Belton Flower Shop News
Longtime Waco florist dies at 97 - KWTX
Tuesday, March 19, 2019In fact, the business grew in the coming years and at one point had retail shops and greenhouses in Temple, Belton and Cameron, he said.Whatever was necessary is what Reed did after he graduated from La Vega High School, took flying lessons and eventually joined the Army Air Force where he learned to fly the B-29 Superfortress and later trained other Air Force pilots. At the time Reed thought about making a career of flying, then after he came back to Waco’s James Connally Air Force Base to teach pilots to fly the B-25 Mitchell, he decided he’d stay and re-joined the family business. He married his school sweetheart, Glenda Pledger, finished his degree at Baylor and returned to the flower shop with his parents until they retired and he took over operations. Reed remained in the U.S. Air Force Reserve for 10 years and during the Korean War, was recalled to Connally where he trained radar intercept pilots and engineers who worked on the Superfortress. Reed loved to fly, but he found flowers would be his fortune. Reed, in his oral history with Baylor, explained Waco, in those days, was an important cog on the Texas floral business, the Texas State Florists' Association, the professional trade association for all branches of the floral industry including retailers, wholesalers, growers and manufacturers of floral products and supplies, was founded here in 1914 at the old Hotel State House at South 6th Street and Franklin Avenue. It’s now headquartered in Austin. Reed dedicated himself to a life of service when he became a Mason and later joined AAONMS, the Shrine, where he’ll celebrate his 72nd year of membership this year, records at the Karem Shrine Temple show, where he today is the oldest member on the rolls and is among the oldest active Shriners in the United States. Reed has a brother and a sister but neither has ever shown any interest in the flower shop, he said. ... https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Well-known-downtown-businessman-Harry-Reed-passes-away-at-97-505939331.html
The flower shop that wins customers and communities - Belton Journal
Tuesday, December 05, 2017That dream never materialized, but she is just as happy creating original floral designs and homecoming mums for local customers. The Belton Tiger-themed homecoming mum display in the window of BJ’s Flower Shop rivals anything in Las Vegas.Jacobs credits her late husband, Jake Jacobs, with guiding her at the start of her journey. “My husband worked for Brown & Root Construction, so we traveled around the country,” Jacobs said. “After he retired, family and business opportunities brought us back to Belton. My husband liked to buy things. First, we had a flooring store here in Belton—Fashion Floors and Interiors. Then he decided to invest in video rentals, so we opened Bijou Video, which was the first video rental store in Belton. Then he bought a cooler, and we had to build a flower shop around it.”Jacobs also acknowledged the lessons of Belton florist Shirlee Porter. “I worked for Heartfield’s Florist for about a year and a half,” Jacobs said. “Shirlee Porter was my mentor. She worked at Heartfield’s for some 30-odd years. She taught me more about flowers than floral design school. She still helps me when she can.”For many, the floral industry holds a prestigious allure, but it is not all about roses. Jacobs admits the family business is har... http://beltonjournal.com/flower-shop-wins-customers-communities/
Still coming up roses: From 1930 'til today, Reed's Flowers remains in the family - Waco Tribune-Herald
Friday, January 29, 2016People either didn’t buy flowers or they did and then couldn’t pay.”Like flowers, the business grew in the years after that. At one point the Reeds had shops and greenhouses in Temple, Belton and Cameron, he said. This 1943 photo taken at Hatbox Field in Oklahoma shows Harry Reed (right) during his time in the U.S. Air Force.But Harry Reed took a bit of a detour from the flower business when he thought he might make a career of flying. After graduating from La Vega High School he entered a program to train civilian pilots and later joined the U.S Air Force. He was called to be an instructor and trained other pilots. He also was trained on the large B-29s, which were designed for use in the Pacific during World War II.After the war he flew B-25s at Connally Air Force Base, teaching radar interception tactics to pilots. He remained in the Air Force Reserves for 10 years.He married his own sweetheart, Glenda Pledger, completed his degree from Baylor University and had two daughters and a son.He returned to run Reed’s Flowers with his parents, eventually taking over for them.Waco also holds a place in the history of the state’s floral industry. The Texas State Florists’ Association was founded in Waco in 1914, though it is now headquartered in Austin.Harry has two younger siblings, James Reed, a retired Army colonel in San Antonio, and Dorothy Campbell, of Cleveland, Ohio, but neither were interested in taking over the business as he grew older.As he has stepped away from the day-to-day duties of overseeing the business, he does have fond memories of his years in the floral trade.“I’ve met some of the nicest people through the industry,” he said. “I’ll never forget how many nice things they have done for me.” Debbie Reed finishes making a bouquet to be sold at Reed’s Flowers. She has run the longtime downtown flower shop the last two years. Photo by Rod AydelotteDaughter Debbie eventually decided she would continue the family legacy.Much like her father, Debbie Reed grew up learning various aspects of the business over time. First it was deliveries, then how to design bouquets and arrangements, and she has since added bookkeeper to her duties with the shop.“It’s definitely a seven-day-a-week job. There is a lot going on,” she said. “But every day is a new day.”She said it’s been about the last 10 years that she’s gotten heavily involved with running the business. Debbie said she got a great sense of what is required to run the place during a six-week stretch in 1998 when her father took a cruise and visited Australia and she was put in charge.“That’s when I really saw what it takes,” she said.One of Reed’s Flowers standing orders is providing floral arrangements for a number of churches throughout Waco.“We’ve been doing it for a long time, and we give them good prices, but we also look at it as giving to the church,” she said.Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day remain the big flower occasions, and Debbie Reed knows it won’t be any different this year. She and her staff are getting ready for the heavy stretch.She added that her dad is still her biggest hero and she’s glad she has embraced the legacy of continuing Reed’s Flowers.“I decided I wanted to keep it and keep it going,” she said. http://www.wacotrib.com/waco_today_magazine/still-coming-up-roses-from-til-today-reed-s-flowers/article_0f4d5419-c8b0-5371-8c90-db8e670a3ccd.html
