02/17/2021
As I enjoyed my first Valentines day off in 12 years, I spent a little time reflecting on my life at Roses and More. While I didn't miss the stress, the panic, the exhaustion, the body screaming to stop, the demands that you can drown in and all the missed time with my family. I did miss the excitement, the surprised faces, the grateful recipients, the maniacal laughs and tears of frustration shared with co-workers and the sense of accomplishment getting something beautiful out the door.
I've been meaning to write this post for almost a month now and keep coming up short with the right things to say so I'm going to keep it simple. If you haven't heard (and you're still reading this) we have shut down the business and closed the doors for good. It has been a very emotionally tough process closing this chapter of my life - I've been in and out of this flower game since I was 16!
With this 'rona' business (events cancelled, industry changes etc..)
a new grandchild on the way, and the loss of two of my favorite work people whom I love - one getting out of the industry to move on to better things a few years ago (Deanna Murdoch) and the other who fought the good fight but eventually lost her battle with cancer (Diane Watson) 🖤 I have found that my heart just wasn't in the game anymore and it was time to move on. Time to relax for a bit and see what life throws at me!
I do want to take a moment to thank this beautiful valley for all your amazing support over the years. We couldn't have been such a successful store without you!
From babies being born to honoring the life of a loved one, the birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, all the holidays, the pick me ups, the the get well soon's, the hope to get lucky's the break ups and the thinking of yous - I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing us to be a part of all those moments with you! Some of those moments have become some of my favorite memories - from delivering to the naked guy running across his living room to crying with you at your doorstep, many of you have left a lasting impression!
From our Care Home Fridays (we donated all our 'leftovers' to the care facilities in Duncan every week) to our 'lonely bouquets' left around the valley for someone to find, our weekly Facebook friend rose winners, our endless giveaways and our hundreds of donations to just about any group who asked, we hope that somehow we shared a little happiness with flowers!
We have developed many great relationships over the years that are hard to say goodbye to - people in the industry, local businesses and charities and our customers. The hardest part I think, is saying goodbye to you, our customers. The ones who made us your go to flower shop, who stuck with us year after year - some who I only heard from once a year but I looked forward to that call every Christmas or Mothers day year after year. The ones who made us cry and the ones who made us laugh - who shared their stories and lives with us, the ones that came in as a customer but became our friends. I will miss you most!
Even though we can no longer provide you with beautiful flowers and gifts, I hope you continue to buy flowers for yourself and send flowers every chance you get!
“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
― Claude Monet
