While growing up, she loved helping her grandfather tend his rose garden. In junior high, she worked at a flower shop in Anaheim, California.
That first flower shop was affiliated with Florists Telegraph Delivery, or FTD. FTD master designers, who traveled the country teaching the company’s designs, were based where Denton worked, allowing her to learn from some of the best in the field.
After working at multiple florist shops, Denton decided she was ready to start her own business. She began selling flower arrangements from her house, and as business increased, she moved to a warehouse in Watauga, Texas.
In 2009, she found herself smitten with a Grapevine storefront.
“I saw a big ‘for lease’ sign in this window. I looked up, and it said, ‘Florist.’ I peeked in and saw that cooler, and I was in love,” Denton said.
On Mother’s Day 2010, Devin Designs Flowers went from a warehouse to a retail business.
Denton said she purchases flowers from local wholesalers and grows bulbs in her at-home greenhouse in Southlake. During peak seasons, she increases inventory.
“When I know I‘m going to get so many orders, I can order the big, beautiful combination boxes,” Denton said.
Orders often represent the circle of life, from births to funerals, she said. The shop also arranges flowers for weddings, churches, special events and birthdays. Roses are a popular choice.
“My roses come from Ecuador; you don’t see them in the grocery store,” she said. “I’m a florist, so I need to be a step up and have a nicer quality.”
Devin Designs Flowers, 457 E. Northwest Hwy., Grapevine. 817-481-7818. www.devindesignsflowers.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. closed
