Las Vegas Weekly

Florists gone punk

Enchanted Florists create flower arrangements with attitude

The Enchanted Florists crew with co-owners Kathryn Null (center) and Teresa Stewart Meli (far right).

Photo: Ryan Reason

This ain’t your grandma’s flower shop.

From fabulous to funky is the philosophy of Enchanted Florists, and it fits the staff as well as their designs. Their hair is just as colorful as the flora. They've created unique arrangements for the MTV Music Awards, Cher, Tyra Banks and Dr. Dre, among others.

Co-owners Kathryn Null and Teresa Stewart Meli didn’t set out to become florists.

“My first career was in education,” says Null, a native Las Vegan. “I was a high school biology teacher at Silverado High School, and I got my masters at UNLV in workforce training and development.” At night, Null fronted the all-female local punk band The Dirty Panties.

Meli, on the other hand, was a professor at UNLV teaching courses in the history of rock and roll, classical piano and music appreciation and is currently pursuing a doctorate in instrumental conducting.

While attending UNLV, both Null and Meli also worked at Enchanted Florists. About three years ago, the shop went up for sale and the two jumped at the business venture.

“We thought, ‘Wow. What an opportunity,’” Meli says. “’It’s right off the Strip. It’s got such potential. Let’s go ahead and do it.’ It’s been one of the best decisions of my life.”

The shop can create traditional arrangements, but what city really needs another by-the-book florist?

The success of their shop, which earned a Best of Las Vegas nod from the Review Journal, can be attributed to their unorthodox approach to flowers, as well as some unique employees.

“We have people working here with degrees in dance, visual arts, painters, musicians like myself,” says Meli.

“We don’t hire people that are trained traditionally in floral work,” adds Null. “All of our designers have some kind of artistic background. We don’t prescribe to any of the old ways of designing flowers.”

Their staff includes head designer Michelle Meyer, who has a degree in dance from UNLV and moonlights as the bass player in The Dirty Panties. New team member Maggie King studied fashion. Melanie Ash, the new singer for The Dirty Panties also works at Studio West Photography, and Enchanted Florists’ delivery driver and social networking guru, Tom Carr, plays guitar for The Quitters. For an added musical connection, Null and Meli’s husbands were both in the popular local ska band Soto’s Fault in the late ‘90s. Punk and rock have a heavy presence around Enchanted Florists, and it’s not just what they listen to while working.

“Like any art, you want it to evoke emotion,” Meli says of their designs. They are often inspired by Japanese ichibana style, European Garden, the pages from the latest fashion magazine and even their clientele. “There’s endless possibilities, but if someone feels something positive from it, that’s a good design.”

Enchanted Florists created an arrangement of black roses for Criss Angel and they’ve done the “Elton Special”—two-dozen yellow roses for the man who used to play at the red piano. This week there was a 15-year-old who called looking to send his first flower order to his girlfriend. CEOs of major hotel properties, wedding parties and major events are among their regular clients.

“It’s just a Motley Crüe of people that call us actually,” Meli jokes. “We think that’s great. We have grandmas calling wanting to tell us about they’ve lived here since 1955 and every flower shop they’ve ever ordered from, up to the person ordering their first arrangement.”

Enchanted Florists also sees a place for flowers in community service.

“We are very active at First Friday,” Meli says. The shop sells flower hairpieces and arrangements with proceeds going to a different charity each month. “We always try to provide florals for gallery openings, artists, just to bring a little bit more excitement.”

Meli is an “It Girl” with Opportunity Village, as well, and Null gets locked up each year for the MDA fundraiser. “We can’t write them huge checks, but we’ll do what we can,” says Meli.

The boutique has also gone green, an interesting thing for a florist in the middle of the desert. “We’re very concerned about our carbon footprint,” Meli says. The shop recycles anything possible and all of their plant material is composted at the Springs Preserve.

“People of all walks of life, all ages are drawn to what we do,” Null says. “I think anybody that likes art and flowers would be our client.” Adds Meli, “Our medium just happens to be flowers.”