AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler
Severna Park’s newest bricks and mortar business, Peaceful Petals at 554 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard, could best be described as bustling Wednesday afternoon. A line of women holding bouquets waited at the checkout counter, mothers and children picked out blooms together, and a soldier sought help selecting a bouquet for his wife’s birthday.
The moment new customers passed beneath the Peaceful Petals sign and entered the shop, they realized they were in for a different experience. Instead of buying a florist-designed arrangement, customers were free to choose a bloom here and a bloom there from buckets containing roses, tulips, mums, ranunculus, hydrangeas, lavender and other flowers plus greenery from a “flower bar” along the wall.
The shop’s personable owner Megan Taylor moved among the shoppers. Many were familiar to her as they’ve purchased flowers from her Peaceful Petals vintage flower truck over the past year.
Between refilling flower buckets, Taylor would stop to offer tips or answer questions….sometimes about the vintage 1958 VW Truck turned Peaceful Petals Flower Truck that became such a familiar part of the scenery along B&A Boulevard.
It would seem that “retail” is in Taylor’s blood.
As a child, my parents had a sporting goods store, so I’d say I’ve always had a small business spirit and an interest in having my own store!” Taylor said.
“I worked in retail at J.McLaughlin when I lived in New York City and there was always something special about connecting with the community by having a shop for people to come to. The flower truck was the ‘bud’ of that if you will, and it ‘bloomed’ into something bigger than I had expected.”
The dynamic young entrepreneur credits her flower truck’s success to the fact that many Severna Park residents “love an experience” and they also like to support small businesses. She’s very thankful. That said, she acknowledges the truck’s limited capacity.
“When we sold out, we’d have to close up shop. We’d get messages after we’d leave wherever we were that day from folks who missed out. That, coupled with a finicky 1958 engine and relying on good weather, led me to the store,” she said.
Taylor is delighted she can now be open rain or shine and refill the flower buckets from the shop cooler when they’ve sold out!
Indeed, the flowers available in the Peaceful Petals Flower Bar are superbly fresh because the temperature in the shop is kept slightly cooler than in neighboring businesses – a fact that is much appreciated by customers.
A neon sign points the way to the Flower Bar. 
Regular customer Brooke Shivers selects a stem of greenery to fill out her bouquet.
Spotted happily picking out stems to complete her bouquet, regular customer Brooke Shivers said she loves that the flowers are always fresh and always in-season.
“Visiting here to buy a bouquet, I think, during these times is something that kind of brightens your day”, she said. “I’ve loved visiting the truck on a random Sunday but I’m proud Megan’s here now six days a week.”
Unlike other business owners, Taylor really didn’t have to research the market much before deciding to open a Severn Park bricks and mortar location.
“I had the pleasure of parking across the street from this shop for a year. The community started to get to know my brand so, when I heard that a spot was opening up, I knew I had to jump on it. I’ve gotten really close with the owners of other businesses in this strip and it just felt like the perfect match!,” she said.
She added that opening a business in Severna Park is expensive but really depends on the space and what was in there beforehand. The space Peaceful Petals jumped into (a former antiques store) required a lot of love and work to make it both Taylor’s style and functional. Functionality is critical since processing flowers “the correct way” is important for the life of the stems.
Indeed, great care is taken to keep the stems beautiful. Special netting is even used on flowers like mums to keep them from opening too soon.
The shop officially opened January 5 but is still a work in progress with more design work in the offing.
Taylor feels the Peaceful Petals Flower Truck had big shoes, or “wheels” to fill as a gorgeous and vintage backdrop. She firmly believes the store needs to separate itself from the truck while also being a pretty space to come visit. To that end, artist Mary Alisa Bowen from Annapolis-based Mary Alisa Art will be working this weekend on a mural or two. One will include an image of the by-now well-known truck which will still be seen in the area from time to time.
Carrying locally-sourced customer favorites at affordable prices is a top priority. Peonies and ranunculus are heavy favorites and roses are increasingly popular. Some customers will come in for a single stem or two for a bud vase. Some flowers will keep for up to three weeks, so customers often come in to replace wilted blossoms thereby supplementing and extending the life of their bouquet.
Taylor is “a big party planner” for both adults and kids and can’t wait until the world gets back to normal when it will be possible to have events and parties in the new space. In fact, the idea for her flower truck originated as an outgrowth of the party and event planning she’d done for friends. She’s not planning a grand opening for the shop yet…not until she can make it a big party.
Meantime, Peaceful Petals’ hours are as follows:
Monday – Flower Bar is closed (Grab n Go’s are Available)
Tuesday – Saturday – 9AM- 4PM
(Thursdays- deliveries, one-time and subscriptions)
Sunday : 11AM – 4PM
Follow Peaceful Petals on Facebook at Peaceful Petals Flower Shop & Truck | Facebook, on their website at www.peacefulpetalsflowertruck.com . Or on Instagram: @pcefulpetalsflowershop or@peacefulpetalsflowertruck. Email them at orders@peacefulpetalsflowertruck.com or call 917-828-1696.
Short Notice for Severn River Lions Benefit Fruit Sale
The pandemic has disrupted the Severn River Lions fruit benefit sale scheduling. The club will have its January Citrus benefit fruit sale offering grapefruit and honeybell oranges, aka, Minneola Tangelos Saturday, January 16, at Cypress Creek Park, 11 Cypress Creek Road, Severna Park, Md.
You must order by Friday, January 8. Orders will be by credit card only and picked up Saturday, January 16, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. without extra charge. Delivery direct to you is $6.95 per box ordered. Please wear a mask for pickup. Bring your email receipt for faster, easier pickup.
Order, at SRLC Fruit, https://shop.floridaindianrivergroves.com/ecommerce/1014813,
For price list or questions email fruitorders@severnriverlions.org or call 410-518-9863.
