When I first met Melinda Dugger in their shop in Tanner back in April of 2011, we were both in a similar situation. I was new to the newspaper industry, and we had just purchased Athens Now the previous month. Melinda was new to the floral industry, and was facing down her first Mother’s Day as a florist. Mother’s Day is one of the busiest holidays of the year for florists, and she survived. I think it is safe to say that back in those days we felt like our hair was on fire most of the time. For several years, we have been members of Limestone Leaders, a BNI Chapter here in Athens, and it has been a joy to watch Melinda “bloom” with experience, creativity, confidence, and outstanding customer service. She has even taught me a little bit about floral arranging, and I have enjoyed learning from her.
Melinda has a certain skill, which is truly helping the customer figure out what they are looking for, and respecting their budget. Over time, people have gotten to the point that they can say, “Just do what you want, I trust you and know that it will be beautiful.” I have experienced that firsthand; when my mom turned 99, I traveled to Seattle to celebrate along with my family. Somehow Melinda managed to communicate to a florist there in the Northwest what I wanted, and the arrangement certainly exceeded my expectations. I truly felt that my floral gift for my mom was the prettiest in the room, and my mom loved it.
Melinda received her training at an institute in Louisiana. She chose a school in that state because it was one of the few places in the nation that required florists to be certified, and Melinda felt they had higher standards as well were more professional.
One of the services Melinda started out of necessity during COVID was letting people bring in their own vases. The supply chain had been disrupted during the pandemic, and getting ahold of vases became a real challenge. Melinda let people know that if they could bring in the vase, she would only charge them for flowers and labor. She still does that today.
One of the ways Melinda feels she serves her customers well is when they are bereaved. Losing someone is so very difficult, and dealing with all the details of a funeral can be overwhelming. Melinda feels a great sense of accomplishment when a bereaved customer comes in, looks at a casket cover or cemetery arrangement and says, “Oh, if he/she were here, they would just love that.” I had an experience like that myself. A teammate was getting close to passing, and our upline sponsor, who lived in St. Louis had tasked me with getting to Melinda to have her make a last arrangement to be enjoyed on this side. By grace, Melinda moved heaven and earth, and I took the flowers to the house, where the daughter was tenderly caring for her mother in the last hours. What was remarkable was that the flowers were exactly what the daughter had seen in a dream, and I will never forget the look on her face when she opened the door. I don’t claim to know how all that worked, I just know that “teamwork made the dream work,” literally, and it would not have happened without Melinda.
Which brings us to Christmas. There is still time to order a beautiful centerpiece for your table, and Melinda will see to it that it is just the right size. She does live wreaths, as well as silk everything, and popular flowers for the season are roses, hydrangeas, and, of course, lots of evergreens and holly. Flowers come from Holland, South America, and California this time of year, and supply is good.
Dugger’s Florist also customizes teddy bears for all occasions, and Melinda has a solid bear business that goes all over the world. Speaking of “all over the world,” Melinda absolutely loves to travel, and that is one of her goals in 2025.
Right now until the end of the year, everything that is pre-made and on display in the shop is 10% off. This applies to pre-arranged flowers, along with gifts, but not to any special orders. If you are still trying to figure out what to get for the person who has everything, perhaps flowers would speak beautifully and well, and Melinda knows the language! Come to Dugger’s Florist today and bring beauty to your holidays.
Dugger’s Florist will be open Christmas Eve until 2 p.m., closed on Christmas Day, and will be open 8 a.m.-noon on December 26.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
December 20, 2024
