by Sylvia Benavidez
Anna’s House of Flowers has been in business in Albion for 40 years and the shop has managed to survive in hard economic times and good.
Owner Anna Merritt shared her perspective on her flower shop’s longevity. “Yeah, but you know I look at my buddy, my friend, Jim Cascarelli, a hundred and some years they have been in business.” She was referring to Cascarelli’s of Albion, established in 1909 which closed last year in September. Her story for this article is not a chronological one of facts and figures but of her view on what it took to succeed in Albion as a woman during a time when women were not encouraged to own businesses and how her experiences just migh0074 help Albion establishments survive now.
The flower business, she acknowledged, has become tougher with bouquets being available at places like gas stations and grocery stores and reflected in a Saturday interview what has contributed to the longevity of her store.
From the very beginning, Merritt knew to some degree the challenges of being a woman and owning a business in the US and Albion even in the ‘80s. “Men did not accept women being in business. It was a man’s world, and then women started coming out and doing more. When I first opened up, it was a struggle at first. The city council told me no,” she said.
Describing herself as a determined and tough person, Merritt knew in the beginning of her career, and still knows today, the wisdom of when to ask for help. She worked diligently for 40 years but also acknowledges that people now and in the past gave her the opportunity to succeed and a hand up when she needed it. She calls her staff of one full timer and four to five part-time workers great, and credits them, her fellow business owners, customers, neighbors, and friends in Albion for making it possible for the flower shop to offer great service and quality. Merritt shared her 40th anniversary story to inspire others in Albion to be a source of help like she has received and given throughout the years.
Merritt got her interest in working with flowers at an early age. “I started to work in greenhouse when I was about 16 years old and a very good friend of mine from school worked there and she said, ‘do you want a job?’ The next thing you know, I am working in a greenhouse for Hubert’s Greenhouse for Helen and John Dianich in Albion.” She began part-time, graduated to full-time, and then moved on to office work when she started her family.
Merritt went on to other jobs before becoming an entrepreneur. “My last job before I did the flower shop 40 years ago, I was working Marshall at Marshall Brass and then they closed and went south to Texas.” The company handled brass fittings for items such as gas grills and Merrit was laid off with many others. She then was hired at a place called “The Flower Barn” in Marshall, but knew she needed an income that was more substantial to support her family.
Her life took a very different turn when a longtime family friend asked her a life-changing question. “Vern Plassman, our kids went to school together. He called me up and said, ‘Hey what are you doing with your life.?’ And I said, ‘Not much.’ That’s when he was investing in people a lot. He said, ‘Figure how what we can do and see if we can come up with something.’ The question amazed Merritt and prompted her to think about what she could create and accomplish in her life; it changed how she thought about herself. She said, “He was very generous in the community and a good man.”
At first, she thought of a restaurant, but Plassman discouraged her from that and then she came up with a business plan for a flower shop. But even as late as the mid ‘80s she found it hard as a woman to get a loan. “So, I went to City Bank & Trust, and I was very fortunate to be a woman and get money back at that time about 41 years ago.”
When asked what she thought Plassman saw in her, Merritt answered, “He was a very giving man.” She answered quickly what his faith in her meant to her. “God that’s really something because a woman could hardly get money from the bank. They had to have co-signers. They had to have all that. Somebody was going to have to back them up.” He asked her what she needed financially for the business. Merritt gave her answer with specifics about her business plans. “I can start this business on $10,000 if I can have that house to move into.” The house she is referring to is the Victorian one at 315 E. Michigan Ave. which Plassman owned at that time and was the site of her flower shop for many years.
While Merritt operated the flower shop, she lived upstairs in the house and ran the business downstairs. She raised her children and never remarried. The responsibility of ownership was on her shoulders and hers alone. She paid the loan off in three years and was and still is proud of that fact but also credits Plassman’s backing with the ease of getting loans at the bank, especially since she had no prior experience operating a business.
Reflecting on what gave her the courage to build of business from the ground up, she said, “I never doubted myself. If I decide I want to do something, and someone tells me that’s not possible. Yes, it is. Don’t tell me no because I’ll do it. I can’t help it; it’s just part of me.”
Once the business was underway, she said that operations fell into place. Merritt explained, “I can count on my hands the number of times someone said, “Anna, I am not sure about that arrangement, and I will say no problem. You have to be giving.” Over the years, she has learned to work with people and bring their ideas to life. Meritt has also had the courage to try ways of re-inventing her business by offering at different times wedding services, handmade candles, and currently art in the form of handmade bird houses from Chelsea. The products in each new idea, she explained, had to be made of quality and even though other shops would pick up on the same marketing plans, she learned to be flexible and try something new.
“There are disappointments in everyday life, but you have to get up every day and make the best of every single day and that’s very hard to do sometimes.” Merriitt shared that there is always tomorrow to begin again. She said, “You have to say to yourself. I am going to be the best I can be today and tomorrow I will be better.” At 82, Merritt credits her boldness and resilience to the example of her grandmother. “My parents came from the south and my grandma lived in a house in a holler, there was a little creek there… I never saw her have a bad attitude. Something was always happening, and it was a bummer for her. She always pulled herself back up and I saw that in her.” What her grandmother told her about character in a person works for business ethics as well.
Merritt quoted her grandmother and said, “Sometimes people think bad things of you and some people think good things of you, but you know who you what you really are.” Plassman took a chance on her and later told her he never regretted it.
For Merritt, if being who you are is standing by your neighbors, mentoring new businesses, being honest in all your dealings, working diligently making a thriving home or business, being flexible, and involved in your community then she knows Albion will succeed. She knows because that’s how she’s managed to serve her community for 40 years and love it. Her Valentine to Albion is her Flower Shop.
All photos by Sylvia Benavidez
