Shannon Monahan of Strong, the new owner of Richard's Florist on Main Street in Farmington, admires a poinsettia she just received at the store on Monday. "When our delivery people come, it's like Christmas," she said. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal

FARMINGTON -- When Shannon Monahan opened a delivered box Monday at Richard's Florist, she pulled out a red poinsettia and carried it to the counter.

"When our delivery people come in, it's like Christmas," she said, as she went back in and picked up another plant.

Monahan, a resident of Strong, has always been focused on flowers and working in her own garden -- so much so that she bought the florist business in late summer on Main Street in downtown Farmington.

Now, she is adding a gift shop to the business.

"We have slowly been building Maine-made products in the gift shop," she said.

Besides adding gift items -- including Haven's, Maine made chocolates, glasses and jewelry -- she has added Teleflora wire delivery florist services for people who want to send gifts out of state. She also offers flowers of different varieties including high-end orchards, lilies and roses to mums, carnations and alstroemeria.

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Her inspiration for the gift shop portion of the business is her old go-to store, the Calico Patch, which offered gift items for 37 years, before it closed in 2019.

"That is what I want to get to the point to replicate," she said.

Erin Kane, left, works for her sister, Shannon Monahan, the new owner of Richard's Florist on Main Street in Farmington. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal

Monahan previously worked as a social worker and worked for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services in child protective services, and she did work in crisis in the emergency department for MaineHealth.

She also worked for former Richard's Florist owner, Meghan Allen, off and on as needed, as well as Kurt Reynolds, owner of Riverside Greenhouses & Florist in Farmington, for a time and learned about the trade.

When Allen offered to sell the business to her, she was ready.

"Of course, I was overjoyed," she said. "I absolutely love arranging. I enjoy being in control of what I can offer. I love the artistic piece. It also puts me in a position to be involved in the community."

She enjoys the interaction with people and delivering.

The single mother of two, a daughter in college and a 15-year-old son, has three part-time workers including her sister, Erin Kane, to help do deliveries.

"Nobody around here purchases a business with the expectation of getting rich," she said. "It is terrifying right now because a lot of small businesses are closing, and I am just stepping into it. It is really important that the community continues to support our small businesses..."

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