‘Are You The B**** That Stormed The Capitol?’: Florist Bombarded With Hate, Mistaken For Shop Owned By Capitol Rioter - CBS Sacramento
Sunday, January 17, 2021A California flower shop is caught in the middle of a fight that’s not even theirs. Now Becky’s Flowers wants to set the record straight.The Roseville store is taking heat for someone in Midland, Texas who’s accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.Assistant manager Kali Mitchell described the stress of simply answering the telephone.“I said, ‘Becky’s Flowers how can I help you?’ And it was immediately met with, ‘Are you the b**** that stormed the Capitol?'” said Mitchell.“I even had one guy say a lot of things I can’t say on TV, obviously,” said owner Aaron Alberti.Those words were aimed at Jenny Cudd. Cudd was arrested Wednesday and charged with a misdemeanor accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.She could be seen smiling and waving at cameras as she left a virtual hearing. She told media outlets she’d, “do it again, and I’d have a gas mask next time.”Here’s where the Roseville store comes in. Cudd also owns a Becky’s Flowers, but it’s an entirely separate shop in Midland, Texas.“We’re getting attacked from the left, from the right, from people who really don’t care. People say, ‘I’m just here to troll you.’ It just shows you the ugly side of humanity I guess,” said Alberti.“Like, I’... https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/01/15/capitol-riot-beckys-flowers-president-trum/
Becky’s Flowers In Roseville Bombarded With Hate, Mistaken For Shop Owned By Capitol Rioter - CBS Sacramento
Sunday, January 17, 2021A Roseville flower shop is caught in the middle of a fight that’s not even theirs. Now Becky’s Flowers wants to set the record straight.The Roseville store is taking heat for someone in Midland, Texas who’s accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.Assistant manager Kali Mitchell described the stress of simply answering the telephone.“I said, ‘Becky’s Flowers how can I help you?’ And it was immediately met with, ‘Are you the b**** that stormed the Capitol?'” said Mitchell.“I even had one guy say a lot of things I can’t say on TV, obviously,” said owner Aaron Alberti.Those words were aimed at Jenny Cudd. Cudd was arrested Wednesday and charged with a misdemeanor accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.She could be seen smiling and waving at cameras as she left a virtual hearing. She told media outlets she’d, “do it again, and I’d have a gas mask next time.”Here’s where the Roseville store comes in. Cudd also owns a Becky’s Flowers, but it’s an entirely separate shop in Midland, Texas.“We’re getting attacked from the left, from the right, from people who really don’t care. People say, ‘I’m just here to troll you.’ It just shows you the ugly side of humanity I guess,” said Alberti.More fro... https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/01/14/roseville-beckys-flowers-threats-riot/
Calif. flower shop with no connection to Capitol riot flooded with threats, negative reviews - SFGate
Sunday, January 17, 2021Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office being broken into during the riot, reports the AP. She also happens to be the proprietor of a florist called Becky’s Flowers in Midland, Texas — the source of the confusion for Aaron Alberti, who has owned and operated the Roseville Becky’s Flowers since 2004. Now, he’s trying to clear the air in order to save his business. “It’s been nonstop … we’ve just been flooded with messages,” he told SFGATE on Thursday afternoon. “One of our employees recently picked up the phone, and the person on the other line said, ‘Are you the bitch who stormed the Capitol?’ And she just said, ‘No, ma’am, we’re in California.’ And the person hung up on her. There’s no apology, no nothing.” At first, Alberti tried to delete the growing number of comments, which he found downright disturbing. “People have written things like, ‘I hope you get cancer,’ ‘I hope your shop burns down,’ ‘I hope you die,’ ‘I hope you rot in jail,’” he said. “And those are the polite ones.” Contrarily, Alberti added that the shop even received a love letter intended for Cudd from a firefighter living in Florida. “To be honest, they both concern me,” he said. In response to the harassment, Alberti notified the Roseville Police Department, which has been periodically sending out officers to check in on the shop. He also contacted Yelp, which he said acted quickly to remove the misguided comments, as well as Google, though he’s still awaiting a response. of this store since 1973.We are getting hate messages and bad reviews as a result. To our customers, please know that we were not part of that. Thank you for your continued trust and please ignore the hate reviews that are not mea... https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Beckys-Flowers-Roseville-mistaken-Capitol-rioter-15871654.php
Florist Who Bragged About Entering Nancy Pelosis Office Charged - Patch.com
Sunday, January 17, 2021MIDLAND, TX — A flower shop owner who has bragged about her involvement in the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol has been charged federally. Jenny Cudd, owner of Becky's Flowers in Midland, Texas, is one of two people from Midland to face federal charges in the riot, KOSA has reported. Her identity has been shared widely in the days since the siege. Cudd posted on her Facebook page after the riot, stating "we" tore down the doors to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, according to the report. Cudd's Facebook page has since been deleted. Subscribe She later defended her actions, telling KOSA she "didn't break any laws." She said she was proud of her actions at the Capitol and would do it again, according to the station. "We did break down Nancy Pelosi's office door," Cudd said in a Facebook Live video that was later recorded and shared on Twitter. "Somebody stole her gavel, and took a picture sitting in her chair flipping off the camera." Subscribe "Do I think that it was wrong for us to go to the Capitol? Absolutely not," Cudd, a 2019 Midland mayoral candidate, said. "Do I think that it was wrong for me to go through an open door and get inside of the Capitol? No I don... https://patch.com/texas/across-tx/florist-who-bragged-entering-nancy-pelosis-office-charged