Growing Love: Olympia’s Finishing Touch Florist Spreads Joy In Every Season

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By Emily McMason

Finishing Touch Florist, located inside Ralph’s Thriftway, creates bouquets for every customer, including this special request for a green onion bouquet.

Have you ever wondered what love looks like?  Sometimes, it looks like a bouquet of green onions.  Michelle Murphy, manager of Finishing Touch Florist, has been a floral designer for 27 years.  She has had requests for thousands of special arrangements, including one from a daughter to a mother, a mother who loved to eat green onions.  Says Murphy, “My extremely talented designer Debbie Chambers came up with a fun and unique piece that I will never forget” that was made entirely of fresh green onions, with white flowers as a garnish.

Love also looks like memories.  Murphy has had many brides ask that their bouquets include something special to remember those loved ones who aren’t there to celebrate their wedding day.  “We incorporate a memorial item; miniature photo, a pin or a necklace, into their wedding bouquet as a way to honor a loved one.”  Personalization is a hallmark of Murphy’s work.  It allows the customer to feel connected to the creation.

The breadth and depth of Finishing Touch Florist’s work speaks to that connection.  As a full service florist, they produce arrangements that span all the events in our lives.  There are personal occasions: bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, funerals that are all part of their work.  Yet so are business affairs:  award luncheons and dinners; holiday parties; even decorating entrances for Christmas.  “Whatever the occasion, we can help bring it to fruition with fresh flowers and designs,” explains Murphy.  Bringing nature and design into each space enhances the emotional impact of the occasion.

What is behind the art of Finishing Touch Florist’s arrangements?  Murphy’s love of flowers predates her official beginnings in the floral business.  When other children were playing games or dolls or wandering in the woods, Murphy was exploring the neighbors’ yards.  And bringing home the spoils.  “I remember as early as 5 years old I would go into neighbor’s yards, pick the flowers I could find (yes, even the weeds) and take them home to put into vases.  I called it ‘playing with flowers’ back then.”

Her eye for beauty and arrangement lead her to earn a BA in Interior and Architectural Design, but the draw of nature never left.  “My passion is flowers, always has been, always will be,” she says.

Finishing Touch Florist announces a happy hour on flowers.

Flowers have taken her all over the west, working in Colorado and California in addition to Washington.  It was in Walnut Creek, CA that her training began.  A basic floral design class taken when she was 20 lead to shops of all varieties, sizes and specializations.  “All I know and have learned about being a floral designer I learned by working in different shops, with different designers from simple Mom and Pop type shops in Colorado to high end, exclusive Event Floral Studios in southern California,” Murphy explains.

Beyond the shop doors of her personal experiences, Murphy is also inspired by publications.  “They [florists] are artists in their own right. I’m amazed every time I open up a floral publication and see the quality of work and the creativity of design being produced in the floral world.”

While the influences may come from miles away, Murphy is proud that many of her products are grown just down the road.  Finishing Touch Florist works with growers in Shelton, Mt. Vernon and Sumner, buying flowers and greens as they are seasonally available.

From Lynch Creek Farms in Shelton comes cut Dahlias in the summer and all of Finishing Touch’s evergreen garlands and wreaths in the winter.  Says Murphy, “The quality of their product is superb and Andy is a great guy to work with, especially when we have special events and weddings.”

Spring tulips arrive from DeGoede Brothers in Sumner.  In addition to these cut favorites, they provide outdoor plants and flowers all the way from early spring until late fall, when DeGoede becomes Murphy’s primary supplier for holiday Poinsettias.

The warm greenhouses of Washington Bulb Company in Mt Vernon allow Murphy to use cut Asiatic Lilies, Irises, Daffodils, and tulips year round.

Washington grown tulips are a great way to say ‘love.’

Yet in the end, Finishing Touch Florist is about so much more than the flowers and gifts that it offers.  It is about the people who create and the people they serve.  For Murphy it is the mix.  “The flowers, being surrounded by fresh flowers everyday and being part of a team of extremely talented and creative women are the best parts of my job,” she summarizes.

You can experience Murphy’s team first hand at Finishing Touch Florist located in Ralph’s Thriftway, and enjoy their creations in the floral department at Bayview Thiftway.

Finishing Touch Florist at locally owned Ralph’s Thriftway can be reached during business hours at 360-943-9921.

Department Hours:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday – 9:00 am – 5:30 pm

Tuesday and Thursday – 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Saturday – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Closed on Sunday

http://www.finishingtouchflorists.com

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