In the 20-plus years since Sue Weingardt and her husband, Rick, purchased Cattleya Floral from Stan and Bonnie Kloberdanz, not much has changed.
But Jan. 1, there was a big change for the business: new ownership.
Sterling’s floral institution was established in 1987, and the Weingardts bought the business in 1999. They finalized the sale of the shop to Amanda and Brandon Steele with the new year.
In announcing the sale, the Weingardts issued a statement thanking “our family, friends, loyal customers and this wonderful community for their support and business over the past 22 years.”
“As our family continues to grow we are taking time to enjoy grandparenting and Rick will continue his job as a crop insurance adjustor,” the statement continued.
Sue Weingardt said that over the past two decades, the fresh flower industry has stayed about the same. Most of their blooms come from South America, but their network of vendors allows Cattleya to get flowers from anywhere in the world. She said that over the years, she and her staff have designed for many special events and celebrations. Favorites among them were always ones where they were allowed to “step out of the box” and do something different with their arrangements.
One notable change Sue mentioned came early in her ownership of the business: the adoption of technology to run the shop. When they first bought the shop, Sue said, everything was done on paper. It didn’t take long for them to decide to get a computer. They got that set up with some help from staff at Northeastern Junior College.
Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that the other big change in the way the business operated would come at the end of their ownership. Sue said the COVID-19 pandemic led to changes, such as contactless delivery, to ensure that “We can accomodate anybody, however they feel comfortable.”
Owning a flower shop was not something Weingardt had aspired to growing up. She grew up a farm girl and said she learned how to work hard from her dad, who was a self-employed butcher.
She said she heard from mutual friends of the Kloberdanzes that they were planning to sell the business, and encouraged her to look into it. Sue had a full-time job at the time, but said she started “hanging out” at the shop and gradually learning the business before she ultimately decided to buy it.
The story rings a bit familiar to Amanda Steele, who says she was a frequent customer of Cattleya, to the point that one day they suggested she should “just buy it.” It became a bit of a running joke, until the day that Sue’s off-hand comment was met with a response from Amanda: “Let’s talk.”
That conversation happened in mid-October of last year, and just a couple of months later, the sale is complete. Amanda said she, too, had not necessarily envisioned owning a flower shop in her future, but knew she wanted to own her own business and this seemed like a good opportunity.
“I’m excited,” she said. “After last year, why not?”
Sue has agreed to stay on for a year and help Amanda learn the flower business. She said the trick to learning how to arrange flowers is basically, watch and mimic – that is, observe what the other designers around the work table are doing and copy that. And there will be ample opportunity to do that, with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Sue points out.
Also, she said, a lot of business comes from Cattleya’s website, where customers choose a design, which means there’s a photo to work from.
Amanda said she hopes she’s a fast learner, but feels she’s already learned a lot. It helps, Sue said, that “she’s got an eye for it.”
Aside from the actual flower arranging, Amanda feels pretty confident that her background – she has a business degree in accounting – will serve her well in her new role. She said she’s always had a “love for design,” and hopes to incorporate that into the business, with an expanded inventory of decor items and home interiors. She noted that the building provides room to grow, and is interested in adding a small bakery or cafe with space to do events like baby showers or birthday parties.
“It all kind of can mesh well,” she said.
The new ownership means one other slight change: The name is now Cattleya by Steele Terrain, and can be found by that name on Facebook. You can also reach them at 970-522-7686 or www.cattleyafloral.com.
The Link LonkJanuary 19, 2021 at 04:16AM
https://www.southplattesentinel.com/2021/01/18/longtime-sterling-flower-shop-turning-over-a-new-leaf/
Longtime Sterling flower shop turning over a new leaf - South Platte Sentinel
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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