By Sue Moore
“Roses say love on Valentine’s Day,” exclaims Jill Lindsley, owner of Rosewood Flower Shop in Vicksburg for the last 16 years.
“Most people don’t get flowers very often so it’s a genuine treat on what is usually a gray, cold, winter day,” she says. “There is nothing like fresh flowers. It makes you feel so good. Even men can enjoy them through their sense of smell. I’ve noticed they will take a little sniff of the stock in the store when I’m not looking.”
Taking care of the flowers that have been gifted to that special person is very important she says. You need a good quality product to begin with, so she buys from what she considers to be the best growers. Taking care of the flowers while they are in the shop is also important. When they do leave her premises, she advises re-cutting the stems and using flower preservative that comes with the order.
“I’ve had a passion for flowers all my life. You just get sucked into it. I started at Park Lane Florists, 27 years ago with John Brown. Then I moved to the East Coast and Florida, only to find out they do things differently in the flower business there. The shops have different styles for special occasions. Plus, the last few years, technology and the economy have impacted the flower business. People don’t want to invest so much in funeral arrangements. Hospital stays are so much shorter, you can’t get flowers to them before they are out the door,” she says.
The industry has had to adjust to keep up with it and for that reason, she opened Rosewood Café in the front of her building on Main Street. There she offers fresh bake goods every day, specialty coffee, along with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.