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'HOOSIERS WE'VE LOST': Lifelong florist never hesitated to help those in need - The Republic

Sheets Editor’s note: This is one of a continuing online series of profiles of the more than 12,000 Hoosiers who have died from COVID-19. The stories are from 12 Indiana newspapers, including The Republic, who collaborated to create the collection to highlight the tremendous loss that the pandemic has created. The series appears daily at therepublic.com.Name: Dawn SheetsCity/Town: IndianapolisAge: 93Died: April 16Dawn Sheets never hesitated to help a friend in need.Sheets, a lifelong florist, had no formal medical training, but when her friend Maxine Hessong needed kidney dialysis treatment, Sheets taught herself how to operate a dialysis machine so Hessong’s husband Dale could continue working.For more than a year, Sheets made three to four trips a week to Methodist Hospital to care for her friend, offering support and companionship during Hessong’s procedures. Eventually Hessong came home, and Sheets continued to run her machine, even showing Dale the necessary steps in the process.“She cared about people,” daughter Lori Arment said. “She cared about people’s feelings and their well being.”“That’s one of the highlights of her life to be able... http://www.therepublic.com/2021/03/30/hoosiers-weve-lost-lifelong-florist-never-hesitated-to-help-those-in-need/

Washington court rules against florist in gay wedding case - Albuquerque Journal

The case thrust the great-grandmother into the national spotlight and she testified before state lawmakers in Indiana and Kansas.Michael Scott, a Seattle attorney who worked with the American Civil Liberties Union to represent Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed — the couple denied the flowers — had previously told justices he didn’t believe Stutzman’s floral creations constituted speech. By providing flowers for a same-sex marriage, he argued, “she’s not endorsing same-sex marriage. She’s selling what she sells.”Ferguson had said the state’s argument rested on longstanding principle, and uprooting it would weaken antidiscrimination law.After the arguments in the Supreme Court case last November, at a packed theater at Bellevue College, a large crowd of Stutzman’s supporters greeted her outside, chanting her name and waving signs that said “Justice For Barronelle.”In a February 2015 ruling, Benton County Superior Court Judge Alexander Ekstrom found that Stutzman’s refusal to provide flowers because of sexual orientation violated Washington’s anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws. The following month, Ekstrom ordered Stutzman to pay a $1,000 penalty to the state and $1 in costs and fees.Stutzman entered the florist business 30 years ago, when her mother bought a flower shop.At a press conference following the ruling, Ferguson said that under Washington law, a business is not required to provide a particular service, but if it does so for couples of the opposite sex, it must provide that service equally to same-sex couples. Ferguson noted that Stutzman is not currently selling wedding flowers, but if she were to resume that side of her business, she would not be allowed to sell to only heterosexual couples.“The state Supreme Court has made that very clear,” he said.___AP writer Gene Johnson contributed from Seattle. ... https://www.abqjournal.com/951260/washington-court-rules-against-florist-in-gay-wedding-case.html

