Flower Power

Goshen Floral & Gift Shop Enjoys Continued Success

Writer / Angela Cornell 

Photography Provided

Goshen Floral & Gift Shop first opened its doors in 1945, and Dan and Kate Stutsman purchased it in 1968. Since then, the Stutsmans have made a name for themselves through creating quality products. It’s a legacy that their daughter, Sally Stutsman, has continued through 54 years of family ownership. 

Although Stutsman grew up in the business, she had no desire to pursue it when she was a teenager.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” she says. “I always said I would not end up in this business because I saw how hard my parents work. When I was growing up it was my mom, my sister, cousin, grandma, aunt – all the employees were almost always family.”

After her parents retired in 1995, her other siblings took turns owning the business before Stutsman herself took over and fell in love with it all over again. “It’s a pleasure to come to work,” she says. “It’s been good to us, it’s been good to our family. I love the people and the customers we get to work with every day, and God’s beautiful nature.”

Throughout the years Stutsman has been able to maintain the shop’s family feel, even infusing it with her appreciation for those she serves. “It’s been a very faith-based and family-based business over the years,” she says. “Our industry is a very emotionally charged business. We deal with people in their very happiest times and their very saddest times. It’s a time to witness, comfort, and to share joy and happiness on the happy occasions and everything in between.”

Goshen Floral specializes in customized arrangements. “Each order we get is specifically designed for that order,” Stutsman says. “It’s not like we have a production line and every flower arrangement is going to look the same. They’re all handmade by professional designers one order at a time. The website is for ideas and we can mix and match from there.”

Although it might surprise some, no two days are the same in the flower shop. “You might come in and have two or three orders on the clip, and by the end of the day you’ve delivered 25 – you just never know,” Stutsman describes with a chuckle.

The business also includes a gift shop with a variety of items including inspirational, bereavement (for both people and pets) and memorial gifts. They are perfect as stand-alone items or as accompaniments to floral arrangements. They have several seasonal items as well like soap botanicals, silk home decor, seasonal wreaths and more. One of their more popular gift lines includes locally made confections from local chocolatier Steve’s Gourmet Confections. “I like that it’s a local business and we can support someone local,” Stutsman says.

They also carry women’s clothing and accessories, and men’s sports items – a trend in the floral industry that has been on the rise since 2008. “When the economy was struggling, we all looked for something that would perk up the walk-ins,” Stutsman explains.  

Although they’re based in Goshen, they can reach across the nation through delivery. They can also personally deliver flowers in Kosciusko, LaGrange and Elkhart counties.

High quality is the name of the game at Goshen Floral. Stutsman purchases her inventory from select wholesalers to ensure that their arrangements are top notch. “I always liken it to, if you want a good hamburger, are you going to go to McDonald’s and get a hamburger or are you going to go to your favorite pub?” Stutsman says. “You buy what you pay for. It’s teaching people to enjoy the beauty of flowers and that they want flowers in their home, and that’s a good thing.”

Goshen Floral is located at 1918 ½ Elkhart Road in Goshen. Visit them at goshenfloralinc.com, reach out to them by calling 574-533-0531, or email goshenfloral@hotmail.com.