Petals And Perseverance | Porterfield's Flowers And Gifts
By KIM GRONNIGER | Photos by MELVINA TAYLOR
Whether you’re picking up a mood-boosting bouquet for your kitchen table, planning centerpieces for a special occasion, or seeking a gift for someone special, Porterfield’s Flowers and Gifts offers everything from simple arrangements to more elaborate designs at a variety of price points.
The second-generation, family-owned floral shop at 3101 SW Huntoon St. serves both event planners who want to elevate the ambiance of weddings and corporate gatherings, and everyday customers browsing their selection of plants, home décor and seasonal items.
NURTURING A BUDDING BUSINESS
Owner David Porterfield’s parents, Brooke and Virginia, started the business at its original location on 21st Street in 1965. David began making deliveries for them that year while he was a high school junior.
Brooke, a Georgia native, was stationed at Forbes Air Force Base when he met and married Virginia, who grew up in Eskridge. The couple moved to New York City where Brooke attended fashion school. When they decided to start a family, they realized they wanted to do it someplace else.
“My dad thought about moving to Georgia, but my mom didn’t think about Georgia at all, so they came home to Topeka,” David said.
Brooke learned the floral trade from Jim Owens, a family friend and owner of Owen’s Flower Shop in Lawrence, and worked at Sachs Florist in Topeka. He eventually took a job at Sears, where he was nominated for best company salesperson in the United States, and successfully saved enough money to fulfill his entrepreneurial dream.
“It’s so hard to start a small business, even when you have loyal customers willing to support you,” he said. “My mom brought her ironing to work in the early days so she’d have something to do.”
David says his parents’ differing but complementary skill sets allowed the business to succeed.
“My dad was really creative, but my mom wasn’t. She couldn’t tie a bow, but she took care of the business side and handled all the charges over the phone,” he said.
David happened to be in the right place at the right time to help secure the shop’s current location, a former record shop, in 1980.
“I went there to buy a new tape to replace the one we’d been using for the front of our store because I was sick of listening to it, and I saw that the record store had closed,” he said. “I let my parents know right away and we were just so lucky to get this location.”
A BLOOMING SUCCESS
David bought the store in Westboro Mart from his parents in 1980 and eventually purchased an adjacent liquor store to accommodate increasing inventory for a growing clientele.
Although David graduated from Washburn University with an English degree, he said he loved working at the store so much that he never entertained other career paths.
The same year he assumed ownership, David became the first florist in Kansas to be accepted by the American Institute of Floral Designers, an honor that led to many prominent opportunities to work with others across the country.
He was a selected designer for President Ronald Reagan’s second inaugural ball at the Washington Hilton in 1985, the centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty in 1986 and the dedication of the Smithsonian Gardens in 2010.
“For the centennial event, we placed 100,000 roses around the base of the Statue of Liberty and seeing the display with the fireworks from the first row was amazing,” he said. “Afterward, I’ll never forget driving through the Battery and seeing people sticking Roman candles outside their windows and lighting fountains in the street. It was crazy.”
In the 1980s, Bob Brock, a prominent Topeka businessman with several multi-state businesses that include Holiday Inn and ShowBiz Pizza Place franchises, helped the business grow even further when he became one of Porterfield’s major customers.
David has lectured at the New York Botanical Gardens, the San Francisco Garden Cub, the American Institute of Floral Designers National Symposium and other prestigious venues. A past president of the Kansas State Florists Association, David twice served on the national board of directors of the American Institute of Floral Designers.
In 2014, Porterfield’s was named the National Retail Florist of the Year by the Wholesale Florists and Florist Suppliers Association of America and Florists’ Review Magazine.
CATERING TO SEASONAL CHANGE
David says when his parents started their business, there were 24 standalone florists in Topeka to accommodate demand as compared to a handful now.
Asked about changing consumer habits, David says he and his team see fewer church weddings and more customers who want to fulfill some aspects of floral décor for special occasions independently.
“We have a lot more pick-up weddings where customers will come get the flowers and then set them up themselves,” he said. “If you’re having a sit-down reception for 150 people, it can get expensive, so people have scaled back in different ways.”
He says Porterfield’s still sells “a ton of plants,” especially peace lilies and mixed-plant dish gardens. Five Dollar Friday Flowers grab-and-go bouquets are also popular.
David loves to garden and often grows botanical varieties he can use for store arrangements. His favorites include hydrangeas, peonies and viburnum.
“I love what’s in season,” he said. “French tulips in the spring and berries in the fall.”
David says holiday décor and festive arrangements are still “huge” for the shop, but the team doesn’t do as much in-home decorating for Christmas clients as it once did, partly because of decreased demand and partly because of staff capacity.
As for his own holiday decorating traditions, David said, “My mom was wonderful, but she wasn’t a decorator or a holiday person, so I didn’t grow up with lavish seasonal displays.”
In contrast, when David’s daughter, Hilary, was growing up, he ensured the remodeled schoolhouse they lived in was “decorated to the max, especially at Christmas. I realize now that it’s different when you’re older. My husband and I have a whole basement full of great stuff that we don’t always bring up every year.”
TENDING A LEGACY
As a native Topekan who has made his home and career in the capital city, David has actively given back to the community. For several years, he’s been a designer for CASA of Shawnee County’s annual Homes for the Holidays fundraiser and previously provided floral support for Symphony in the Flint Hills events and other area needs.
Through the years, Porterfield’s has created arrangements for numerous local and state events, including inaugurals, presidential visits and services for local dignitaries. The shop has been a regular winner of best florist in Topeka titles and is the only local florist to be selected as a member of Fine Flowers, the country’s listing of premier florists.
“It’s all gone the way I hoped it would,” David said, reflecting on his colorful career. “It’s been a lot of hard work and long hours lugging buckets of water and hauling plants to the truck, but it’s also been so wonderful to be there to help people when there’s a wedding or an anniversary or a new baby or a graduation or a death or even a divorce. We’re part of every milestone someone can experience.”
A self-described homebody, David says he never experienced a desire to leave Topeka because of what he describes as his hometown’s “underlying foundation of kindness.”
“People are kind here,” he said. “It’s a strong community trait and I don’t think it gets the attention it deserves.”
David says he is grateful he bought the namesake business from his parents and continued their entrepreneurial vision.
“I’ve loved my whole life and my parents loved theirs,” he said. “It’s been so gratifying to be able to make a living doing what I love with people I love in my favorite place. How can you do better than that?”
