Cedar Rapids Flower Shop News
Sugar Flower owner creates intricate cake designs in backyard of her Cedar Rapids home - The Gazette
Wednesday, December 02, 2020A confluence of interests and experience led Jennifer Smith to create elaborate, intricately detailed cakes in her Cedar Rapids backyard.“I dabbled,” Smith said. “I did have a background in graphic design. So, graphic design, food.” Chicago native Smith worked in restaurants, including a European-style patisserie and cafe specializing in pastries and cakes.“I fell in love with the baking, and doing cakes and cookies,” she said. “I was dabbling in both things — design and food.”After operating her own cafe for three years, Smith earned a degree in graphic design from Southern Illinois University in 2007. She and her husband, Loughton Smith, moved to Cedar Rapids in 2011 and she began working at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center, operated by Kirkwood Community College’s hospitality management program, in 2013.“They wanted me to work with edible flowers, and I’d never worked with the stuff before,” she recalled. “It just kind of fell into my lap, and I just started helping the pastry chefs with wedding cakes.”Smith became an adjunct instructor — “basic, advanced and wedding cake classes” — in Kirkwood’s ba... https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/business/sugar-flower-cakes-cedar-rapids-jennifer-smith-20201113
Some people using gardening as therapy during the Coronavirus Pandemic - KCRG
Monday, April 27, 2020CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Some people across Eastern Iowa are getting a green thumb during the Coronavirus pandemic. Workers at Pierson’s Flower Shop in Cedar Rapids say they have been getting calls about people wanting to start their gardens. Experts say getting some fresh air is a good way to take care of your mental health during the pandemic. Workers at Pierson's say gardening is a good way to be outside while social distancing. They say working with soil can be a form of connecting with nature. While seeing something bloom is a sign of life during these tough times. Workers say people are still ordering flowers to send to loved ones or coworkers. They say it's a way to let people know that they are appreciated. "I think it's very important to stay in touch,” said Al Pierson, owner of Pierson’s Flower Shop. “You... https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/Some-people-using-gardening-as-therapy-during-the-Coronavirus-Pandemic-569918081.html
Pierson's Flower Shop and Greenhouses in Cedar Rapids is ringing in its 90th holiday shopping season - The Gazette
Tuesday, December 04, 2018Long Para:1 Long Pra Total: 9 Total Para Total: 12-- It’s beginning to look — and smell — like Christmas at Pierson’s Flower Shop and Greenhouses in Cedar Rapids.Long Para:2 Long Pra Total: 9 Total Para Total: 12-- “Our staff enjoys the colors and scents of Christmas by helping customers decorate their homes and helping fulfill gift lists,” owner Allan Pierson said. Long Para:3 Long Pra Total: 9 Total Para Total: 12-- “With our greenhouses filled with thousands of poinsettias, it really is a colorful sight and combined with the scent of evergreens and flowers it is a festive time.” Long Para:4 Long Pra Total: 9 Total Para Total: 12-- Shoppers drop in early in the holiday season to gather decorating ideas for home and office, Pierson said. Long Para:5 Long Pra Total: 9 Total Para Total: 12-- “We are doing a lot of porch pots with fresh evergreens, birch logs, berries, birch branches and pine cones,” he added. “Fresh evergreen wreaths, swags and boughs are also customer favorites.” Long Para:5 Long Pra Total: 9 Total Para Total: 12-- Through December, he estimate... https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/business/piersons-flower-shop-and-greenhouses-in-cedar-rapids-is-ringing-in-its-90th-holiday-shopping-season-20181122
The Art of Flowers: Carolyne Roehm will speak about her career in fashion, design and gardening
Tuesday, October 30, 2018The author of 13 books on topics that include design in the garden and home will speak at a fundraiser luncheon for the Cedar Rapids Garden Club on Nov. 7.“Obviously, flowers have been a very, very important part of my life,” Roehm said. “I’ll be speaking about flowers and gardening, in the context of every medium in which I have worked.”Her love of all things floral started when she was young. Growing up in Missouri, she remembers playing on her grandparents’ farm, in the garden and with the animals.“As a little girl I played dress- up and played florist,” she said. “My heart and soul is really in the outdoors and nature.”Roehm, 67, started her career as a fashion designer in New York City, working for Oscar de la Renta before opening her own fashion house. But the love of nature never left her, and after 22 years she took a hiatus from the world of fashion to learn a new craft, taking an unpaid stint working at a flower shop in Paris.There, she learned the intricacies of designing perfect bouquets and floral arrangements.“I kind of took a sabbatical and decided I wanted to do things I’... https://www.thegazette.com/subject/life/books/the-art-of-flowers-carolyne-roehm-will-speak-about-her-career-in-fashion-design-and-gardening-20181027
Winter Garden Fair previews flowers, spring planting - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines
