Southern Pearl is a go-to for all things flowers

For someone who’d never worked in a flower shop or had formal training in the art of floral arrangements, Tina Heard has made quite the splash in the relatively short time since launching her second career by opening of Southern Pearl Florist, Home Décor and Gifts in June 2021.

Now operating out of a century-old, 3,400-square-foot house on the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Grove Street in Pikeville, Southern Pearl is a go-to outlet for all things floral. Not long after completing her 10th year as a nurse at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex, she decided it was time for a change. She recognized the need for another flower shop to serve Bledsoe and the surrounding counties and, despite having zero experience in the business, took a leap of faith.

“I’d never worked in a flower shop, but I always did crafts and could usually teach myself to do whatever I wanted to do,” Tina says. Her creative talents proved to be a solid foundation for her new business.

On opening day in 2021, Tina built five unique floral arrangements and posted pictures of them on her new social media channels for Facebook and Instagram. By day’s end, all five were sold.

“I didn’t expect to be so busy so soon, I thought I would have to build up my clientele,” she says. “Within six months, I had more than enough to do. I thought it would take me years to get to that point.”

Creativity

Despite frequent long days and late nights at the shop, which includes retail space for a dozen local crafters and artisans, Tina finds enjoyment in every bit of it. She takes delight in creating prom and wedding corsages using non-traditional flowers. And the favorite part of her job is fashioning personalized sympathy pieces for funerals. “I’ll get asked to create casket sprays or saddles using particular kinds of flowers and to add personal touches, like horse-drawn wagons, deer horns, 18-wheelers, hats, boots, even a full-size guitar in the design,” she says.

Tina takes full advantage of the power of social media and her SouthernPearlFlorist.com website to grow her business, utilizing her fast BTC Fiber both at the shop and in her home.

“Their service is great, and the community has come a long way just because of the availability of their fiber,” Tina says. “Pikeville has really grown. A lot of people have moved to the area because the fiber is a big draw for them.”

Story courtesy of BTC Fiber.