Bellville Flowers & Gifts offers wide variety

BELLVILLE -- Colleen Turner's business revolves around plants.

Depending on her workload, she sometimes literally has a green thumb.

Turner and her husband, Jack, own Bellville Flowers & Gifts, a downtown mainstay and small business award winner last year. They bought the business in 2004, but Turner's connection to the shop goes back even further.

"Since I was 12, I've worked on and off for Bellville Flowers," the 54-year-old said.

Turner worked for five different owners before taking over the business. She said the shop offers custom pieces for any occasion.

"We do a lot of custom funeral work, a lot of weddings," Turner said.

Turner offers artificial and fresh flower arrangements. She is working on grave blankets and wreaths for cemeteries.

The flower shop has expanded to include gifts, including 98 types of afghans.

Turner said she became interested in flowers and plants through her grandmothers, both of whom helped at Kingwood Center.

"I've grown up with it, basically," she said.

Turner continued on the same path as she got older. She studied horticulture at Pioneer Career and Technology Center and later taught adult education there and at Madison.

"I like to design," Turner said.

She loves the fragrance and bright colors of flowers, calling the stargazer lily her favorite.

While Bellville Flowers & Gifts gets a lot of its business from Bellville and the valley, Turner said the shop caters to much of Richland County. The business also delivers to Mount Vernon and Fredericktown.

Jack Turner handles the delivery.

"He didn't know what he was getting into," Colleen said with a smile. "He's my husband/driver."

She said Jack has the best job of her five-person staff.

"He sees the results," Colleen said. "He gets to see everybody's smiling faces."

The shop's building at 72 Main St. dates to the late 1800s. The Turners tried to leave it close to its original condition.

Jenny Schmucker is a relatively new employee. She's been on the job for three months. Like her boss, Schmucker is a flower fan. She enjoys planting perennials.

She also likes the variety of her job.

"It's not typical," Schmucker said. "You never know what need you'll be filling."

Hours for Bellville Flowers & Gifts are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday. The shop is closed on Sundays, but that doesn't mean Colleen isn't working.

"You have to do good work, but the valley is very supportive," she said.

She added downtown merchants support each other instead of competing against each other.

"We all try to do something a little bit different," Colleen said. "There's a wide variety on Main."

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

Twitter: @MNJCaudill