Comstock's magazine 1119 - November 2019 | Page 97

SEE VIDEO OF PLACERVILLE
FLOWERS ON MAIN AT
COMSTOCKSMAG.COM
PHOTOS BY DEBBIE CUNNINGHAM, CAPTION BY SHOKA
WHERE FLOWERS BLOOM
“We are flower nerds to the max here,” Me-
lissa Cowan, owner of Placerville Flowers on
Main says. “We squeal on the daily when
new products come in or when seasons
change.” Cowan worked for the shop’s pre-
vious owner for seven years before purchas-
ing the business, on historic Main Street,
five years ago. The retail space is filled with
flowers and plant paraphernalia, including a
half-wall of dried flowers; a dramatic float-
ing chandelier-like arrangement of pampas
grass; vintage furniture and piano; and mod-
ern geometric vases. The fresh flowers are
kept in the workshop in the back, which is
saturated with natural light, thanks to a huge
skylight. Cowan tries to balance creating de-
sirable products with responsible business
practices. She says the shop stopped using
floral foam because it “has carcinogens in
it, (and) it doesn’t decompose,” and won’t
buy from South America and Columbia, the
biggest producers of red roses, to avoid sup-
porting unethical labor practices. “Some of
the companies I found required the women
to be sterilized prior to working because they
are exposed to fumigation,” she says. Cowan
says the shop only buys in-season flowers
from California, including five El Dorado and
Amador county farms. “(A) big trend with
the farm-to-fork movement is that so many
flower growers (are) popping up every-
where. It’s such a unique opportunity to have
a business and have farmers approach me, …
and I can tell them what I want them to grow
for me,” she says. “No mums or carnations
around here,” she laughs. n
November 2019 | comstocksmag.com
97