Marie Pugh Cooper arranges some beautiful flowers. |
Marie Pugh Cooper just isn’t a retiring kind of woman. She
has been doing business at her Vienna Florist location for forty-seven
years and hasn’t found any reason to quit yet. She says “I
don’t think I’m supposed to!”
Marie and Charles Pugh married in 1943. He was working with Valley
News Service and she was with Union Trust Bank when they decided to
open the store. “Charles wanted us to have our own business,
maybe landscaping. I told him I didn’t want to do landscaping,
but I would do flowers, so in 1955,we opened Vienna Florist,”
Marie says “We didn’t have any florist experience, so
we had to learn the business pretty quick by doing it ourselves.”
By 1972, after helping with arrangements for hundreds of brides,
Marie was ready to expand. “I especially enjoyed the bridal
part of the business, so I told Charles I was ready to open a bridal
shop.” They took a franchise for Modern Bride, carrying a full
line of bride’s gowns and accessories. When Charles died in
1977, Marie dropped the franchise and opened Vienna Bridal Boutique
herself. With a head for business and a natural interest in people,
before long, she had opened florist shops in her hometown of St. Mary’s,
Belpre and Harrisville. “That was a lot to handle, so eventually
I sold the other stores and just kept Vienna.”
It still keeps her and a staff of 8 busy full time. “I have
done thousands and thousands of weddings and they have all been special.”
The extra special ones have been for her grand children.
The sign in front of Marie’s shop. |
Marie believes her one stop shopping approach is what has made Vienna
Florist a success. “We have the bride’s gowns, the bridesmaid
dresses, the alterations, the flowers, candelabras, earrings, shoes,
tuxedos, everything but the church. When a bride chooses our wedding
package, she can save several hundred dollars. We coordinate everything
because we know exactly what color the bridesmaid dresses are and
what the bride will be carrying. It is more personal and less complicated
with us! “
She sells fresh cut and silk flowers. Custom arrangements are a large
part of the business. Marie enjoys working with her family at the
shop. “They know how much hard work and how many long hours
it takes to run the business!”
Marie doesn’t mind the work. When she is not at the store,
she still surrounds herself with flowers, gardening at her home.
She is celebrating her 47th year in business the second week of August
with a sale to match – a 47% discount on everything in the store
except fresh flowers. “Wedding gowns, gifts, accessories, Christmas
decorations, even the really nice fall flower arrangements we are
making right now.” Marie has always had a knack for knowing
what makes customers happy and 47% off should mean smiles all around
the shop.
Marie has seen some changes over the years. The biggest ones are
prices and design. “When we opened, roses were $5 a dozen. Now
they are $45 a dozen. People today like airy, less formal arrangements.
But they still like service to be personal. That’s our specialty.”
