Prunella' Flower Shoppe
The Lavender Flower that Always Blooms
By Theobeat Cheon
14 December 2022
Every flower has a process by which it grows and blooms, revealing its beauty at every stage. Prunella’s Flower Shoppe is one such flower with its own story to tell. A story of how it came to be and how its owner, Susan Glashagel has provided the sunshine and warmth to make it last for the past 30 years. Though, not every flower has its beauty without its thorns—challenges that Susan has had to face over the past years. Despite these thorns of life, Susan continues to stand firm and will always be ready to provide her finest floral arrangements to anyone with a hint of good taste.
The best way to describe how Prunella’s came into business would be similar to telling a story of how every aspiring person started their own business. Susan first started working in a small shop in Arizona; however, she did not see much of an opportunity for herself there. And so, with a passion to start her own business, she left her job in Arizona and moved to Illinois with her family where she started a small flower shop in Fox Lake. Susan named it after an affectionate nickname her cousin gave her ever since she was a child. Prunella, a strong and tall flower with lavender-velvet petals. A fitting name for a small business that has and continues to endure its hardships.
As flowers face natural resistances to their growth, so too did Prunella’s Flower Shoppe. Covid, inflation, and the modern conveniences of online shopping are some of the things that have been hurting small floral shops everywhere. During the pandemic, Susan was forced to keep her doors closed and had to conduct her business with customers outside or solely by phone. Additionally, while Susan has managed to maintain good prices for her customers, the recent spike in inflation rates have caused her difficulty in keeping up with the rising costs of providing flowers. Lastly, with the increasing use of online shopping, small businesses in the floral industry continue to face a very daunting trial ahead of them.
With online shopping, it has become more convenient for people to buy and receive products the next day. Shoppers can even customize their orders however they desire. Though, a greater element of business has faded because of such conveniences. A sense of community. Small talk, an avenue to greater conversation, has become lost. With people no longer needing to step into stores, they miss the opportunity to consult and receive advice from business owners on what to purchase and how to effectively use their products.
Furthermore, as large corporations continue to dominate the online sphere, people are becoming more content with cheaper products without realizing the significant loss in quality. In other words, there is a sharp disparity between the quality and price. A cheap rose from a supermarket that has been sitting out for days with no care is not the same as a fresh rose from a florist who maintains it with a sense of familial care. There is a reason why floral services are called arrangements, compositions, or designs. Because like an artist or musician, the florist must use years of refined knowledge and experience to create an intricately designed piece of art. No corporation driven by wholesale profit can ever replace the dedication and care that florists have for their flowers.
Despite the challenges that Susan faces, there is one quality about her business that has driven her to persevere. It is for her community that she works so hard to provide the finest arrangements of flowers. The number of hours she spends perfecting her floral arrangements can never be taken from her. For 30 years, Prunellla’s Flower Shoppe has stood the test of time, not solely because of its flowers, but because of Susan’s endearing qualities as its owner. It is ultimately because of such qualities that Susan and her business are able to stay in full bloom all year long.