so then you just sit there and shake your head, like, why didn't I s I spend all day on that? And I'm gonna spend another day fixing it. Yeah, it happens. Have you dropped something?

Speaker 2 36:36

Like, have you put something grandiose together and you turn around and it just goes through your hands?

Speaker 36:45

Yeah. Okay. One time I had this big bouquet and it was for an event or a wedding, and it was on a pedestal and it the customer brought the vase in, so it was their container. One even better. You know, it happens, it's crazy. So I was walking with this, holding this one like in my hand and holding the bottom of it. But as I'm walking, and it was, I mean, it was a humongous arrangement, and they're all like, be careful with it. And I'm like, I am it screwed off of the pedestal. Like it was, you know, like it's supposed to be attached. Oh. Like it was supposed to be, I would assume, completely attached to that. That vase sitting on top of that is, you know, you can't. It was made to go together. Yes. The glass to be on there solid. And that arrangement went flying the top of it. Went and I was trying to catch it, but I didn't pedestal in my hand. Well, that arrangement just took flight. Yeah. As I was trying to catch it as it was going to the floor, and it was there was nothing I could do. Oh. If there would have been camera back then. Oh, that's unfortunate. Everywhere like we have now, you know. Oh, that's I know you guys are knowing way too much about the back side of the top floor.

Speaker 2 38:17

It's surreal, because otherwise, I mean, it is so magical, but it's fun to know the behind-the-scenes funny stories that you live and learn and you laugh about later. Yeah. Because that's all you can do.

How Flowers Are Shipped And Processed

Speaker 38:31

But what I I laugh about it because yeah, I'm I'm a one that we can cry about it, but we're not going to be able to do it. We don't cry about it. I'm just like, okay, I'm gonna have to fix that and we're gonna have to figure something else out. So we're moving right along. Have you ever run out of flammers? Not completely, but we have been low at times. So you have to say, I am so sorry. We don't have that color. But you can come in the cooler and look at whatever you would like. We can make something for you.

Speaker 3 39:01

Uh-huh.

Speaker 39:01

So we try to, we always try to have a lot on the colour.

Speaker 2 39:06

Are there basics like hydrangeas and roses of every color?

Speaker 39:11

Like we always have ranunculas, we have pincushion prote. We have a lot to choose from. So, you know, it's a lot of fun.

Speaker 2 39:19

That's a science too. Ordering the right flower, the right quantity, yes, and the right time frame. And I'm still just amazed of how the flowers come in. Right. And that they go in the cooler, and then you do your magic, and then somebody receives it. It's such it feels like a very long time frame. Even though it's very short. Right. In reality, it's so much longer than I can wrap my head around. Right. To be honest. And they come in sometimes.

Speaker 39:56

They're gonna be wrapped in these crazy wraps in paper, and that protects them on their when they're being shipped. So we have a semi that comes which is short. We also we do hostel flowers for you know, like for the do-it-yourself rides for um the freelancers. So we have a lot of that that comes out of the shop as well. But we have a shipment that comes, and so we have someone that just processes. We have to clean the buckets.

Speaker 2 40:25

You're oh yes, it's a whole process back there. You showed me that.

Speaker 40:28

It's a process, you and the buckets have to be cleaned so they don't have bacteria, which is wild to me. We put a pres like a uh flower food that helps the flowers last longer. So um, if you don't use that, then they don't last as long. Which is ironic because you don't have a green thumb at all.

Speaker 2 40:46

I don't have a green thumb though. No, but I can keep fresh flowers. I know! It's the craziest thing, and I'm like, this isn't working. I don't know what to tell you, Casey. I know it came from here. I know it came. But you and I are the same. We don't have green thumbs. I will successfully say I have kept multiple plants alive. You're good. Some of you will, I don't know. It's just because I can do orchids at the life.

Speaker 41:09

I can keep an orchid alive like that's the bane of my existence. You just don't water it. But then I don't do they regrow? I mean, they bloom for you? They will re-bloom. You have to keep them in the light, you know, like keep them into not at all, no.

Speaker 2 41:24

And then the leaves just pop out, and I'm like, well, you're dead. You're best. You're not gonna make it, you're not gonna make it. No, every time I do orchids for me, I'm like, this is the year. Everyone says, don't touch you, just ignore you, or go get an ice cube. And I'm like, everyone's a liar. It's you're a liar if you told me to water, you're a liar if you told me to add um an ice cube, and you're a liar if you told me to ignore it. I just I can't do it. And you can do orchids. I can grow orchids. That's amazing. Yeah, huh? Impressive.

Speaker 41:59

But a green plant, I think because it needs more water. Yeah.

