Bellevue, NE Florists

Bellevue Flower Shop News

Retired educator, florist Sylvia Richardson dies at 76 - Richmond Free Press

Sylvia D. Richardson loved the color purple. And the bubbly woman who brimmed with enthusiasm infused that color into her dual roles as an educator and a florist. During her tenure as principal of Bellevue Elementary School, Mrs. Richardson turned the historic building in Church Hill into a purple palace. She had the school’s entry door, hallways, classroom walls and building floors painted her favorite color. Purple also was the color of the house on the corner of Brookland Park Boulevard and Edgewood Avenue from which she operated a floral business, Bouquets by Sylvia, for nearly 25 years. “Purple was her chosen color because the color signifies royalty, and that was how Sylvia carried herself and also how she treated everyone with whom she came into contact,” Adeline Clarke, a longtime friend, wrote in a tribute.Mrs. Richardson died Monday, March 18, 2019, of complications from a fall at her residence, her family said. She was 76. Family and friends celebrated her life at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church on Tuesday, March 26. Born Sylvia Juanita Duncan in Cheraw, S.C., she came to Richmond to teach after graduating from Bennett College. In a career that spanned 37 year... http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2019/apr/05/retired-educator-florist-sylvia-richardson-dies-76/

Another gay wedding case that could go to the Supreme Court. This one's about flowers.

Ferguson said in a statement.Curt Freed, left, and his husband Robert Ingersoll, after a hearing before the state's Supreme Court on Nov. 15, 2016, in Bellevue, Washington.Elaine Thompson / AP fileBoth the state and the couple sued after Stutzman, the couple's longtime florist, arguing that she was in violation of a Washington law that makes it illegal for businesses to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation."Discrimination based on same-sex marriage constitutes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," the Washington court ruled last year.Stuzman, a Southern Baptist, said providing the flowers would violate her religious beliefs and "her relationship with Jesus Christ.”She also said the law violated constitutionally protected right of free speech, asserting the flower arrangements were a form of artistic expression. Phillips had said the same about his wedding cakes."The decision to either provide or refuse to provide flowers for a wedding does not inherently express a message about the wedding," the Washington court ruled. "As Stutzman acknowledged at deposition, providing flowers for a wedding between Muslims would not necessarily constitute an endorsement of Islam, nor would providing flowers for an atheist couple endorse atheism."It also rejected her claim that the law violated her religious freedom, because it applied to the general public and was not targeted at any particular religious practice.In Monday's Supreme Court ruling, Justice Anthony Kennedy suggested that future cases would be necessary to settle the broader debate between religious rights and discrimination."The outcome of cases like this in other circumstances must await further elaboration in the courts, all in the context of recognizing that these disputes must be resolved with tolerance, without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs, and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market," he wrote. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/other-gay-wedding-case-could-go-supreme-court-one-s-n879906

How Newport Became the Most Exciting Beach Town in New England - Travel+Leisure

English peas, roasted beet salad with ricotta, and spaghetti with fresh tomato and basil. The next morning I woke up early to meet up with Rizzo on Bellevue Avenue, Newport's fashionable main thoroughfare. She was tending to the floral arrangements at La Forge Casino Restaurant. A Newport institution that overlooks the grass courts of the neighboring International Tennis Hall of Fame, it is undergoing its own transformation. "New owners took over here a few months ago and started replacing the dusty tchotchkes and pink tablecloths and frozen food," Rizzo explained. The menu has gone from nachos and quesadillas to burrata from Narragansett Creamery and locally grown squash blossoms stuffed with house-made ricotta. Rizzo was combining some big, architectural monstera leaves with a bouquet of gladiolus and sunflowers grown on a flower farm just north of town.From left: A surfer arrives for an afternoon session at Sachuest Beach, a.k.a. Second Beach, a local favorite; guests at Castle Hill Inn, a historic Newport estate, take in the view of Narragansett Bay.Brian W. FerryRizzo's penchant for loose arrangements and unexpected combinations — instead of the hydrangeas and rose balls that were once de rigueur in a place like Newport — has proven popular. Because the town is one of America's premier wedding destinations, she's especially busy in summer, but she is in demand all year long. From La Forge Casino, we walked a few doors down to the Audrain Automobile Museum, another of her clients, which showcases some of the rarest and most precious cars on earth. (Another automotive palace, th... http://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/newport-rhode-island-beach-town

