Petal Pushers Hopes To Fill

A Local Niche For Design And Decoration

By Kaaren Valenta

Petal Pushers, a unique shop that offers everything from silk flowers and gifts to event planning, is opening Saturday in the Main Street Marketplace next to G.P. Cheffields restaurant.

The shop is owned by Newtown residents Shelley Burnstein and Karen Murphy, along with Karen’s husband, Chris Hoffman. The women have extensive backgrounds in design, decorating, advertising, store management, and consulting, and decided this year to open a business together.

“We’ve been friends since our kids were in fifth grade seven years ago,” Karen Murphy said. “I’d been working in advertising for 20 years and had enough of it. I wanted to do something in town. So one day I was in the car going to Hartford and told my husband that I wanted to open a flower shop – and I wanted to do it with Shelley. He told me to ‘go for it’ so I called Shelley on the car phone and she said ‘I’m in.’”

 The two women carefully researched the local market before deciding exactly the direction their store should take. Although Petal Pushers primarily features silk and dried flowers, both loose and in wreaths, swags, baskets, topiaries, arbors, chandeliers, and other arrangements, the store also offers accessories, antiques, and customized decorating services and event planning.

“So many people are working fulltime now and don’t have the time to put a party together or to decorate their homes for the season,” Shelly Burnstein said. “We will do it for them. We will work with a caterer, subcontract for tents – we can handle the entire event. You name it, we can do it for you.”

 Even though the shop doesn’t officially open until September 9, the women already have had projects as word spread about their business.

“We’ve already created custom pieces for a home, coordinating them with the furniture and wallpaper,” Ms Murphy said. “We created 51/2-foot tall floral pieces for the foyer.”

The store is small, just 1,100 square feet, but creatively organized in areas that display such themes as country and seasonal, Victorian, Oriental, and events/weddings. There are interesting accessories and architectural elements, plus antique tables, cupboards, pedestals, and other items, all of which are for sale.

“We bought the furniture at antiques shows and flea markets and will sell them so the store continually maintains a fresh look,” Ms Murphy said. “We went to the Atlanta gift show in July and to the one at the Jacob Javits Center in New York last month to find items that you just won’t see in other stores around here. Before we bought, we made sure they weren’t also being sold to competitors.” 

“Karen’s four-bay garage is now down to one bay because we ordered so much,” Ms Burnstein said. “We’re already ordering for Christmas – really different things.”

The two women’s talents complement each other. Shelly Burnstein has a degree in horticulture/floral design from Alfred State College in New York, and has worked in the business for many years. Most recently she was the floral designer at Michael’s in Brookfield, and before that had managed a Fabric Bonanza store for five years. She was a consultant for a furniture store, providing the seasonal displays for the interior designer. 

“I’ve always been interested in crafts,” she said. “I knew we needed a better quality product than those available at craft shops, and products that are priced right to sell.”

Karen Murphy has a degree in advertising from Syracuse University, was the art director for a company in Stratford for the past 15 years, and had been a stylist for Practical Homeowner when the magazine was based in Connecticut.  “I’ve always loved flowers and decorating,” she said.

Decorating for weddings is a special treat for the women. “Both of us have sons so we will never be the mother of the bride and get to plan a wedding,” Karen said. “This is as close as we will get.”

Karen’s sons include Ryan, 19, who is in college; and Tim, 17, and Sean, 16, both students at Newtown High School. Her husband, Chris Hoffman, is an owner of C&C Roofing and is a silent partner in the flower store. Shelley Burnstein is married to Harlan Burnstein, an economist; their son, Brad, 18, is a senior at Newtown High School.

A section of the store is devoted to wedding planning, where the women will provide free consultations. “We will have samples of bridal bouquets,” Ms Burnstein said. “They can be made up of fresh flowers, silk, or a combination. We make topiaries from fresh greens as well as dried. We have two wholesale sources for fresh flowers and can get them the same day for customers.”

Victorian-style weddings are particularly popular, using herbs and accessories such as tussy-mussy holders, she said. Chandeliers and huge candelabras wrapped in dried moss and decorated with fresh or silk flowers are in demand.

“The flowers and herbs traditionally have different meanings,” Ms Burnstein said. “A lot of thought goes into the planning.”

The women will prepare gift baskets for all occasions, and offer holiday packages to decorate mantles, staircases, doorways, and other parts of the home. “We don’t charge a labor charge for putting together pieces, not even for weddings,” Ms Burnstein said. “We will supply all the materials, or the customers can supply their own containers if they prefer.”

Currently Petal Pushers is decorated for fall; an open house will be held in November for Christmas decorating.

Petal Pushers, 97 South Main Street,  is open from 9 am to 5 pm; Thursdays until 8 pm. Closed Sundays. For more information call 270-1029.