Speaker 2 42:04

But I like it when y'all send what to do. Yes. I do like that. We we ordered something a few years ago from you, and it came with instructions, and I'm like, light minimal water once a week. Got it. And they're still alive. Yeah. Yeah. And the snake plants are still alive too. One of them is it's really tall. I feel like I'm gonna win a Guinness record or something.

Speaker 42:30

I have the I have that at home too. I'm very proud of myself. Keep that alive. Yeah.

Favorite Flowers And The Rose Debate

Speaker 2 42:37

I don't see any wood. We'll just pretend this is wood. Okay. Before we end this one and go to part two where we're gonna talk about Mother's Day and weddings and all the fun things. What's your favorite flower? My favorite color. It's like picking a kid, isn't it?

Speaker 42:57

No, I have my favorite flower. You really do. I love the daffodil. It's happy. I just love how it brings life in springtime and it just is happy. I'm a very the daffodil is my favorite flower.

Speaker 2 43:10

I love that. I never knew that, but as soon as you say it, I'm like not at all surprised.

Speaker 43:15

Yeah.

Speaker 2 43:15

So this is off subject for a second because that's who I am. Am I making it up that the Gerber Daisy was pretty synonymous with Shirley's?

Speaker 43:24

The Gerber, yes. Okay. We love the Gerber Daisy.

Speaker 2 43:27

Okay, yes. Yes. Okay, I'm not making that up.

Speaker 43:29

No, we've used the Gerber for as long as I can remember.

Speaker 2 43:33

Yeah. Okay. Was that and it's bright colors. Was that Shirley's favorite flower?

Speaker 43:38

Where did that come from, do you think? I feel like it's bright, and all of us just love the bright color of a daisy too. So and I'm pretty sure Joe and Randy, they love the Gerber as well. Okay. So I think that's part of, you know, like even our It's in the logo.

Speaker 2 43:56

It's in the logo with like they're coming up behind the trillies. Yes.

Speaker 44:00

And I remember I feel like Shelby had Shelby did that logo. Yeah. Shelby loved the Gerber. She she loved the Rununculus. So I love Rinoculus too. But yeah, she was part of that redoing.

Speaker 2 44:13

So Daffodil and Gerber.

Speaker 44:15

What's the most overrated flower? The most overrated? Is there one? I don't know. I I think everybody wants a rose for everything, you know, like men do in general. They're always like, oh, let's just send roses. But well, like when my husband on our anniversary through the years, and he's he knows that yellow is my favorite color. So the first thing he's gonna send me is a bouquet of yellow roses. Oh. When when really sweet our anniversaries in springtime of my favorite flowers are daffodils. So why would you not send me a bouquet of daffodils?

Speaker 1 44:51

Can you send a bouquet of daffodils? Yes. You can. Yeah.

Speaker 44:54

I didn't I would never in the springtime, like we are I try to keep them in stock because I love them. Okay.

unknown 45:02

Okay.

Speaker 45:03

And they they're the first thing that blooms in spring. So wild brings such, you know, color and life to everything.

unknown 45:12

Oh.

Speaker 45:12

And you know that there's a change coming. Yeah. When you see that definitely. But we're not wrong. You're either gonna get froze to death the next day. That's very true.

Speaker 2 45:22

They have such a short lifespan because they're like, here I am. And it's coming tomorrow. Yeah. It's very sad to me. It's happy when I see them. And then you're like, oh my goodness, I hope it doesn't freeze. Oh, dang. So, so maybe the rose is the most overrated, but not in a negative way. Just the go-to.

Speaker 45:48

I just think there's some other flowers that you can send because, you know, like, does she really like the rose? A lot of girls don't like roses. They would prefer to have like a, you know, just a beautiful bouquet of flowers, ranunculus and hydrangeas or hyacinth. We have hyacinth in right now, but you know, just a variety of flowers instead of just your plain roses. Yes. Now I love the rose.

Speaker 2 46:14

I yes, we are not taking away from the rose. We're just simply saying there's other things to complement. Yeah. And to mix it with this. Yes. It's beautiful. It's beautiful with other flowers. Because every time I send flower or email y'all, right? I have this like, and I used great florist and Tulsa before I moved here, like Tony's. Oh, Tony's a bit. And you all. So I'm like, I know, but I have this fear of like an FTD. Oh. But not bad either. But just bad, but I don't, it's the cheese balls. Yes. You know? I don't like the dog. Like clean, clean. Uh every arrangement description for me starts with clean. Yes. Probably no baby's breath. I don't say that, but that's what's in my head when I mean clean. Yes. But I don't know what else I mean.

Speaker 47:05

But just baby's breath is really popular right now.

Speaker 2 47:08

I'm not surprised.

