March 2022 - Life After 50

Blooms so sweet

Joy and beauty flourishes at Sweetwater Flower Market

By G. L. Yenne

Y

ears ago, Marilyn Monroe told Joe DiMaggio that she wanted six fresh long-stemmed red roses three times a week…forever. Until his death in 1999, DiMaggio kept his word, faithfully sending fresh flowers to Monroe’s grave.

Flowers serve no purpose for humans. They’re not edible, nor are they particularly useful. Yet humans have cultivated buds and blooms for thousands of years for their aesthetics and fragrance. Receiving a bouquet makes people feel loved and appreciated (for Monroe, even in the afterlife).

Kristyn Cline understands the power of the flower, which is why she opened Sweetwater Flower Market, 2419 W. Colorado Ave. in

AT SWEETWATER, IF YOU CAN ENVISION AN ARRANGEMENT, THEIR FLORISTS CAN CREATE IT. Old Colorado City, in March 2021 and a second location in Gleneagle—11590 Ridgeline Drive, Unit 120, nine months later.

She was inspired by a mercantile store she visited in Nashville that exuded Southern charm and history. She wanted to bring that same feeling to her hometown.

BOUQUET BAR AND GIFTS At Sweetwater, if you can envision an arrangement, their florists can create it. Sweetwater is the only

Kristyn Cline (center) and her team at Sweetwater Flower Market

Kristyn Cline sitting on the back of her flatbed Volkswagen bus named “Sally Lou,” in honor of her mother. interactive floral shop and bouquet bar in Colorado Springs. You can shop, learn and plan for special occasions, and even create a bouquet, selecting your own unique stems and wrapping them with butcher paper and colorful twine.

Cline employs her two daughters, Abbi and Izzy, as purchase managers, florists and social media gurus. Christy Metz is Sweetwater’s head florist and creative director, with over a decade of experience.

Sweetwater also has a large inventory of gardening products, including Bogs boots, forged gardening tools and Finley shirts with SPF 50—“The only way to garden!” said Cline.

Gift items such as aprons, linens, soaps, candles and gift boxes are also available, with something new each time you visit. Sweetwater also offers themed gift boxes and floral subscriptions, which lets a loved one know you’re regularly

thinking of them.

Expert-led workshops demonstrate how to turn natural items, such as fresh branches and twigs, into wreaths embellished with flowers that look great fresh or dried.

SPREADING CHEER Cline wanted the store to honor her mother, Sally, who passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. If you see a bright yellow Volkswagen bus flatbed bedecked with blooms tooling around town, it’s either “SallyLou” or “SallyMae,” Sweetwater’s sunny flowermobiles. They make deliveries and park at farmers markets, weddings, festivals, birthday parties and other special events, spreading cheer and beauty.

Despite opening during the pandemic, Cline said she wanted the store to be a happy and calming oasis during a difficult time.

“When things get back to normal, we will be here,” she assured. ■

NOW OPEN!

CELEBRATING IN BUSINESS

NORTH LOCATION! 11590 RIDGELINE DRIVE COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 719-358-9891

WE DELIVER! 2419 WEST COLORADO AVENUE | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80904 | WWW.SWEETWATERFLOWERMARKET.COM WWW.LAFIFTY.COM | MARCH 2022 | BUSINESS HIGHLIGHT |

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