11 Best Cheap Swimwear

Best Cheap Swimwear in 2023

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Best Florist in Spring Lake

A charming local floral company where professionalism, old-fashioned courtesy and reasonable prices make good 'scents'!

This was before the days of supermarkets where you buy a pair of pants, a bed, a head of lettuce and shampoo all in one order. This was the days of department stores with escalators and little specialty shops: delicatessens, shoe stores, druggists, wine shops, dress-makers, butchers, bakeries and my favorite, the florist.

The corsage was a favorite then; flower arrangements pinned to the front of a dress. I clearly remember when the 'new' wrist corsage came into vogue. Back then, corsages were not just for weddings, but birthdays, Mother's Day and Easter. There were certain flowers for certain occasions.

My mother loved corsages. She loved to plan what flowers she would like in her corsage. I remember when she would buy a new dress and we would talk about what flowers she would wear with it.

I remember being very young. I would save up a dollar, and clutching my dimes and quarters, I would select a few blooms. The florist took my selections very seriously. I watched, mesmerized as the florist carefully arranged my blossoms into a tiny artistic bouquets. She would ask very seriously , would I like ivy or baby's breath; I always tried to have 15c left for baby's breath. Then we would select the ribbon color together; that was free. That and the little card with pictures that you could write a little message on. .

The florist would place my treasure in a little plastic bed. It was like a work of art. I would run home, hide it in the frig and yell to mom not to look in the box in the frig. I felt so proud when she pinned her corsage on her dress and wore it to church or to Grandma's family get-togethers.

I guess, as time has gone by, I figured that little florist shops just didn't do much business anymore. Grocery stores and gas stations have wrapped flowers, maybe not as nice and certainly not the same personal touch. But oh well. That's progress.

I've seen the huge craft and flower barns and the gift shops that arrange flowers, but I missed those small local florists who could work such magic with a little kid's few daisies.

And then one day, I chanced upon it, right downtown, in teh lovely lakeside village of Spring Lake just over the drawbridge from Grand Haven. I needed to get a reasonably priced bouquet of roses for my grandma's 98th birthday and she and grandpa's 75th wedding anniversary. Now that is a pretty impressive occasion. I just couldn't risk the grocery store. But I didn't have a lot of money to work with, so I really didn't expect to find much.

I went into Spring Lake Flower Company which I chose because it is smaller than several others in town and I hoped to find better prices. Low and behold it was the florist like my childhood memory! He knew my budget and was very personable and helpful. He was a true artisan and put together the blooms I could afford into a spectacular bouquet! Of course he had fabulously creative and lovely bouquets, but he took time with my small offering and made it special.

Grandma was delighted. She loved her special bouquet and that it had been designed just for her. She had been ill and sad for quite awhile. Her house of 50 years had been sold and she had been forced by ill health to move several hundred miles away. But on that special day, she looked radiant., at least 25 years younger! We talked and laughed like old times.

Grandma passed away shortly after that. But I feel that she was as happy as she had been in a long time. I guess when we perform our tasks in life with care and concern, even a florist, we spread joy in ways we may never know.