Posted: 6/14/06
From flower design champ to flower shop owner
 Jackie Eisenbraun and Shirley Schaefer stand by their floor to ceiling flower display cooler where people can get a good look at what they have to offer each day. Shop hours are 9-6 Mon. - Thurs.; 9-7 Fri.; and 9-4 Sat. Wild Vines Floral is full-service floral shop located east of the I-35 Wyoming exit. Questions? Call (651) 462-2966. |
By MaryHelen Swanson
One year ago Shirley Schaefer challenged Murphyís Law and won, taking home a first place ribbon from a worldwide floral design competition in Canada, in spite of great difficulties. She had already won two competitions in Minnesota earlier in the year.
Now, she wins once again, for she has partnered with Joan Fox and the two have opened their own floral shop in Wyoming.
The former Wyoming floral shop went out of business in March of this year and the women had purchased some of their ìstuff.î
As they did so, idea clouds mushroomed over their heads, and they said, ìShould we?î
The next day they were signing papers and going into business. ìIt was not planned,î Schaefer said. But Schaefer says itís kind of like a dream.
Employee Jackie Eisenbraun rounds out the staff. Each of the three bring different skills to the floral table. Fox is the wedding expert, Schaeferís specialty is silks and Eisenbraun enjoys the daily designing. (This year Eisenbraun took runner-up in the Koehler and Dramm floral design competition that Schaefer won last year.)
It took about two weeks for the trio, with some spousal assistance, to redo the interior of the shop. Itís bright, open and welcoming.
ìWe have plans,î they said with eyes twinkling.
Besides making the shop look nice, theyíve been asking customers what they want, so we get what they want, the women said.
The women are buying fresh flowers almost daily and silks are going well, Schaefer said.
At the time of the interview last week a gorgeous, and massive, silk arrangement waited on the counter to be hand-carried to the new RiverBank in Wyoming for its grand opening this week. It was Eisenbraunís design.
Itís a ìWOWî kind of arrangement that will make people take notice.
Thatís the same thing they have in mind for the shop, a place where people will walk into and say ìWOW.î
If youíre ready to be wowed, stop on by at ìWild Vines Floralî in Wyoming, itís near the Subway shop.
Comment from Simone Schaefer, 7/3/06
Way to go!!!!
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