FARMINGTON– Shannon Monahan, the new owner of Richard’s Florist, is a familiar face with experience and passion for her new role.
“I worked for the previous owner, Megan, for about eight years, and worked for Kurt, over at Riverside, prior to that in my twenties, and I just really enjoy playing with flowers and working with my hands.” Monahan said.
The shop began as a business venture of Carla Richards, who owned the business for 37 years. For Monahan, the journey of getting the building and approval for the loan to close on the business took eleven months. In taking over a business, Monahan considered what to keep and what changes she wanted to make.
“I got rid of the tux rentals, which opened up a lot more space in the front of the shop, and I’ve been able to start stocking up on gifts and gift items. We have a lot of Maine-made products, and my goal is to, as the business grows, really start getting more and more Maine products here.” Monahan explained.
“We’re very well known for our quality, long-lasting flowers. One of the reasons that they last so long is the way we process them. The flowers are shipped to us in boxes, dry. We have to cut them, get them in water, let them hydrate, clean them, and then we get them in the cooler as quickly as we can, because it helps with the longevity of the flowers.”
One of the challenges Monahan faced was the delivery process due to the amount of employees at the shop, but that doesn’t stop the team from delivering high-quality products to their customers.
“We can also deliver from Rangeley car bass, I mean, there are days like today when we are going in two different directions. It’s just me and my driver so it can get a little complicated sometimes. We do have other people who come in and help when it gets busier.” There are a lot of different tasks to handle while owning a business, and one of those tasks is making sure that the other tenants in the building feel supported and that their needs are met.
“I own the building too, we have two tenants here. Within the first month of me owning it, we had multiple issues that we had to deal with, and it’s just complicated.” Monahan said, “There are a lot of bits and pieces to owning your own business. What we do is very personal. It’s not only personal to me, but it’s very personal to the customers and the people that we’re working with. I mean, we do everything from weddings to funerals to just birthday arrangements, to thank yous, and we always strive to make sure that we’re producing the best product that we can.”
Hiring a florist for an event will ensure the quality of your products, and provide the opportunity to build relationships.
“I’ll always tell people if you have an opportunity to call a local florist, call a local florist. You’re gonna get more for your money, and you’re supporting a local small business. You know, you’re putting money into your (or their) community, your family, or wherever you’re sending the flowers.”
The best part of the business to Monahan is the one-to-one time she gets with the customers to personalize their flower orders.
“People can contact us through our website. They can also contact us directly at the store. I love it when people call because I can personalize what they’re looking for a little bit better. I would encourage people to look (anyone who uses social media) at our new Facebook page, Richard Florist and Gifts because I am constantly trying to put promotions out there and give people opportunities to save some money.”
The love for gardening came from Monahan’s childhood experiences with her parents and grandparents.
“From a young age, I’d go out and gather flowers and put them in vases and design them, as a lot of kids do. Once I stepped into the Riverside and got to see what that looked like, I fell in love with it,” Monahan described. “I’ve always wanted to own my own flower shop, so it’s literally a dream come true for me.”
Those interested in purchasing flower arrangements can do so on their website, https://richardsflorist.com/, or by phone, at (207) 778-3401.
