Business owner Joy Mascher opened her flower and gift in August of 2013. The building dates from the 1800s and was originally the village drug store and soda fountain. Today, Flowers Straight from the Heart sells fresh flowers, plants, dish gardens, silk arrangements, gifts, and home décor.
Her husband, Michael, is from one of the founding families in the Village of East Palestine. They met at vocational school where she studied floral culture and learned her trade. They married and moved away when he joined the military. After more than 20 years, they wanted to move back home to be near family. They found a farm that they fell in love with, and then the shop came up for sale, and it all fell into place.
The upcoming fall wedding season, school homecoming dances and special occasions keep Joy and her two part-time employees busy. Shop cat Grayson seems unaffected by it all. Joy says he just showed up 5 years ago, laying outside by the flowerpot. She opened the door, and he wandered in and has made himself at home ever since. He is the store greeter and is very friendly. “He’s a star on his own,” Joy notes. “People come in just to see the cat.”
She says, “It’s always nice to get fresh flowers and people love it. I do enjoy delivering because people a lot of times are very surprised, and that’s always fun. We’re very one- on-one, so we like to get to know our customers and their needs. A lot of our customers have become close friends to us, and we enjoy that family feel. Come visit or call us. We’d love to meet you and help you out any way we can.”
Flowers from the Heart is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon; and Fridays 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Currently closed on Mondays.