Small Business Spotlight: E. Stephen Hein - www.smileypete.com

Birmingham. In more recent years, his work has been seen at the annual Fabby Abbey Ball, a benefit for KET held at Spindletop Hall. Hein first came to Lexington in 1961 from his home state of Indiana. While attending Evansville College (before it became the University of Evansville) in the late ’50s, he got an offer to become an ice skating instructor in Terre Haute, Indiana. Then he was hired by Crystal Ice Palace, located in Lexington’s new Gardenside Shopping Center, in 1961. The developers of the center, Pierson-Trapp Co., operated the outdoor skating facility in winter and had a swim club called Cabana Club during the summertime, both of which closed around 1964. Those same developers invited Hein to join as a managing partner in the Villager Gift Shop, he said. For several years, Hein ran the retail store: a bridal registry shop with gifts, antiques, an art gallery and framing department. The Villager Gift Shop was advertised in national magazines like House & Garden and House Beautiful, and gave Hein his first experience buying beautiful silk flowers, which had become available to the gift market “just after the horrible episode of awful plastic flowers for homes,” he recalled. By the time he changed the name of the shop to E. Stephen Hein, Inc., customers were coming in requesting silk flower arrangements en masse. “I had to do an arrangement like I knew what I was doing,” Hein said with a laugh, recalling his early foray into floral arranging. Over the next two decades, the gift shop in Gardenside closed and Hein became involved with a couple of other businesses and jobs, including a stint at W.P. Pemberton & Sons Greenhouses. “I didn’t know what was going on with that shop, but I thought I wouldn’t mind going in to learn the flower shop business,” he said. It turned out that they were looking for a manager. Building off his experience with silk flower arrangements, he soon learned how to work with natural flowers and plants, and in 1987, he left Pemberton’s to open his own shop. Today, Hein’s floral shop has turned into a true family affair, with his granddaughter, Kelsey Hein Smith, having worked alongside him since graduating from Eastern Kentucky University in 2017. A floral designer and the store’s social media manager, Smith calls her grandfather PoPo – except during business hours. “It’s weird to call him Steve,” she admitted. Thoughtful, artistic expression has always been appreciated in the floral business, and remains a staple of Hein’s business model. While centerpieces and corsages are less common than they were at the start of his business, sending flowers across town – or even across the country – remains a popular action, and Hein can help with both. Some of his loyal clients utilize his services not only for local flower delivery but also to coordinate out-of-state arrangements for funerals or special occasions. “We know what to say to the other florist, the dos and don’ts of what to use and what not to use,” Hein said, explaining that his clients appreciate his specific aesthetic. His penchant for communicating the specifics of that aesthetic when “calling out” orders to other florists hasn’t gone unnoticed, as the shop has often been lauded for orders that Hein helps coordinate across the country. Former and fellow florists have also expressed their gratitude to Hein over the years. “They have told me that when I set up shop in Lexington in 1987, I raised the bar for what florists do to make a show with their flower arrangements,” he said. “I thought that was a very nice compliment.” E. Stephen Hein Florist is located at 380 E. Second St. More info is available at www.estephenheinflorist.com. ... https://smileypete.com/community/small-business-spotlight-e-stephen-hein/

ROUNDUP: JP Parker Flowers vacates Indy store, adds retail truck - Indianapolis Business Journal

Hamilton County, but until recently a big part of her business came from handling floral arrangements for large gatherings.JP Parker’s new floral truck.“I did love the (Indianapolis) shop, but it just didn’t make business sense in this climate,” Parker said.The South Meridian Street shop, which occupies 2,000 square feet, opened in 2008. The lease for that space expires at the end of the month, which is another reason Parker decided to close that shop now.She said she intends to re-establish a presence of some sort in the Stadium Village neighborhood because she loves the neighborhood and wants to have a convenient spot to meet with clients once Indianapolis’ tourism and events business gets back on track. But exactly where that location might be and when it might open is unknown.“When will the crowds come back, and how will we be doing business in the future?” Parker said. “You can talk to any vendor that’s in the events business and they’re having to go to Plan B.”For JP Parker Flowers, part of that Plan B involves a newly acquired floral truck named Flora.The truck will operate similar to a food truck, giving the business a mobile option for reaching customers. JP Parker Flowers could, for instance, use the truck as a pop-up retail location where customers could walk up and buy a bouquet. Or, a client might hire the truck to distribute flowers for a retail store’s grand opening or other event.“It’s actually been a long-time dream of mine to have a flower truck” Parker said. “It’s a very fun, trendy thing to do right now.”In other news this week:— Fast-casual seafood chain Slapfish opens Monday at 345 Massachusetts Ave. The restaurant takes the space formerly occupied by Louie’s Wine Dive, which closed in March.Franchisees are long-time friends Mark Weghorst and Nick Smith. Weghorst opened the area’s first Slapfish location in July 2019, inside the Broccoli Bill’s grocery store that his father, Bill Weghorst, owns in Noblesville.California-based Slapfish offers a mostly seafood-focused menu, with an emphasis on sustainably sourced fish. Menu items include fish tacos, burritos, grilled fish bowls and other items, including a children’s menu. The chain is based in the Los Angeles suburb of Fountain Valley and has about 20 locations in several U.S. states, plus England.— Fast-casual Indian restaurant Tandoor & Tikka has opened its third Indianapolis store, and its fourth overall, at 5650 W. 86th St. The restaurant’s grand opening was June 26.It opened in ... https://www.ibj.com/blogs/property-lines/roundup-jp-parker-flowers-vacates-indy-store-adds-retail-truck