Petals And More Owners Sell Flower Shop After 6 Years

Beth and Lacey Barger took their shop cat, Rosie, and closed the flower shop chapter of their lives Saturday after six and a half years of operating Petals & More.

​A growing flower shop is hoping to continue blossoming under new ownership.

In 2013, Beth and Lacey Barger opened Petals & More in Bloomfield with no previous knowledge of how to run a flower shop.

“I never pictured myself owning a flower shop,” Beth said.

The duo was self proclaimed “wet behind the ears” when first opening and quickly turned into a reliable shop known for their great arrangements.

They took over the store around Valentine’s Day and dove right in. Prom quickly followed and many lessons were learned.

“Our first prom, Dad was here helping us until 3 a.m., taping and wiring flowers,” Lacey recalled. “The next year, we did end up taking a class. We were not going to stay up all night again.”

Getting off the ground was not easy, but with the help of Terry Stockham from Niobrara, the Bargers, especially Lacey, began making one of a kind arrangements.

“Lacey caught on so quickly, she makes all the sprays for funerals,” Beth said. “We always joked that she was the owner and I was the boss,” Lacey said.

Lacey’s funeral sprays are very popular throughout the county. Lacey’s goal has been to not only make elegant looking arrangements, but to incorporate personality into them as well.

“I made a vegetable spray once,” Lacey said proudly. “The customers brought in some veggies from their garden, I went and bought some more fresh produce and even got kale from our flower warehouse.”

The duo has received high praise from clients who have had all kinds of requests of themes such as John Deere, trucker, cowboy, Husker, Coca-Cola and even Department of Roads.

The Bargers often encouraged customers to think outside of the box.

“It was their family member, they know what they liked, and chances are, we can incorporate it into their flowers,” Beth said. 

They believe a flower arrangement can express who that person was.

Even though the mother-daughter team took to the flower shop business quickly and they thoroughly enjoyed their time there, they decided it was time to sell the shop.

“It’s been a fun ride, but you get to a point in life where it’s time to move on,” Beth said.

Beth described the feeling as bittersweet—working at Good Samaritan Society and running a flower shop—was getting to be too much. Lacey will continue to do massages in her home at 310 E. Pine Street.

The timing was right for the new owner as well.

When Beth once again posted the shop for sale on Facebook, the post came at the perfect moment for Christy Wagner. 

According to Beth, Wagner had been thinking about how she wanted to own a flower shop when she stumbled upon Beth’s post.

Wagner will be taking the inventory and building and has some remodeling planned. Petals & More will become Blooms and Bling.

The Bargers have created a large client base that Wagner will inherit. Petals & More served a large part of Knox County.

“We serve all of Bloomfield, Center, Wausa,” Beth said. “We have been doing more for Crofton, too,” Lacey added.

With flower shops closing all over including Wausa, Niobrara and Crofton, Petals & More was receiving more and more business. In fact, Petals & More has done graduation flowers for almost every school in the county at one point in time.

“It’s really nice to see the community use the local shop, especially when there’s a Hy-Vee and Walmart close by,” Beth said.

After almost six and a half years, the duo has learned a lot about the flower business and have had a lot of helpers.

“Terry helped us get started, Jamie Doerr would take vacation from the Ponca Tribe and help us on Valentine’s Day,” Beth said. “Braden and Jeff helped with deliveries,” Lacey added.

The two of them said they could go on and on naming people who have helped them along the way.

“Kip Smith, Jason Doerr, Larry Boecker, Jamie Johnson, Theresa Schumacher, Rachel Steskal, Jammie Bloomquist, Dana Jeannoutot,” they added.

After making so many friends between helpers and customers, moving on hasn’t been easy.

“I love seeing people. I will miss seeing everyone,” Beth said with tears starting to well up in her eyes. “I will miss seeing Lacey every day the most, I think.”

The duo is happy to see someone local buy the shop and said they look forward to watching Wagner’s plans become a reality. They hope the community continues to support her as they did them.

On Saturday, Lacey and Beth closed the doors to the public and took “Rosie,” the shop cat, home.

“It’s just the beginning of a new chapter in our lives,” Beth said. “We would like to thank all of our family and friends for all of their help over the years, as well as those who have been dedicated customers. We couldn’t have done it without each one of them.”
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Blooms and Bling’s doors will be closed an estimated 2-3 weeks for remodels but will still be taking flower orders over the phone. The phone number will remain the same, 402-373-4213.