Cindy Lopez has run the Merrillville Florist and Tea Room since buying it last fall.
Cindy Lopez has always wanted to own a flower shop.
Cindy Lopez is adding her own touches to the Merrillville Florist and Tea Room.
Ramona McCrovitz, left, and Cindy Lopez work on holiday decor shortly after Lopez bought the Merrillville Florist and Tea Shop from McCrovitz.
This is the main dining area at the Tea Room.
Former owner Ramona McCrovitz and current owner Cindy Lopez have a cup of tea.
When Cindy Lopez was a little girl, her dream was to o wn a flower shop. As an adult she has been able to realize that dream. She became the new owner of the Merrillville Florist and Tea Room last December.
“I fell in love with the Merrillville Florist and Tea Room the first time I walked through the door,” said Lopez. “I love the character and charm of the building and the business model overall. For years the previous owner and I would talk and I would say, ‘One day when you are ready to sell, you have to sell to me. I love it here.’ And she would respond with ‘Honey, you can buy it tomorrow.’ ”
Lopez said she and previous owner Ramona McCrovitz would laugh, not realizing that the other was serious. She heard in September 2019 that McCrovitz had sold the shop. She called to offer her congratulations and express that she really did want to own it one day. “It just so happened that the sale had fallen through prior to my call,” she said. “Needless to say, I jumped on the opportunity and here we are.”
When she purchased the business, the tea room had been closed for about 18 months. Once they started the sale process, Lopez worked out an agreement with McCrovitz to re-open the tea room.
“It was greatly missed in the community, and tea-room patrons were eager to return, especially with the holidays approaching. We knew we needed the menu and the service to be perfect, so we started training in the kitchen, learning the original recipes as well as cooking and plating techniques in October. We were able to re-open the tea room in early November and took over the entire business officially in December,” said Lopez.
Lopez had worked for 15 years as campaign director for retiring U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky. The timing worked well as she said she learned of the opportunity with the florist and tea room around the time Congressman Visclosky decided he would not seek re-election.
“It has been an interesting transition and kind of bittersweet as my career with Congressman Visclosky comes to a close and my time with the Merrillville Florist and Tea Room is just beginning,” she said.
Lopez is a native of Northwest Indiana and a graduate of Lake Central High School and Purdue University Northwest.
As a child, Lopez had an interest in flowers and would plant them with her mother and grandmother. “I always knew I wanted to be surrounded by beauty and dreamed of owning a flower shop for as long as I can remember,” said Lopez. “Then growing up I was raised in a way that encouraged me to recognize the feelings that flowers bring and the significance they represent in people’s everyday lives and special moments,” said Lopez.
She’s pleased that her dream has come true in a place where she has spent special times with those who mean the most to her — Christmas lunches with her mother; a bridal luncheon with her husband, Mark, and two stepsons, Jack and Joey; and with friends lingering in a cozy nook with a scone and cup of tea.
But taking over the business has not come without challenges, especially the COVID-19 shutdown. “It’s a huge responsibility as a small business owner to keep our family, our workers, our customers and our community healthy and safe,” she said. “While we are fortunate to not have lost any loved ones personally to the pandemic, the shutdown from March to May really challenged us to look at the business differently and get creative.”
Lopez said that Easter deliveries in a bunny costume were successful and rewarding.
She’s now challenging herself to adapt to the new world and adjust events held on the property and in the tea room. She also used the shutdown to make improvements and upgrades to the building and property: The patio was renovated for use as an outdoor wedding venue for brides who have had to scale down plans and get married in a safer outdoor setting.
Lopez is grateful for the support of her husband, Mark. “We make a great team. I could not envision what the endeavor would look like without him,” she said. “He is my rock and he keeps me focused while encouraging me to dream and gives a lot of his free time to the business to allow me to focus on learning as much as I can.”
An avid gardener, Lopez loves spending time outdoors When she’s not at work, she’s often doing yard work and tending to her own garden or taking her two golden retrievers hiking in the Indiana Dunes National Park or on other local trails.
Even with all the recent challenges, she said the best part of business is making connections with customers. “We have a presence in people’s lives during important moments,” she said. “Taking a flower order sounds so simple, yet it’s really meeting people when they’re at their most vulnerable — grieving a loss, celebrating a new life, acknowledging a special moment — and you go through it together in a way where a connection forms with that person. It’s really very special and rewarding.”
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
October 22, 2020 at 06:44AM
https://www.nwitimes.com/niche/woman-cultivates-lifelong-goal-to-own-a-flower-shop/article_194b0911-0166-54af-9998-baec566e2d92.html
Woman cultivates lifelong goal to own a flower shop - nwitimes.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment