Nestled on the corner of 23rd diagonal to the Garfield Community Center lives local flower shop, Flowers Just 4 U. Its bright neon signs hang in the window reading “Bouquets” and “Balloons” while inside the shop hosts a variety of greenery and florals and hanging framed photos. One such photo shows shop owner and founder Mary Wesley posed next to the Seattle Seahawks. “That was something they wanted to do, they wanted to come in and see the lady who owned the black flower shop,” Wesley said. The shop around her bustles with excitement in its final days. After 40 years of offering the community a stop for brightly colored bouquets, Wesley is retiring.
Born in Washington DC, Wesley moved to Los Angeles at 20, and eventually made her way to Seattle. “When I first came here I thought oh my goodness. This is a piece of cake, I love this, I could eat this every day,” Wesley said. “I loved Seattle, I just fell right in love with it.”
Beginning work at Boeing as a clerk, Wesley didn’t think to work in the floral business, but after seeing the other neighborhood stores she thought, “I have to bring something to the town that is exciting, so there’s nothing like saying she’s got a big flower shop. Everybody wants to see this big flower shop,” Wesley said.
Their first location was across the street from the old Red Apple, now Amazon Fresh. The business before was a phone company, and when they vacated the place, Wesley hoped to fill it with flowers. “One night I was driving home from work, and I looked, I go oh my goodness maybe I can get that spot there, not knowing I can get it but I did. It was huge,” Wesley said. “That was my first year I was into business. It was exciting and I was younger.”
However, starting a small business didn’t come without struggles. “I thought I was going to get rich overnight, it didn’t happen,” Wesley said. “It was much more of a learning experience because a lot of things I tried to do without research, it didn’t work.” For anyone looking into starting a small business, Wesley advises to think “if I make this move is it going to be successful, or am I digging a hole? I learned the hard way because I did not give myself enough time in the learning curve to be successful.”
Despite challenges, Wesley’s business grew overtime, which she credits to the good work they do. “We get lots of funerals and weddings, because that’s what everybody wants, they don’t want any old type of sloppy job,” Wesley said. “Word gets around and that [brings] the community closer together.”
Looking forward Wesley is “thoroughly excited” about retirement. While the store is scheduled to officially close on February 1st, there is the possibility of a prospect buyer. “[The store] has a great impact on the community. Already people are feeling sad that the store is not going to be here,” Wesley said, and she tells them, “don’t be sad, cause the store might not be gone yet.” Regardless of the outcome, reflecting on her decades long career, Wesley says “I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Interview by Ibrahim Coker