A Colorado baker, a Richland florist: Do religious beliefs justify discrimination? - seattlepi.com

Stutzman, left, a Richland, Wash., florist who was fined for denying service to a gay couple in 2013, smiles as she is surrounded by supporters after a hearing before Washington's Supreme Court in Bellevue, Wash. The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, has unanimously ruled that Stutzman broke the state's antidiscrimination law. Stutzman said she was exercising her First Amendment rights, and her lawyers immediately said they would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the decision. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File) A Christian baker in Colorado, who wouldn't craft a wedding cake for a gay couple, took center stage before a divided U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, in a case that will decide whether religious conviction can be a basis for discrimination.The baker has a counterpart in Richland, Wash., florist Barronelle Stutzman, convicted of violating the state's anti-discrimination law after she refused to provide flowers for the same-sex wedding of a long-term client.The case drew an unusually long 90-minute argument before the Supreme Court and more than 100 amici curiae briefs.Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, author of seminal gay rights opinions, appeared likely the deciding vote.With the Trump administration arguing the case of baker Jack Phillips, Kennedy asked whether Phillips could have put a sign in the window: "We don't bake cakes for gay weddings." He described the administration's argument as offensive to the "dignity" of LGBTQ people.But Kennedy took Colorado officials to task in their treatment of Phillips, saying: "It seems to me the state in its position has been neither tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillips' religious beliefs."  The justice suggest...

Bellevue florist is growing business to help community - KMTV - 3 News Now

BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) - “Well as you can tell purple is my favorite color,” said Sjn. The purple hair has become branding for Rachel Sjn’s Bellevue business The Purple Orchid. “We opened February 2nd of this year,” said Sjn. Sjn says she may view the beauty in flowers differently than most, but there is a reason for that.  Her uncle was murdered when she was five. She says life is precious; everyone needs to stop and smell the roses.  “Sometimes I think I have a morbid sense, you know life is fleeting and to enjoy the beauty while it is here and if you don't enjoy it, it is gone,” said Sjn. The florist loves brightening lives in the darkest of times.  Recently, Sjn started a “Vases for Victims” program.  She is asking for the public to donate any unwanted vases to her shop.  Also, for every dollar donated she will double that in form of a gift card to her shop.  This way she can give the victim’s families of violent crimes free floral arrangements.“I am ju... http://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/bellevue-florist-is-growing-business-to-help-community

Citizen of the Year: Catlins fantastic florist - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

J.C. Penney in Danville, where she met her husband, Tim, then a manager trainee.She and Tim married in May 1987. That October, Tim's job with the department store took them to Iowa and then Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming and Minnesota. In Nebraska, Welsh — who continued to work as a florist out west — directed community theater, served on the Miss Nebraska Pageant board of directors and directed the pageant for three years. In Wyoming, she was involved with the Cheyenne Frontier Days, billed as the world's largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration.In 2004, the couple and their young son, Tanner, moved back to Catlin to be near family. A couple of years later, Welsh opened Floral-n-Flair, a flower shop and event-planning business, in the same downtown building she started out in. She and business partner Kay Smoot also own and operate a gift boutique called Pauline's Attic.Welsh was working one evening when Stutsman popped in."Who got it, and how are we going to decorate?" she asked, thinking he'd stopped by to discuss the Citizen of the Year banquet at the Methodist Church, which she decorates.She was floored by his answer."It still hasn't sunk in," she said, the day before the banquet.While honored, Welsh was quick to acknowledge her "crew," including local high school students and residents who help her set up for community events, weddings and parties — and family. Tanner, who turns 21 this month, has autism, and Tim is his full-time caregiver and still finds time to help out at work."I wouldn't be able to do any of this without him," she said."It's always been a team effort," she continued, adding she learned that from her dad who helped out in many ways at the shop and home before he passed away a couple of years ago.Welsh recalled sitting at the family table years ago after her brother became a 1,000-yard rusher on his high school football team."My dad pointed to his picture on the front of the sports page and said, 'He wouldn't have done that without his line that blocked for him.' I've always remembered that. You can't do it alone. You have to surround yourself with good people and work as a team."... http://www.news-gazette.com/noelle-mcgee/2018-11-01/citizen-the-year-catlins-fantastic-florist.html

