Featured Vendor: A&A Flowers & Gifts of Oxford
Nestled in the Oxford downtown historic district, is a charming unassuming flower shop on N. Washington Street near the corner of W. Burdick Street. The plain looking green shingled gable roofed storefront, has simple wood carved painted letters that read A&A Flowers & Gifts. Passersby need only to take a glimpse in the window to see that this little flower shop offers much more than a traditional florist.
A&A Flowers & Gifts is a family owned and operated business that has been in Oxford since 1972. The business name even has a family heritage as it was named after the original owner’s mother Alice, and sister, Anna. Over the years, the business has changed hands between family members, but one constant remains the same; providing customers with the freshest florals and one-of-a-kind gifts.
Meet the new owner
Detroit Wedding Day sat down with the new business owner, Penny Murphy, who took over the store in 2017 from her cousins, the previous owners Ronnie and Wendy Brabo. The couple continues to work at the store as floral designers and is instrumental in the day-to-day operation.
After 16 years helping others as a nurse followed by 17 years in healthcare management, Murphy laid down her stethoscope and picked up a laser engraver, never looking back. Designing unique engraving and etching provided the creative outlet she needed. She started out selling her products at various art shows but when the chance to take over the existing family flower and gifts business became available, she couldn’t afford to let this gem of an opportunity pass by.
“This allowed me to use my business degree and allowed Ronnie and Wendy, the previous owners, to do what they do so well. But it also permitted me to bring my products into a venue with an already existing atmosphere”, said Murphy.
She continued, “This has been great! When people come in, they think that because we are A&A Flowers, that that is all we do. But once they come into the shop, they realize that is not all we do. We do everything! It’s been interesting to see the feedback.”
Wedding Business
With weddings representing about one-third of their business, they create beautiful floral arrangements like many other florists, but what makes A&A Flowers & Gifts unique compared to other florists is they take time to really listen and understand the desires of their customers.
“We really listen. Wendy is an expert of being able to take the look of what a bride wants and if their budget doesn’t match, she’s able to give them the look and feel within their budget”, says Murphy.
This is done by substituting some flowers with other cuts of flowers or silk floral but keeping the overall look, feel, color, and size of the arrangement. Murphy takes pride at listening, educating and guiding the brides to make the best choices. She gives an example of how important understanding the customer and helping them make the right decision is.
“When a bride says that she wants something draping in her bouquet that is fine, but somethings by the time she is walking through the aisle look dead. For example, dusty miller is in almost every Pinterest wedding picture. But the problem is by the time you walk down the aisle, dusty miller looks dead.”
She shares her experience and discusses alternative greens that capture the essence of a look. She credits Wendy’s masterful design skills for crafting beautiful floral solutions by using paints, accessories, and other decorative elements. This is done to help give the bride a bouquet that not only looks good as she walks down the aisle but through the reception and beyond.
“We try to guide brides because they don’t know how flowers are going to hold. So, we try to give them the experience of what we know is going to happen so they won’t be disappointed at the end of the day.”
Trends
One recurring trend that has been seen has been brides using more greens than flowers. Murphy educates her brides on the cost of greens versus flowers.
“I think the thing that shocks brides is that the greens are just as expensive as the flowers are now. When brides say I want to use a lot of greens, I try to let them know that that is fine but don’t do it because you think it’s cheaper”, says Murphy.
She says since greens have become popular with brides, the suppliers have taken notice of the trend and have increased prices.
Another trend that is becoming even more common, is that couples are deciding to have more fall weddings in lieu of spring or summer ceremonies. Because of this, Murphy strongly recommends using flowers that are in season to help manage costs.
“We can get you anything that you want, but if it’s not in season you are going to pay a horrible premium for that. It may mean that you’re buying a plane ticket for some flowers to come from where they are grown.”
She indicates that most brides opting for a fall wedding generally incorporate fall-like colors like burgundy and orange. Even when it comes to weddings around Christmas, the floral designers at A&A Flowers & Gifts can create bouquets and arrangements with a look fitting for the season.
Overall, Murphy believes that most brides don’t want a lot
of bling in their bouquet. They are
generally looking for a nice sophisticated item for their wedding day.
Product Selection
As mentioned before, A&A Flowers & Gifts has a vast selection of products that span from flowers to jewelry. Murphy specializes in creating custom keepsakes that are perfect gift for any occasion but especially weddings. She indicated that one item that has been popular with customers is the wood engraved rounds. The rounds can be designed to feature decorative shapes and personal inscriptions. Some brides have even used the rounds to capture guests’ names at their wedding reception instead of a traditional guestbook. As guests sign the rounds, the item is enriched with well-wishes, making it that much more of a treasure.
Word of Advice to Brides
Murphy says, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask ‘can I see that’?”
She says many times a bride may feel a little intimidated when they come into the shop because they are not very familiar with the flowers.
“I want to know what they are feeling. I want to know what their vision is because it’s their day.”
Murphy suggests that brides bring in pictures and other items that may be a design influence. She has even had brides bring in an idea board. Additionally, she suggests bringing anyone with you who is helping plan the wedding. This helps to focus on the bride’s ideas.
“For me, the worst thing that I could have happen is for a bride to not give me her ideas and have the wedding not be her wedding. If you have to pull information out of her, it could be her mother’s vision or the mother-in-law’s vision. So, don’t be afraid to put your desires out there.”
The second word of advice Murphy says, “Go big because you can always tune it down.”
She asks her brides to describe their perfect wedding. Her job is to create that look and feel within a budget that the couple can be comfortable with and this family business has been doing just that for 47 years. In fact, if you time it right, you may even be greeted by the honorary customer greeter Maddie, Murphy’s trusted Maltese and Yorkshire Terrier mix.
