Many people love surprising their loved ones with flowers and brightening someone’s day with a bouquet of roses and a smile. There are several places to fetch flowers in Athens for whatever occasion, and Hyacinth Bean Florist, now under new ownership, is where many go for their floral needs.
Hyacinth Bean Florist, located at 540 W. Union St., had its grand re-opening celebration March 31, at which new owners Whitney and Brett Walls cut a ribbon in front of the store, beginning a new chapter.
Polly Creech, the original owner of the floral shop, opened it 21 years ago after growing tired of the “bureaucracy” of working in health care. Before opening Hyacinth Bean Florist, she began by growing her own flowers and selling them at the Athens Farmers Market, other sellers in town and wholesalers in Columbus.
During this time, Creech was being asked to provide flowers for weddings, and she ended up doing 21 weddings in three years before deciding to open up her own shop.
“So I had to make a decision,” Creech said. “Am I going to keep growing flowers, or am I going to open the flower shop and really be accessible to people? So I decided to open the flower shop.”
Creech said she wanted the opportunity to work part-time and did not want to deal with the paperwork and “government reports” required to run her business. Now, she is looking forward to making new art, as she enjoys walking throughout the woods and collecting driftwood, turtle shells and other elements to create natural centerpieces.
“I want to spend more time walking in the woods,” Creech said. “I want to volunteer for Friends of the Shelter Dogs. And I want to work with Passionworks. I just didn't have the time to do all those things unless I sold it.”
The ribbon cutting attracted many individuals and locals, chattering about the products on the shelves and enjoying the cookies provided. Bonnie Genney, Brett Walls’s grandmother, was present at the ceremony and loved the presentation of the store.
“I love it, it’s just beautiful,” Genney said. “There's a lot of community interest in here. They just did a really good job here; it really looks so pretty.”
Genney said she saw a variety of people in the store, and mentioned how Creech is a “wonderful lady,” and deserves retirement.
Whitney Walls said they never closed the store during the owner transition. She said Creech came to her earlier this year and asked if she would take over the business.
“So she's been doing this a long time,” Whitney Walls said. “This was her dream, and she was able to bring that to fruition, which is fantastic. And so she came to me, I believe, in October, and we kind of started talking about me buying it from her, and so she can still work a couple days, but not to do all the ownership things.”
Whitney Walls said she got to know Hyacinth Bean by working there for three years, and her favorite flowers are lavender and roses. She said they finished putting the utilities and other official documents into their name, and reorganized their products and floral arrangements throughout the store.
The shop has many antique collectables, such as vases, tiny painted figurines and other vintage items to hold pots and plants. They have a section for Passionworks art for sale, jewelry, soaps, handmade items and lucky charms.
Hyacinth Bean offers many kinds of arrangements for every occasion, including anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, graduations and other celebrations. The flower arrangements for “just because” range from $70 to $160, and birthday arrangements range from $50 to $225. Other pricing information is available on the website.
Whitney Walls said Athens is a “diverse community” and thinks it’s fun to see many different people and have a new project daily. She said Hyacinth Bean does subscriptions and standing orders for those who wish to have flowers weekly at their business or home. It delivers in Athens County and can help send flowers to any location.
“We do wire outs, which means we can help customers send flowers outside of our area,” Whitney Walls said. “We help them pick a florist to fulfill it. And we can do that even internationally.”
As for where the shop gets its live greenery, Whitney Walls said this time of year is special because more locally sourced flowers are available.
“We just got a lot of tulips from East of Shade,” Whitney Walls said. “She's a flower farmer, and fantastic. And there are some other ones too, but we have a wholesale company in Columbus that we get flowers from year-round.”
As for the future of the shop, Whitney Walls plans on engaging the community more with workshops. On Saturday, April 11, Hyacinth Bean is hosting a “Pick a Plant, Paint a Pot” workshop, which is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is $25 per person, and registration is encouraged to reserve a spot.
To register for the workshop, email hyacinthbean26@gmail.com or visit its Facebook and website for more information on upcoming events and arrangements.