Tuesday, February 27, 2018They are sold at most box stores and hardware stores. Most of the smaller, local greenhouses, like Pierson’s Flower Shop and Greenhouses in Cedar Rapids or Culver’s Garden Center and Greenhouse in Marion, will have their own suggestions and breeds of flowers, along with knowledgeable staff to help customers plan the perfect mix of flowers.Long Para:4 Long Pra Total: 5 Total Para Total: 8-- For those who want to dream of flowers now, here are some of her 2018 suggestions:Long Para:5 Long Pra Total: 5 Total Para Total: 8-- PerennialsChantilly Lace AruncusPink Lemonade BaptisiaStand By Me ClematisRed Hot Vanilla CoreopsisSanta Fe EchinaceaTuscan Gold Heliopsis False SunflowerStorm Shelter HemerocallisWildberry HeucheraCherry Choco Latte HibiscusWaterslide HostaBlue Paradise Ornamental GrassMidnight Masquerade PenstemonLeading Lady Orchid MonardaCat’s Pajamas NepetaCloudburst PhloxBumblesnow SalviaLemonjade SedumCutting Edge TiarellaWizard of Ahhs VeronicaAnnualsGolden Butterfly Marguerite DaisiesFireburst BidensLady Godiva Orange CalendulaCrushed Crimson DahliaSeNorita and PequeNa CleomeRoyale LantanaMexican HeatherDouble Moonglow OsteospermumRed Hot PhloxDeep Purple SalviaStormburst VerbenaBlue My Mind EvolvulusPerfectly Pink AngeloniaSurefire BegoniaPetite Pink GauraIf you go:What: Winter Gardening FairWhere: Kirkwood Community College, 6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar RapidsWhen: 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. March 3Cost: $59, which includes lunchFind details and register online: extension.iastate.edu/linn/content/winter-gardening-fair or call (319) 377-9839.l Comments: (319) 398-8339; alison.gowans@thegazette.comLong Para:5 Long Pra Total: 5 Total Para Total: 8-- Long Para:5 Long Pra Total: 5 Total Para Total: 8-- ... http://www.thegazette.com/subject/life/home-and-garden/winter-garden-fair-previews-flowers-spring-planting-20180225
Sugar Flower owner creates intricate cake designs in backyard of her Cedar Rapids home - The Gazette
Wednesday, December 02, 2020Sugar Flower was gaining momentum when the coronavirus pandemic hit Iowa. Smith’s work-from-home model proved an unexpected advantage.“I was just getting started out to begin with, and having a low overhead I didn’t have any employees to furlough,” she said. “It was disappointing, but I tried to work with my customers. I don’t have to worry about rent and electric and things like that. So it has worked in my favor, which sounds kind of funny.”Smith’s home and studio escaped serious damage in the Aug. 10 derecho, which brought its own wave of cancellations. She hopes for a return to something like normal next year.“I really hope people start planning big weddings and they’re celebrating,” she said. “I hope that’s where the future lies.”Know a small business in the Corridor that might make for an interesting “My Biz” feature? Let us know via michaelchevy.castanova@thegazette.com.AT A GLANCE• Owner: Jennifer Smith • Business: Sugar Flower Cake Design• Address: 248 Drinkward St. NW, Cedar Rapids• Phone: (319) 491-1938• Website: sugarflowercakedesign.com... https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/business/sugar-flower-cakes-cedar-rapids-jennifer-smith-20201113
Some people using gardening as therapy during the Coronavirus Pandemic - KCRG
Monday, April 27, 2020CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Some people across Eastern Iowa are getting a green thumb during the Coronavirus pandemic. Workers at Pierson’s Flower Shop in Cedar Rapids say they have been getting calls about people wanting to start their gardens. Experts say getting some fresh air is a good way to take care of your mental health during the pandemic. Workers at Pierson's say gardening is a good way to be outside while social distancing. They say working with soil can be a form of connecting with nature. While seeing something bloom is a sign of life during these tough times. Workers say people are still ordering flowers to send to loved ones or coworkers. They say it's a way to let people know that they are appreciated. "I think it's very important to stay in touch,” said Al Pierson, owner of Pierson’s Flower Shop. “You can't get out... https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/Some-people-using-gardening-as-therapy-during-the-Coronavirus-Pandemic-569918081.html
Benos Flowers and Gifts wants to bring fun, happiness - The Gazette
Tuesday, February 05, 2019By Deborah Neyens, correspondent Long Para:0 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- IOWA CITY — A new Iowa City business aims to spread happiness.Long Para:1 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- Benito Ocampo Campos opened Beno’s Flowers and Gifts on Nov. 15 in downtown Iowa City, realizing a longtime goal to own his own flower shop. Long Para:2 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- “Flowers bring happiness, with their smell and their colors, when people receive them,” Ocampo said. “Everyone loves flowers.”Long Para:2 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- Ocampo, who grew up in Mexico, opened his first business in that country at the age of 19.Long Para:3 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- “It was a small gift shop — only about 300 square feet,” he recalled. “I did decorations with balloons for parties and a few weddings with flowers but not much. I had no experience.”Long Para:4 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- A year or two later, Ocampo moved to... https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/business/iowa-city-benos-flowers-floral-shop-florist-flower-20190121
Benos Flowers and Gifts wants to bring fun, happiness - The Gazette
Tuesday, January 22, 2019By Deborah Neyens, correspondent Long Para:0 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- IOWA CITY — A new Iowa City business aims to spread happiness.Long Para:1 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- Benito Ocampo Campos opened Beno’s Flowers and Gifts on Nov. 15 in downtown Iowa City, realizing a longtime goal to own his own flower shop. Long Para:2 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- “Flowers bring happiness, with their smell and their colors, when people receive them,” Ocampo said. “Everyone loves flowers.”Long Para:2 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- Ocampo, who grew up in Mexico, opened his first business in that country at the age of 19.Long Para:3 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- “It was a small gift shop — only about 300 square feet,” he recalled. “I did decorations with balloons for parties and a few weddings with flowers but not much. I had no experience.”Long Para:4 Long Pra Total: 11 Total Para Total: 25-- A year or two later, Ocampo moved to... https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/business/iowa-city-benos-flowers-floral-shop-florist-flower-20190121