CityView Magazine

54 | November/December 2015 The Christmas Contractors feature Local florists come to the rescue of all the non-Martha Stewart's in Fayetteville BY MIRIAM LANDRU Photography by Matthew Wonderly I imagine there are more than a few of us out there who are "décor challenged." Sure, we go through Pinterest, pinning our favorite tablescapes, furnishings and during this time of year: mantles draped in festive garland, to our boards that may say something like, "Dream Home," or simply, "Goals." Fabulous yuletide decorating can be a loy goal for some. at's where local florists Owen's Bordeaux owned by Bar- bara Coleman and Always Flowers by Crenshaw backed by Jim Crenshaw and Bill McPhail come into play. ey are all behind some of the glamourous and fes- tive Christmas decorations you see in some of the finest estates in Fayetteville. Behind the Scenes Aer years working in commercial design for the construction industry, Ohio native Barbara Coleman took over Owen's Bordeaux Florist in 2007 from the late Carol Mayo. "I've always been creative, so it seemed like a natural fit. I definitely learned a lot from Carol," said Coleman. She was able to gain even more knowledge about the fresh floral industry and had also worked in floral design before, designing all the silk arrangements in her own wedding. Owen's Bordeaux has been decorat- ing homes from Kingsford to Stedman lavishly for the Christmas season since Coleman can remember. Six trees are decorated reflecting different styles in the floral shop alone. Jim Crenshaw's floral business in the Westwood Shopping Center began in 1992 aer a military career, a stint at a flower shop in Anderson, South Caro- lina and aer that, dressing the man- nequins in Belk when it was downtown and later in Cross Creek Mall. Crenshaw is a native of nearby Parkton. During his senior year of high school, the fam- ily moved to Anderson where instead of hanging out at his father's orthopedic prosthetic business, he spent his spare time at the floral shop in the same strip mall just a few doors down. Crenshaw was draed into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. His "tour of hardship" was on the beaches Jim Crenshaw & Bill McPhail of Always Flowers by Crenshaw

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