Hall of Fame: David Porterfield

Photos by: Emma Highfill | Rose Wheat Photography & Grace Place

Porterfield’s flower arrangements have welcomed brides down the aisle, helped countless people say “I love you,” expressed gratitude and congratulations for a job well done, livened up holiday festivities, and witnessed our tears as we said goodbye to those we lost.

And David Porterfield has been the inspiration behind every one of those beautiful bouquets.

PLANTING THE SEEDS

David’s parents, Brooke and Virginia Porterfield, opened the flower shop in 1965 in part because they saw an opportunity in a town they loved, but mostly because they saw a creative spark in David that—they wanted to foster. David, who was 16 at the time, found himself working in the store after school and on weekends. He didn’t mind it though—he had found his calling.

“I always knew I would go into the family business,” David said. “I thought about going to law school at one time, but I knew in my heart I could never sit behind a desk. I was meant to be on the move, turning already beautiful flowers into something special.”

That dream sent him to floral design school in Denver after graduating from Washburn University and then ultimately back home to Topeka, where he poured his knowledge of flowers into every arrangement.

TENDING THE BLOOMS

In the early years of his career, David found himself on the road attending floral trade shows and consulting with national firms and floral publications. While it was exciting to be in the floral spotlight and be recognized for his creative talents, David found it increasingly difficult to balance the travel and hectic schedules with the retail store.

“I decided I needed to concentrate on my own little piece of paradise that I had back home,” David said.

That was a turning point in his career and for the store.

In 1981, David purchased the business from his parents and moved the store to its current location in Westboro. While that move made his mother a little nervous because of the financial risk, David knew it was the right place to be, not only for the store, but for him personally.

“Moving the store to Westboro was more than just a location decision,” David said. “It was about seeing the gifts this business could give me, other than the creative outlet. It was about being able to foster those magnificent and meaningful relationships you develop with people throughout your career.”

Those relationships have lasted into the next generation as the children and even grandchildren of longtime customers now walk through his door.

SURVIVING THE THORNS

Success, as David will admit, hasn’t come without its thorns. He had to learn some lessons the hard way, including always being in control of important aspects of the business.

One particular instance stands out in David’s mind. For florists, Valentine’s Day is like “Black Friday.” They create more arrangements and collect more revenue on that one single day than the rest of the year combined. The biggest limitation is not creating the arrangements—it’s delivering the flowers.

Several years ago, an independent contractor approached David about providing delivery services for the store. He had a warehouse to store the arrangements and a refrigerator truck for delivery. It sounded like a dream come true. With additional delivery available, Porterfield’s could concentrate on creating even more floral arrangements.

February 13 rolled around, and the contractor picked up hundreds of flowers, storing them overnight for delivery the next day. David had his own delivery drivers scheduled as well, so they were on track to have a record year.

On Valentine’s Day, Porterfield’s delivery drivers hit the road. Everything was going like clockwork until about 4 p.m. Then the phones lit up at the store. Not one of those 150 floral arrangements he had sent with the private contractor had been delivered. David discovered that the contractor had made the same business pitch to every florist in town and had oversold his ability to deliver. He promised to have all deliveries done by the 15th.

Except it was Valentine’s Day. And David had promised customers they would have flowers. David drove down to the warehouse and picked up the flowers. The next day he refunded every single customer whose flowers had not arrived on time and gave them brand new arrangements. That cost the store thousands of dollars, but customers always come first, and it was the right thing to do.

“I knew that keeping my promises to my customers was more important than my bottom line,” David said.

SMELLING THE ROSES

As David looks back over a successful career doing what he loves, he feels fulfilled. He is also grateful to have been surrounded by creative and talented people that he has had the privilege to work with for decades.

Design Director Patrick Wages, who has been with Porterfield’s for 30 years and Floral Designer Linda Kennison are the heart and soul of the floral department. Together they create the beautiful store displays, handle purchasing and consulting with clients. The regular staff in the office and front room have also been with the store for many years. But most of all, David is grateful for all of those loyal customers with whom he has shared their most meaningful moments—happy and sad.

David has been able to experience so much in his life that he doesn’t even have anything left on his bucket list except to spend more time with his daughter and maybe slow down just enough to stop and smell the roses.

David is also grateful and humbled to receive this honor from the business community in Topeka.

“It is so meaningful to me to be recognized as a businessperson as well as a creative individual as my career comes closer to an end,” David said.

“I love Topeka. I love the people here. We aren’t just part of the community; we ARE the community. You have to give back more than you take.”