Pamper someone (or yourself) with flowers, chocolate, popcorn and more
By Natalie Reidford
Spring is upon us, and local flower and gift shops are gearing up for flower-giving holidays: Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, to name a few. Read on to find out what’s in stores for spring 2021.
Rosie’s Shirts & Gift Shop
Rosie Bridges, owner of Rosie’s Shirts and Gift Shop, started her Loogootee business in her parents’ basement in 1988. Within six months, she had moved out and has been in her current location at 215 N. John F. Kennedy Ave. for more than 30 years.
Bridges started with T-shirts, which still make up a large portion of her business, but has expanded through the years. Her shop now offers silk screening and embroidery for any quantity, as well as gift items and flowers. She owns two lots next to her shop that are empty after the 2014 fire and is waiting on city approval to construct greenhouses. They will supplement the one she has at her house, where she grows items for potted plants and baskets.
Saddles and side pieces made in-house are big sellers around Memorial Day, bringing customers from as far as Kentucky.
Rosie’s shop is family-owned, employing family members including her daughter Chassidy Collins.
Lydia’s Flowers
Lydia’s Flowers, at 927 N. Seventh St. in Vincennes, is owned by Pamela Corrona. She began working there in 1986 and bought the business in 1990. Her store sells lots of floral arrangements for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. She delivers Memorial Day arrangements to the cemetery; some out-of-town customers have standing orders for that. Mother’s Day brings plenty of orders for mixed arrangements, patio flowers and gift baskets.
Business has increased since the pandemic began. While Corrona doesn’t take any joy from the reason, she is glad her shop is able to deliver flowers, fruit baskets, balloons and other gifts to customers’ loved ones.
“(The recipients) knew they were being thought of,” she said.
Some of Lydia’s popular products include the Snack Attack, a snack bouquet atop a soda can, and the Posie Topper, fresh flowers on top of a Colonial Candle.
Myers Flower Shop
Myers Flower Shop, 1308 E. Walnut St. in Washington, has been a fixture for more than 80 years. Sheri and Rocky Fields, natives of Washington, purchased it from the Myers family 30 years ago. The busy season is in full swing.
Tulip Tuesdays are a popular promotion the shop began last year, Sheri said. The store features an assortment of tulip colors each week. “We sell a ton of those,” Sheri said.
While it has always had plants for funeral arrangements, Myers is also expanding its plant line to include potted plants and vases suited to home decor. As customers are home more often, Sheri said, plants are popular.
Sheri said they’ve expanded their online and social media presence since last year. “We’re focused on bringing our shop into your home that way,” she said. It has helped with business. Curbside pickup and deliveries, especially to nursing homes, has served their customers well.
Myers Flower Shop also offers custom framing and matting, which is done in the store.
Pop Around the Clock
At Pop Around the Clock, 1731 Hart St. in Vincennes, spring is the season to experiment with new popcorn flavors.
Amy and Chris Bruggeman have a handle on some seasonal favorites, though. Valentine’s Day brings Red Velvet Cake, available until the end of February, as well as Boxed Chocolate popcorn..
Boxed Chocolate popcorn is a bag of flavored popcorn completely coated in white, dark or mild chocolate. Underneath the chocolate, flavors include caramel, toffee, coconut, orange, chocolate, cherry, strawberry and lemon. Mixed in a bag together, “you never know what you’re going to get,” Amy said.
For St. Patrick’s day, Pop Around the Clock will make green caramel corn as well as Shamrock Crunch, a cookies-and-cream flavor with peppermint flavoring that’s reminiscent of a Thin Mint cookie.
The only time you’ll find Peep Corn is at Easter, along with Bunny Bait, a birthday-cake flavored caramel corn mixed with peanuts and pretzels. The concoction is drizzled with white chocolate and bagged with pastel-colored M&Ms.
Their customer base is mainly from surrounding Indiana counties, Amy said, but they have faithful out-of-towners to whom they ship orders.