Society of American Florists Past President Mel Schwanke Dies at 92 - Greenhouse Grower

Florists and a recipient of the SAF Floriculture Hall of Fame Honor, passed away at his home in Fremont, NE, on Dec. 17, 2018, at the age of 92.Schwanke served as the executive director of the Nebraska Florist Society for more than 50 years and was also the Executive Director of NeMoKan — the Nebraska Missouri and Kansas Florist Association Convention, held annually for many years. He served on numerous committees, including the Retail Florists Council for SAF, and helped to create the American Floral Endowment for research and education in the flower industry.AdvertisementMel and Joey, his surviving wife of 70 years, were known throughout the floral industry for many years for their passion and dedication. They were also known as the famous matching couple, having dressed in coordinating outfits at industry events and everyday in Joey’s family business, Greens Greenhouses Inc.Schwanke served as a Marine in World War II and was awarded the Purple Heart for his service. He is survived by his wife Joey, and children Jo Heinz, Cindy McKown, and J Schwanke, along with four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Ludvigsens Funeral Home in Fremont, NE, is in charge of the services. Visitation will be Thursday Dec. 20.Brian Sparks is senior editor of Green... https://www.greenhousegrower.com/management/saf-past-president-mel-schwanke-dies-at-92/

Four Floral Businesses To Receive The Century Award In Palm Springs

The 2018 Century Award honorees are: City Line Florist in Trumbull, Connecticut; Gould's Flowers in Lockport, New York; Janousek Florist & Greenhouse, Inc. in Omaha, Nebraska; and Lake Forest Flowers in Lake Forest, Illinois. "Each year when we gather at the SAF convention, we interact with business owners who have determination, vision and grit," said SAF Awards Committee Chairman Marvin Miller, Ph.D., AAF, of the Ball Horticultural Company in West Chicago, Illinois. "But to sustain that for 100 years or more is truly an impressive feat." City Line Florist Trumbull, Connecticut City Line Florist has been owned and operated by the Roehrich/Palazzo family since 1918. When Charles Roehrich returned home from World War I, he already had a family history in the floral industry; his grandfather had grown plants in greenhouses in Stratford, Connecticut, in the late 1800s. Charles borrowed a horse and wagon and sold flowering plants and cut flowers at the entrance of St. Michaels cemetery in Stratford, eventually opening up a storefront in Bridgeport, which sat on the city line of Stratford, leading to the name, City Line Florist. In 1975, Charles' son Bob and his grandchildren, Susan and Carl, decided to move to a new location in Trumbull, where they turned an old horse barn into a charming new florist shop. Bob received the Connecticut Florist of the Year Award in 2005. City Line, located in a quaint New England town of 30,000 people,  has been voted "Best Florist in Fairfield County" for several consecutive years and won the 2018 Small Busi... http://www.perishablenews.com/index.php?article=0069973

How an Ecuadorian rose makes the journey to your American sweetheart for Valentine's Day - The Denver Post

Denver. Amato broke into the wholesale business in January 1974. (The company started as a carnation grower in 1958.) It ships flowers across Colorado, but also to Kansas, Wyoming and Nebraska.President and CEO Heather Weickum was born in that first year. She grew up roller skating on the warehouse’s concrete floors after hours. Her father was a co-founder and eventually became the sole owner of the business.“This place was my only sibling growing up,” she said.Now Weickum runs the company and employs 70 people. Amato projects it will sell 130,000 stems of flowers over the Valentine’s holiday, tallying up hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit. The most popular varieties of roses can cost a retailer more than $70 a bunch.Amato can stock several hundred varieties of flowers at a time in the warehouse, and more than half of those are roses. They come in a rainbow of hues and gaggle of names, many inspired by the flower breeder’s daughter, mother or lover. Some names, such as Hot Nina, Lola and Jessika, call to mind an old flame. Others read like perfume ads tucked in a magazine: Pearl Avalanche, Sweet Unique, Cool Water. And then there are the names that beckon to whom they’re selling: Sweetness, Engagement, Soulmate. Rose breeders trademark these names and can receive royalties from other plantations that grow their variety.Most roses are natives of Ecuador. The year-round sunshine and high-altitude soil in the country’s m...