By Vickie Holt
When Teresa Harris was little, she’d gather the artificial flowers from around the family home, take them apart, and rearrange them in her own designs. It should have been a sign for all around that this little girl was destined to be a florist. But destiny would have to wait for some time.
Teresa is a true daughter of Floyd, coming from grandparents who were farmers in the area. The dew on the morning crops, the honey from the hives, and even the nectar from Floyd flowers ran in her veins. And like the personification of the Floyd County community today, Teresa loved both the land and the spirit of creativity.
There wasn’t much creativity to be found, however, in Teresa’s life after school. She found employment at the local EZ Stop and worked there for seven years. At year five, though, she was able to supplement her income and stretch her creative wings with a part time job at a local florist shop.
The opportunity came about when a friend, Vickie Keith, approached Teresa for a favor. Vickie was getting married, but all the florists in the area seemed to be booked. Vickie was at a loss for what to do about wedding flowers. Teresa was willing to help but admitted she wouldn’t know how to make the arrangements.
It was then that Vickie Keith had a fateful brainstorm. She borrowed a design book from Cathy Battle at Sue’s Flower Shop. With the help of the book, Teresa was not only able to save the day for Vickie, but it was revealed that she possessed a natural talent. She was so gifted with flower design that Cathy hired her on, part time. Teresa worked for Sue’s from 1997 to 1999, and fell in love with it.
Eventually, however, she left both jobs and went to work for the Health Department in the New River Health District. For the next sixteen years, Teresa was a Resource Mother (RM) in a mentoring program for pregnant and parenting teens. There, she mentored over eight hundred girls in Floyd and Pulaski, working with them not only during their pregnancies, but also until their babies were a year old. She also did car seat training in both counties.
It was while working in the RM program that Teresa married her husband, Roger, in 2011. She enjoyed being a wife and mother and she loved helping to provide for her family. But she also enjoyed the work that helped other families. “RM is a great program and I enjoyed it for many years.”
In 2015, however, Teresa became concerned that the grant which funded the program would be coming to an end. As fate would have it, though, a particularly irresistible opportunity arose at the same time.
Located at 106 West Main Street in Floyd, Blue Ridge Florist & Gifts, LLC, had come up for sale. “It was something that I had wanted to try for many years,” says Teresa. “I figured if I didn’t do it then, I would probably never get another chance. So, I jumped in with both feet!”
On January 1 of 2016, Teresa took ownership of the florist shop, keeping the name Blue Ridge Florist & Gifts. She simply dropped the “LLC”. She also left much of the business the same, only adding some handmade local items. “If it’s not broke, you don’t fix it!”
When reflecting back on her brief, part-time job at Sue’s, Teresa says, “everything you do helps prepare you to do things in the future whether you realize it or not.”
Teresa has always loved being creative, and with her natural talent for floral design, owning Blue Ridge Florist & Gifts was the perfect next step in her life. The timing was perfect. Still, it was her first time owning a business, and for that, there was a learning curve.
“It’s been a learning experience,” says Teresa. She had been in management at other jobs, but it didn’t quite prepare her for ownership. She had to learn the best way to handle money, how to order products, and how to predict inventory need against sales. “Owning my own business has really taught me a lot.”
It was an education that has really paid off. Today, Blue Ridge Florist & Gifts services not only the folks in Floyd, but also the outlying communities of Bent Mountain, Check, Copper Hill, Dugspur, Hillsville, Indian Valley, Laurel Fork, Meadows of Dan, Pilot, Stuart, Vesta, and Willis!
In addition to servicing these areas, Blue Ridge Florist also frequently delivers to popular facilities like Blue Ridge Nursing Home, Chateau Morrisette Winery, Gardner Funeral Home, Heritage Hall Nursing Home, Hotel Floyd, Landmark Assisted Living Center, Laurel Meadows Nursing Home, Maberry Funeral Home, Moody Funeral Home in Stuart, Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick County, Primland, Skyline Manor Nursing Home, Warm Hearth Assisted Living Center and Nursing Facility in Hillsville, and Woodberry Inn.
Teresa particularly likes arranging sympathy designs for the folks in the area. Times of bereavement are difficult on us all, but Teresa hopes that the flowers can bring a little comfort to those who have been left behind.
For other occasions, Teresa has two more talented designers on board. Originally from Willis, Carla Britt does most of the weddings, using both fresh flowers and silks. Hailing all the way from Pittsburg, Suzy Hastings specializes in fresh arrangements. All three ladies keep up to date with the latest trends in popular colors and designs.
Though customers are always asked for preference of flower or color, most go with designer’s choice. Teresa has found, however, that the folks in Floyd like the wildflower look – something more natural. While most of the flowers at are sourced from TFS in Roanoke, Teresa tells us that they support local farmers by sourcing as much as possible from local growers during the summer. Teresa’s favorite flower is the free-spirit rose.
In addition to Carla and Suzy, Teresa’s whole family pitches in to help. Roger loads up the orders and delivers them, while the kids, Sarah Keith and Jamie Howell, drop by occasionally to lend a hand. Even Teresa’s granddaughter, Miya Keith, helps out! It’s a real family affair.
Blue Ridge Florist & Gifts offers plants, flowers, and silks, both in-store and for ordered delivery. They also offer a selection of gift items such as balloons and plush animals. Though there is already a scattering of local crafts on the walls and the shelves, Teresa hopes to incorporate more ideas in the future that will complement the flowers and attract more walk-in customers. After all, Blue Ridge Florist & Gifts is so much more than orders and delivery. It’s a family endeavor. It’s a dream. It’s a place filled with the beauty of nature and crafted beauty wrought by the hands of Floyd.
Blue Ridge Florist & Gifts is located at 106 West Main Street in downtown Floyd near the stoplight. The store is open Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and by appointment or chance on Saturdays. You can also follow on Facebook by searching Blue-Ridge-Florist-and-Gifts.
Blue Ridge Florist & Gifts • Teresa Harris
106 West Main Street, Floyd, VA
www.FloydFlorist.com • 540-745-3655