It’s all hands on deck this week at the Clinton Florist.
Valentine’s Day marks one of the flower shop’s single busiest days of the year.
Cathy Clarke, owner of Clinton Florist, has been at the helm of the flower shop for the past 11 years. The shop was previously owned by Ranee Mortis and located at the corner of Kellogg and Fountain streets.
Now the flower business resides at 5 South Park Row, a move Clarke made four years ago.
Clarke’s journey into the flower business started in Massachusetts. Clarke worked at a printing company in Boston after college.
Looking for a change, she found a class at Radcliffe College called landscape design. Once enrolled, she said she was hooked.
She started to work for landscape designers in Boston. After years of working as a landscaper, she said she was ready for “change from the Boston scene.”
Clarke moved to Colorado to help her cousin take care of Clarke’s uncle. That cousin also owned a plant nursery.
In Colorado, Clarke did installations, which is her favorite aspect of landscaping. She worked in Colorado for 15 years. “I had really great clients. And it was really fun,” she said.
Clarke’s most notable client in Colorado was fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
Clarke moved to Clinton to take care of her mother in 2009. Clarke was born in Connecticut, but she had a connection to New York. Clarke’s father grew up in Utica. Her family spent summers in...