Change of season, change at Milwaukie Floral… yes, I am still talking about it.
There is something about fall that always feels like a reset. The days get shorter, routines return, and people start thinking about gatherings, holidays, and the months ahead. For Milwaukie Floral, this fall feels a little extra meaningful because we are settling into a new season in more ways than one.
August was rough. Really rough. And I know we were not alone. I heard from a lot of other small business owners and retailers who were feeling the same slowdown. But knowing you are not alone does not necessarily make looking at your own numbers any less scary. I was worried.
I have operated Milwaukie Floral for almost 18 years, so I am pretty familiar with feeling financially squeezed. I think most small business owners probably are. In some weird way, it is a state I have become comfortable with. You watch, adjust, worry a lot, figure it out, and keep going. But I will admit, I had pictured something a little different for this new version of Milwaukie Floral. After making such a big change, I had hoped there might be a little more breathing room. Personally, there is more flexibility, which was really the reason behind all of this. Time with my family is extremely important to me, and this change has given me more of that. Financially? I am still trying to figure that part out. 🙂
Thankfully, things have started to pick up as everyone settles back into the routine of fall. The phone is ringing more, orders are coming in, and familiar customers are finding us again. I am hopeful that as we head toward the holidays, things will continue moving in the right direction.
One of the really wonderful parts of this transition has been hearing from our customers. I would say 90 percent of the reactions have basically been, “Oh good, you’re still here!” People are genuinely happy that Milwaukie Floral is still around. The same name they know, the same phone number, the same website, the same people answering the phone and making their flowers. That has meant a lot to me.
Of course, there have been a few people who are not so thrilled with the change. Recently, a comment came across my inbox that basically said, “I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.” The actual wording was not quite that nice. And you know what? That one comment bothered me for days. ONE comment. Out of all the kind messages and supportive customers, that was the one rattling around in my head.
At first, I kept thinking, why would someone be so mad about this? This change was not something I took lightly. It was hard. It affected my staff, my family, my life, and a business I have spent almost two decades building.
And then I had one of those moments where I remembered that I am not always the centerpiece (flower pun intended).
Maybe our customers and our community are mourning something too.
For nearly 90 years, there has been a flower shop in Milwaukie that people simply expected to be there. A building, a storefront, a place you could walk into. For some families, that relationship goes back generations. That is a really long time to just know something is going to be there when you need it.
So when someone drives up to the old building, even nine months after we closed, and sees a “we have moved” sign, I can understand why that could be unsettling. Something familiar is gone. Change is hard, even when you understand why it had to happen.
And I can absolutely take some credit for the transition being messy. It started as a closure. Then it became a transition. Then somewhere along the way it became this new thing we are building now. Why was it messy? Because it was hard, and I did not know exactly what was coming next. I was figuring it out while I was living it.
At one point, the decision really did come down to this. I could close Milwaukie Floral completely, or I could figure out a way to change it enough to keep going. I chose the latter.
There are parts of the old flower shop that I miss tremendously, and I know some of you miss them too. I think I am learning that you can miss what something used to be and still be excited about what it might become.
So heading into fall, I am cautiously optimistic. There will probably still be some uncomfortable months. There will definitely be more figuring things out. After almost 18 years, I know better than to think small business ownership is suddenly going to become predictable.
But the flowers are still going out the door, the phone is still ringing, and our customers are still calling us when they need us.
Milwaukie Floral is still here.
And I am really glad we are.
