Judy Sicola opened her first flower shop in 1983. In the afternoons, the young entrepreneur would pick up her first-grade daughter from school and bring her back to the store while she continued to work.
“I’d hang out and watch TV and have my snacks,” said Shawna Thaler, Sicola's daughter. “I’ve been around it my whole life. I really grew up in the floral industry.”
Today, the two women operate four locations of Sicola’s Florist in addition to a 15,000-square-foot design center, the hub of the business that puts together 200-300 orders daily.
The newest and largest location opened in late November at Barker Cypress Road and Hwy. 290 in Cypress. Although Sicola’s still makes local deliveries, this store has become a hot spot for home decor and other gifts.
“We’re very creative here, so when people come in, basically we help them find that something special,” Thaler said. “You don’t have to get [flowers] as a gift. You can come in and buy them for yourself.”
Reception in the neighborhood has been overwhelmingly positive, Sicola said, and the Barker Cypress store performed just as well as the established stores for Valentine’s Day this year.
Sicola’s specializes in special events, weddings and funeral arrangements. In addition to gift baskets—which can be purchased for occasions ranging from housewarmings to baby showers—silk arrangements are one of the most popular items in the store, Thaler said.
When customers see containers they like, staff members walk around with them to help select different silks and build arrangements they can take home that day, Thaler said. Some come in with color schemes and dimensions in mind, and others will bring items from the rooms they are decorating.
“My passion is being creative and being able to make something that a customer is not going to see down the road,” Thaler said. “When they come in so surprised and excited, it’s very rewarding. Mom [and I] go to market and hand-pick everything.”
In fact, the entire Sicola family embraces working together. While Sicola’s husband and son run Sicola’s Landscaping Corp. in Houston, she and Thaler collaborate in bringing their own unique tastes and ideas to the table at the flower shop.
“I think that’s what makes it work,” Sicola said. “I’ll buy something, and she’ll say, ‘That’s never going to sell.’ So my challenge is to get it in the store and sell it right away. We search for not really trendy items, but items that really catch the eye and can be used in different homes and settings.”
Having fresh-cut flowers on the kitchen island or in the bathroom is one of the simplest ways to make a home cozy, Thaler said. Sicola’s often has in-store specials on classics, such as daisies, tulips and hydrangeas.
The mother-daughter duo is planning an open house in June at the Barker Cypress location. Thaler said the two are busy enough for now, but her mother has always enjoyed bringing new stores to new communities.
“You can open a lot of stores, but if you can’t personally be there to give that personal touch, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin,” Sicola said. “You still want to give that quality service you have for 35 years. But I never say never. I might have one more [store] in me.”
11901 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress
713-290-1136
www.sicolasflorist.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sundays
9516 Jones Road, Houston
713-686-6447
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sundays
5403 FM 1960, Houston
281-351-9311
Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., closed Sundays
