She started selling snowcones right across the street from where Flower Bouquet is now on Lee Boulevard.
“I learned from my parents if I wanted things, I need to work for it,” said Kim Whitworth, owner of Flower Bouquet. “Gas money for the car, a special jacket or shoes, I was expected to pay for those things.”
Learning how to work, be on time, think about making the customer pleased with their purchase and realizing there is a satifaction to work and being part of a successful business were all learned as a teenager by Kim Whitworth.
And that work ethic has paid off as the new owner of Flower Bouquet in the Lee Drive Shopping Center.
Kim had worked Saturday’s at Flower Boutique for about two years when the opportunity to purchase came up.
“Conner, my husband thought long and hard about it, because we knew a business doesn’t run itself,” Kim said. “We struggled with the decision and I finally told him ‘We can do it, but we won’t really know that until we try.’ He agreed.”
They took over the business on Jan. 2.
Kim teased when she said she makes the money and he spends it.
“He handles the books and pays the bills,” said Whitworth. “I’m the one in the store everyday doing everything else.”
And while Kim has worked everywhere from City Court to a local accounting firm, being the woman in charge has been a challenge.
“People dream of owning a business but I don’t think they realize how much work it is,” she explained. “The responsibility and having to make wise decisions are the part that weighs on you.”
Quality Employees
Whitworth said part of the purchase was keeping the employees who had worked for Flower Boutique.
“Jerri Baker works as needed and Mr. Woody (Joseph) has been delivering flowers for about 8 years and does so much more around here,” said Whitworth. “Erica Ramsey is the true florist and has been designing and creating arrangements for about 20 years.
“They make my job so much easier,” she explained. “If I have to go to Memphis for materials, to market or whatever, I can. They know their job and they do it well.”
And just like Whitworth was taught about the value or work by her parents Scotty and Donna Meredith, she is trying to show her daughter Meredith how to work at an early age.
“She works after school and answers the phone, takes orders just about anything anybody up here asks her to do,” said Whitworth. “She’s got a knack for this and I don’t think she realizes what she is learning that will help her in whatever she decides to do.”
Whitworth said it takes a special kind of person to work at a florist. She pointed out you see people at their best and worst.
“The weddings, birthdays and anniversaries are so special to us and we get to take part in those with our customers,” said Whitworth. “We also do funerals and when people are sick or just going through a hard time.”
Whitworth told of helping a family pick out flower for the funeral of a baby.
“It touched my heart so much. I cried with them,” she explained. “I was born and raised in Clarksdale and have never lived anywhere else. I know these people and when something happens in their life, it happens in mine.”
Sincere Service
Whitworth said customer service is thrown around a lot in the business world, but people know if you are sincere about it or not.
“This is a business but it’s not just about making a sale,” she added. “I want people to be happy with their purchase, come back the next time they need flowers and most importanly, tell others who they use.”
She said taking care of a customer usually starts with a phone call or them simply walking in the door.
“If they call I get them to look at our website while I talk to them,” said Whitworth. “We walk through what they might need and they see prices
“I do sort of the same thing if they walk in with my computer,” said Whitworth. “We offer standing sprays and plants for funerals. We also offer what we call dish-gardens, wreaths and fresh-cut flowers in a vase.”
The favorite part of her job is sending flowers with a sweet note anonymously to people at work.
“We never tell who sent them,” said Whitworth with a smile. “We just tell them to think about all the people that love them and they have to figure it out.”
Whitworth also said she knows of no woman on Earth who doesn’t like getting flowers out of the blue.
Romance of Flowers
“Giving flowers tells someone they are very special in your life and you are thinking about them,” said Whitworth. “Romance is about letting them know how much you care for them by giving them a beautiful gift.”
Whitworth also talked about how flowers and holidays go together.
“Poinsettas for Christmas and peace lillies for Easter, but flowers also add the final touch to any Thanksgiving table,” she explained. “Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are the two biggest flower days.
“Flowers brighten any room and just make people smile,” she added.
Whitworth did say once again that running a florist is a lot of work.
“We’ve got our fall arrangements out and it will soon be time for Christmas,” said Whitworth. “There are days when we get slammed up here with all the work. And even during the slack times, there is always something to do around here.”
But knowing she brought a smile to someone’s face when they are having a hard day or celebrating a special occasion with a pretty bouquet makes every day special at Flower Boutique.
October 25, 2020 at 07:09PM
https://www.pressregister.com/women-business-kim-whitworth
Women in Business: Kim Whitworth | Press Register - Clarksdale Press Register
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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