“Hugh Howard, an Oakwood florist, opened a small satellite shop on April 15, 1960, in the newly built Hills and Dales Shopping Center,” Roberts said. “With a college degree in physical science, I was hoping to become a gym teacher, but in the meantime I answered an ad for employment at the florist shop in Hills and Dales.”
Right from the beginning, Roberts loved the creativity of working with flowers and wanted to capture customers’ ideas for a wedding or special event. After six months, in 1977, she made the necessary financial arrangements and purchased the shop from Howard.
“Now I really had to prove myself,” Roberts said. “I joined FTD, hired some talented designers and provided personal service to the customers. It’s a matter of wanting to come to work each day and enjoying working hard.”
In 1985, Roberts expanded her services to a larger location on Kettering Boulevard, where she remained for nearly 27 years. In March of this year, her landlord needed the space and would not renew her lease.
“After a month of searching properties for lease in the area, she decided to move her Hills and Dales Florist into the building next door from 3050 Kettering Boulevard to 3030 Kettering Boulevard. We wanted to stay in the area where the Hills and Dales Florist has been for 51 years. We share the building with Performance Wraps and Above All Flooring, all at 3030 Kettering Boulevard,” she said.
Roberts relies on local distributors and greenhouses to supply her with fresh flowers several times a week. A walk-in cooler keeps the flowers fresh before they are arranged in bouquets or sprays. Silk flower arrangements are popular as well as potted plants, a renewed interest in terrariums and the forever favorite, roses.
“The best roses today come from South America, especially Ecuador, flown by air to Florida, then shipped in refrigerated trucks to the states,” she said.
Roberts and her husband, Jerry, have been married 30 years and he and she and four full-time designers equal 150 years of experience in the floral business.
“Some people, especially young people, like to order their flowers online. But, for personal attention, it’s wise to support your local florist,” she said.
The busiest holidays are Valentine’s Day, Mothers Day, Easter and Christmas, probably in that order.
“At those times we bring in everybody, our retired designers, retired delivery people and any member of the family we can find,” she said with a laugh.
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