By LOIS KINDLE
The iconic and much beloved purveyor of all things floral – Harriet’s Flowers – has closed its doors. But the family members who have worked it for more than five decades have simply decided to take their lives in a different direction.
“It has been a true privilege and honor to share the lives of the people of this community who have supported us through the years,” said tearful owner Gail Roszel, who called the decision to close the shop “absolutely heartbreaking. I’ll miss the creativity of the involved, the people I’ve served, connections I’ve made and the relationships I’ve built with my suppliers and employees [some of whom have worked at the shop for 30 years].
Harriet Garbelman, for whom Harriet’s Flowers was named, started grooming her daughter, Gail Roszel, as a teenager to take over the business, which she did in 2003. Garbelman continued working with her orchids until she passed away in 2022.
“The business was still doing well, but my husband [Brantz] and I want to spend time with our family, my son, Thomas; his wife, Ashlye; and our three grandsons – J. P., 11, Carter, 8, and Lane, 3,” she continued. “Owning and operating a small business is all-consuming.”
Harriet Hovey Garbelman, the shop’s namesake, took Roszel to her first flower show when she was 8 years old.
“My mother was definitely grooming me and raising me in the industry,” she said. “I began working alongside her when I was 16.”
After many years of helping Garbelman run the shop, Roszel assumed ownership from her in 2003. Her mom worked in the background and happily continued caring for her orchids until she passed away in August 2022.
Now, after 45 years in the business, Roszel is ready for a new chapter.
Many factors went into her gut-wrenching decision to close the shop. Things weren’t quite the same after she lost her mom two years ago and then her main designer, Joann Gauta, last year after Gauta’s husband died. Market factors have changed over the years, and a S.L.A.M. school was approved for construction nearby several years ago.
The loss of Harriet’s Flowers has left a big void in the community, but the memory of it and its history will always be part of the fabric of Ruskin.
“This family, with the support of our employees and the community, has survived so much over the years,” Roszel said. “The shop burned down in 1978, but my mom and grandmother, Violet, did a wedding the next day; we got through the Great Recession [December 2007 to June 2009], the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and then the COVID pandemic.
She put the business on the market for 18 months but, due to her high expectations and standards, could not find the right buyer.
“I’d rather ride into the sunset, with our reputation intact, than have our brand tarnished by someone who cannot deliver the same product quality and service our customers have come to know.”
So it was on to Plan B.
“On Nov. 7, I offered to lease all but two back rooms of the building to the SouthShore Chamber, since the building it was in on Shell Point Road had flooded two times after hurricanes,” Roszel said. “With that approval, we’re now able to focus on our roots – our family and growing flowers like my grandfather, T. R. Hovey, did 70 years ago.
Along with her daughter-in-law, who’s worked with her on and off for the past 10 years, she’s focusing on working the family’s half-acre flower farm behind the shop at the back of their 5-acre property.
“We’re considering participating in community markets, selling fresh flowers on weekends and selling to wholesalers and other area florists,” she added. “There are all kinds of possibilities.”
Roszel is finally at peace with her decision.
LOIS KINDLE PHOTOS
Gail Roszel, owner of Harriet’s Flowers, right, and her daughter-in-law Ashlye have mixed feelings about closing the doors of the flower shop that’s been in their family for more than half a century. Although moving on to the next chapter of their lives, they’ll continue working their half-acre flower farm behind the shop at the back of their five-acre property.
“I know it’s the right thing to do; nevertheless, it was hard and fraught with sadness because it involved the whole family’s legacy.
“With the chamber coming in the first week of February or so, the decision is a win-win,” she continued. “Melanie [Davis] and the chamber staff will make the space their own and be wonderful stewards of the building. And we will be free to move on to the next stage of our lives.”
Davis, the chamber’s executive director and a family friend since 2006, agreed.
“The loss of Harriet’s Flowers will leave a big void in the community, but the memory of it and its history will always be part of the fabric of Ruskin,” she said. “Life has different chapters, and this one’s closing for Gail. Her decision was like any other retirement, except it was harder because it involved the lives of Violet, Harriet and Gail. Harriet’s Flowers was an iconic part of this community.”