For 25 years, Janet Johns, owner of Janet's Floral Creations, has been putting her creativity into practice, arranging flowers for any occasions including weddings, funerals, birthdays, anniversaries and proms.
"We do flowers the way you want them," Johns said.
The business at 1718 Four Mile Drive opened its doors in 1986 as a mother-daughter partnership employing one person. Her mother, Edith, has since retired, but the business has grown to 10 employees and remains a family-
oriented venture. In addition to her mother, Johns' father, brothers and daughters, Sara and Tesa, have all lent a hand or two in making the business successful. Johns believes the family-oriented nature and the courteous and familiar, longtime staff are what makes the flower shop stand out from others. Operating under the motto, "creative
designs for the creative minds," she said the staff takes the time to listen to what the customers want and have the freedom to do so creatively.
One of the occasions Johns loves to design arrangements for is a wedding.
Designing a wedding usually takes between six months to a year of planning and preparation for the big day.
"I love being able to coordinate the colors and the flowers," she said. "Seeing the final presentation makes all the work satisfying."
Janet's Floral works on an average of 100 weddings each year, and Johns believes the personalization the business offers sets them apart and makes for a more enjoyable work environment.
"I would much rather make a custom arrangement than a generic bouquet," she said. "Seeing the joy on the customer's face is rewarding."
The Internet has helped change the floral industry as a whole and how Janet's Floral operates locally by providing customers with more options as the business now has access to fresh flowers worldwide.
"It's amazing all of the different products that are available and where they come from," she said.
It also has made for a more knowledgeable customer.
Johns said customers are coming into Janet's with more than just a fabric swatch and a few favorite colors. They have pictures of flowers and sometimes a variety of names, she said.
For the last two and a half decades, she has kept up with floral trends, watching as colors and flowers come in and out of fashion. For instance, current hot colors for proms and weddings are hot pink, orange and lime green.
Johns has had a passion for flowers and artwork from a very young age and hopes to continue, with the support of the community, pursuing them for many years to come.
Janet's Floral Creations is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the arrangements available at Janet's Floral, call 326-7393.
