Student Author: Kaitlyn R.
“Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow” (John Lennon).
In an interview with Sheryl Riley, we discussed the history of AppleSeeds; AppleSeeds is a hometown floral and gift shop located on East Main Street in Unionville, Missouri. It was established in December of 2002 and was the former Country Peddler. The owners are Curtis and Sheryl Riley and Jeremy and Ariane Casady. Sheryl Riley, Judy McDannald, and Shona Raskie are the floral designers. Mrs. Casady is extremely useful in the management end of the business but has been known to do whatever is needed. AppleSeeds has four regular employees and a few seasonal employees. Three of the employees have a combined experience for over 100 years in the florist/design industry.
Right out of high school, Mrs. Riley was hired as a bill collector for a local florist here in Unionville. At one point, a community member passed away and the shop was extremely busy so the shop owner called Mrs. Riley to come help out. A few weeks after this, the owner asked if Mrs. Riley would be willing to train and be on call. She ended up being hired to work 3-4 days each week and that is how her career began. Mrs. Riley said that she learned best by on-the-job training and believes that is the most valuable way to learn. She also believes that it is very important to have a lot of creativity when doing this job as well as being innovative and mechanical. Sometimes, they receive strange requests and have to think of the best way to create the customer’s vision.
The store hours at AppleSeeds are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm and Saturdays 8:30am-12:00pm. Working hours may vary. They have been known to work until 2am when trying to get ready for their big Christmas Open House the second Friday and Saturday of November. They have also been known to work late when making deliveries for holidays or working on things for funerals. They recieve calls from the West Coast to the East Coast and a lot of places in between from people who cannot come back to honor their loved ones. At AppleSeeds, they decorate the graves for them and will send them a picture if the customer desires to see it. “We work and get the job done for our community when we are needed” (Sheryl Riley). The busiest holiday for AppleSeeds is Valentine’s Day. Mrs. Riley says that it is a wonderful thing to be a part of because we are a community that still shows love!
Mrs. Riley expressed that shopping locally is extremely important. She feels that at AppleSeeds, what they provide for their customers and what they do for our community is needed. Mrs. Riley also said that they are very fortunate to not only live in a caring community but one that if at all possible will shop local. She feels that shopping local helps them keep their doors open. They do not just serve Unionville. They serve several other areas/communities that do not have services like this. AppleSeeds intends to provide the best shopping experience for their customers in our community and beyond!