His Life Flourishes With Petal Power
by Katie DelVerne
Receiving flowers on special occasions is sometimes taken for granted. We see this big, beautiful bouquet of flowers, but do we really ever think what went into choosing, fixing and arranging the bouquet with which we are presented?
Bill Johns is a floral designer at Pretty Petals in Brownsville. Johns, like most florists, has persevered through some of the busiest holidays and occasions. However, unlike most florists, Johns started his career in the industry on Valentine’s Day, one of the busiest holidays in the floral business.
Johns was introduced to the floral industry in 1990 upon his graduation from high school. He had taken a horticulture class at Fayette County Career & Technical Institute, which had sparked his interest, and from there it blossomed.
In 1990, he began his first job working with a florist at Johnson, the Florist, in Uniontown on Valentine’s Day. Johns said he started out just as general help, cleaning the flowers and helping out wherever he was needed. After doing miscellaneous tasks, he then moved into working in the greenhouse.
He later became a floral designer.
In 1992, Johns moved to work at Main Street Floral in Republic. After four years working and arranging there, he took over the business in 1995 as head designer.
Johns said one of his biggest challenges was being his own boss. He knew his style of designing and thought it was great but missed having someone else there to critique his work.
Before Johns took over Main Street, the previous owner, Grover Ferguson, was one of John’s biggest influences. Johns said Ferguson really took him under his wing and gave him a chance. Ferguson showed him the ropes and helped build him into the future owner of the business.
See how to arrange a bouquet here.
While working at Main Street Floral, Johns also worked at Confer Funeral Home in Brownsville. Johns said because he worked with the funeral home delivering flowers to them, that the owner asked him if he wanted to help out occasionally and he could not say no.
He did general things around the funeral home, such as bookings, parking cars and, of course, delivering flowers to viewings. Johns said at one point he had considered going into the funeral business, but, instead, was brought into the world of the floral industry.
Johns said around nine years after he took over Main Street Floral, the area the flower shop sat in began to decline. Businesses were closing, including the nearby funeral home with which Main Street did business.
Main Street Floral closed in 2004.
For six years, Johns has been a floral designer at Pretty Petals. Just as earlier in his career, Johns began working at the shop on Valentine's Day.
With the phone ringing off the hook and buckets of roses all over the shop, Johns could not even explain how busy this time of the year is.
This is not the only busy time at Pretty Petals. The shop caters to such special occasions as proms, birthdays, funerals and weddings. Johns said his current bosses have been the “most instrumental” in his career as a floral designer.
Though Johns said he loves where he is at, he said he has given some thought to one day owning his own business again. But for now, he is surrounded by close to 500 roses at Pretty Petals and appears to be loving every moment of it.
Katie DelVerne is is a California University of Pennsylvania Communication Studies major. See her website here.
Receiving flowers on special occasions is sometimes taken for granted. We see this big, beautiful bouquet of flowers, but do we really ever think what went into choosing, fixing and arranging the bouquet with which we are presented?
Bill Johns is a floral designer at Pretty Petals in Brownsville. Johns, like most florists, has persevered through some of the busiest holidays and occasions. However, unlike most florists, Johns started his career in the industry on Valentine’s Day, one of the busiest holidays in the floral business.
Johns was introduced to the floral industry in 1990 upon his graduation from high school. He had taken a horticulture class at Fayette County Career & Technical Institute, which had sparked his interest, and from there it blossomed.
In 1990, he began his first job working with a florist at Johnson, the Florist, in Uniontown on Valentine’s Day. Johns said he started out just as general help, cleaning the flowers and helping out wherever he was needed. After doing miscellaneous tasks, he then moved into working in the greenhouse.
He later became a floral designer.
In 1992, Johns moved to work at Main Street Floral in Republic. After four years working and arranging there, he took over the business in 1995 as head designer.
Johns said one of his biggest challenges was being his own boss. He knew his style of designing and thought it was great but missed having someone else there to critique his work.
Before Johns took over Main Street, the previous owner, Grover Ferguson, was one of John’s biggest influences. Johns said Ferguson really took him under his wing and gave him a chance. Ferguson showed him the ropes and helped build him into the future owner of the business.
See how to arrange a bouquet here.
While working at Main Street Floral, Johns also worked at Confer Funeral Home in Brownsville. Johns said because he worked with the funeral home delivering flowers to them, that the owner asked him if he wanted to help out occasionally and he could not say no.
He did general things around the funeral home, such as bookings, parking cars and, of course, delivering flowers to viewings. Johns said at one point he had considered going into the funeral business, but, instead, was brought into the world of the floral industry.
Johns said around nine years after he took over Main Street Floral, the area the flower shop sat in began to decline. Businesses were closing, including the nearby funeral home with which Main Street did business.
Main Street Floral closed in 2004.
For six years, Johns has been a floral designer at Pretty Petals. Just as earlier in his career, Johns began working at the shop on Valentine's Day.
With the phone ringing off the hook and buckets of roses all over the shop, Johns could not even explain how busy this time of the year is.
This is not the only busy time at Pretty Petals. The shop caters to such special occasions as proms, birthdays, funerals and weddings. Johns said his current bosses have been the “most instrumental” in his career as a floral designer.
Though Johns said he loves where he is at, he said he has given some thought to one day owning his own business again. But for now, he is surrounded by close to 500 roses at Pretty Petals and appears to be loving every moment of it.
Katie DelVerne is is a California University of Pennsylvania Communication Studies major. See her website here.