Speaker 47:09

And so cyclical. I just, you know, at times I love it. At times in certain things. I'm sure y'all have amazing magical ways to make baby's breath. In certain ways, I love the baby's breath, but it's not something I use every day. It has to go in a certain way. That's the 80s for me. Right. Roses and baby's breath.

Make Flowers Last Longer At Home

Speaker 2 47:32

Uh-huh. That's a little too much. Okay. One last thing, one last question. Before we end part one. What is one tip to make flowers last longer at home? There's a lot of myths out there.

Speaker 47:48

But if you will change the water every day.

Speaker 2 47:52

Y'all have a tape grid in there, which makes that difficult. I don't know. Just take them and I've already dumped them in the car. So it shouldn't be a problem. I should fill those back up. You really think I can just hold it and dip it and and I'm a typing would be able to do that. Yeah, I know, you would. You have skills.

Speaker 48:16

Special. You just kind of sometimes when I design, I I don't do the tape grid.

Speaker 2 48:23

You probably don't need the tape grid.

Speaker 48:25

Because I know you're the master flavors at this point. Costume really well. And and sometimes I'll put a little zippy tie in there so that they're tight and you could just pop them up and sound. That would be amazing.

Speaker 2 48:37

It really is changing the water.

Speaker 48:39

It's changing the water. Is that daily? Because it bacteria grows in the water. So and then use the little packet. Sometimes they'll you really should use those flower food packets? Just a little bit in them because it helps really last longer. Actually it's okay. So like it's like a citrus. Uh-huh. You know, like and it can't- You know, I always heard put Sprite or 7 up in your because it has citrus in it, I would assume.

Speaker 2 49:02

That's the myth I always heard. Yeah. Huh. Really is the what changing of the border.

Speaker 49:07

You just don't so it's gonna grow bacteria really quick.

Speaker 2 49:10

Oh, okay.

Speaker 49:10

And the bacteria is what kills the flowers. So if you change that water out and put fresh water in it, it doesn't get slimy, and so you're keeping them fresh. Okay. How many how often? I would say at least every other day.

unknown 49:25

Oh bless it. Okay.

Speaker 49:26

You know, like I would you're gonna see the water get a little cloudy. Cloudy. So maybe dump it and make sure you keep it watered. Yes. And keep it in a cooler area. So some people will take them and put them on a where the vent's blowing and it's heat. Oh, that makes sense. You know, they're gonna die really quick.

Speaker 2 49:48

So, like, okay, I said one last question, but we're still on that. Okay. So this rose. When did this rose get cut before it made its way to you? When did it get cut?

Speaker 50:00

So I'm assuming, like this one right now, this rose. Uh-huh. Sure. I'm assuming this came they so they're gonna cut it at the farm, uh-huh, and then we have it shipped directly to us from the farm. So I would say a week before we like the week before, they were gonna be processing all that. Then it comes to us, but they come dry packed.

Speaker 2 50:20

I know, which is amazing.

Speaker 50:21

So they're they're gonna be dry packed, and the minute we cut them, we put them in water. And so it's gonna then take on water, and then they'll last. This is still like you're gonna fill it, it's still hard. So these roses are gonna last still another week. That's crazy. They're gonna open up that you know. It is open, but they're gonna open up bigger than that. Okay, the tulips kind of grow to the light, so oh, and there's a light. I've moved that a few times since I've been here.

Speaker 2 50:51

I know they see things that we don't sing. I love that. Okay, so add some citrus, I guess. Add some flower food, change your water every other day. That is going to be insanely difficult for me. But I will attempt to try from here on out.

Speaker 51:06

Yeah, you just gotta grab one side of it and dump it.

Part Two Tease And Final Wrap

Speaker 2 51:11

I'm sure I'll break a paste. It's fine. My flowers will go everywhere. Be like, Tricia said so. Just carefully do it. Thank you for joining me on part one. I'm excited for part two. I hope you all will join us for part two. We're gonna dive into all things Mother's Day and wedding trends and floral trends, which I'm not getting married, but I think it's going to be super fun to listen to. And I hope you might have a like a bridezilla story or two about because those are always fun. I'm sure I was a looney tune as well when almost 20 years ago. So we'll see. Anyways, thank you for joining me on part one. I hope you stuck with us this long. I say that every time, and I'll say it at the very end of part two because I just love my people that come in here. So also don't forget to stop by Walmart and get your Hershey salty snacks. You always need dots, homestyle pretzels, and skinny pop and some pirates booty. I'm sure your grandkids love pirates booty because who doesn't? So stop by your local Walmart and pick up those snacks, and we will see you next time. Keep inspiring the culture of giving. Thank you.

Speaker 52:21

Thank you.