MELISSA FLORENCE AND LAUREN TILLAPAUGH
Making It Personal
story by ROBIN COKER photos by PAUL NURNBERG
In the midst of a fast-paced, fast-forward, and fast-acting world, a friendship, a pandemic, and a perfect location led to the very best of collaborations. Friends and business owners Melissa Florence and Lauren Tillapaugh found a sweet spot on Boundary Street to set up shop: a place where they share the gift of nostalgia through intentional creation. Both FarmCity Flowers and Lowcountry Letterpress were born as a result of an authentic desire to connect with and serve the local community. This duo is part of an inspiring movement to slow down and smell the flowers, literally and metaphorically.
After twenty years in the flower business, Melissa still finds purpose and joy in creating unique arrangements for events and individuals. Previously located in Newpoint, FarmCity Flowers had grown and moving to a new location allowed the business to expand. It also provided the opportunity for Lauren to set up her new business, Lowcountry Letterpress. Along with the propensity to finish each other’s sentences and a love for local theater, these two share a desire to bring artisan goods to the community through a personal and thoughtful process. Clients, who quickly become friends, are involved in the creative journey to ensure their sentiments are perfectly and artistically conveyed.
Melissa and Lauren met shortly after moving two doors down from each other when Lauren’s dog crashed through Melissa’s screen door to steal food (and baby socks). Despite the rude introduction, the two clicked immediately. Their children quickly became friends, and their husbands followed suit. Between stories of pet squirrels with sophisticated names and cats wearing Hawaiian leis, it’s clear that their friendship runs off of humor (and they’ll also tell you it runs off of coffee and wine).
Moving to Beaufort in 2000 to purchase her first flower shop, Melissa immediately felt support from the community and began acquiring a loyal customer base. As much as she loved and still loves working with flowers, it’s the gratitude for and from her clients that really makes this her dream job. From welcoming a new baby to celebrating a birthday and, of course, bringing a bride’s vision to life, Melissa says, “it’s always an honor to be invited to share in these special moments.” Through the years, life and an expanding family presented opportunities for Melissa to close her first retail location and work remotely from home. Her community ties and strong client base kept her a household name when needing floral arrangements, and her design skills sharpened.
In 2016, her farm-to-vase flower shop concept was born. FarmCity Flowers was created with a desire to connect with local, regional, and US domestic farms to bring the freshest blooms to clients. Often, flowers will arrive at the shop the same day they have been harvested from a local farm. Along with working with local farms, when possible, Melissa only orders in enough product for 48 hours out. “We don’t have a big walk-in cooler or store flowers for more than 48 hours. The idea is for clients to get the freshest flowers and enjoy them as long as possible.” This short-batch ordering system also cuts down on waste.
A typical flower shop might have 20 to 30 percent waste because of overordering. FarmCity will sell out almost every day. “And with the absolute best customer base I could hope for, folks are so gracious and patient they will wait for our next flower drop even if it means delaying a delivery.”
While this farm-to-vase concept resonated within Beaufort, along came the pandemic that presented unforeseen issues that could be crippling to small businesses. Doors were closing, phones stopped ringing, events were cancelled. But Melissa recalls something quite lovely that occurred from all the sadness and uncertainty. “Sitting home, just as many, we were in the midst of the new normal, and I had to step outside for my daughter to get on her zoom for ballet practice, and I just sat on my porch in the early afternoon listening to the birds and having a glass of wine. Shedding any guilt and thinking, wait, this is the way life is supposed to be. Then, of course, having the thought that if I wanted to be able to slow down and be present for my family and listen to the birds, I had to pivot and find unique ways to show up to serve the community with creative avenues.”
She shifted from traditional event arrangements to creating products such as herb gardens, birdseed, and wildflower kits for moms who were now homeschooling their children. “I know Covid was devastating for so many, however it was very good to my shop. It was a time of self-care like I had never seen, and we continued to grow and open this location here on Boundary Street. I felt like in such a small way we were providing beauty to those who needed something to smile about.”
“Beaufort is a special place, but I think there is something different about small towns, the luxury of being connected. You know the owners of these businesses. There is a high probability your children go to school together. It’s personal.”
That personal connectedness is exactly what attracted Lauren to letterpress. Her interest in the centuries-old printing technique was born out of a desire to cultivate a practice of gratitude in her own children. “Even when they were toddlers, we made sure they expressed thanks through hand-drawn cards, then scribbled, and eventually, written thank you notes,” she says. As her children grew older, she, like most parents, felt genuine concern for how technology is affecting our communication with each other in detrimental ways. “Letterpress is the antithesis of the instant Twitter-style of communication we have come to value. It is inherently slow, so you have to be very intentional in what you choose to say. Each letter is hand selected and placed piece by piece into your form for printing. Ink has to be mixed. Paper has to be cut. Everything has to be in perfect alignment. When you have to put such thought into what you say and how you say it, you’re much less likely to say something that will bring others down.”
Once the only way to print books, newspapers, and everything else (dating back to the 1400s when Gutenberg introduced his famous printing press to Europe), letterpress is now more of an art form favored for high-quality stationery and prints with a deep impression that you can see and feel. Lauren prints on a Chandler & Price pilot press that is over one hundred years old and has an extensive collection of metal and wood type, which had to be procured from all over the country as the equipment isn’t easy to find.
Honoring the history and unique character of Beaufort and the Lowcountry, one of Lauren’s projects is working to create custom pieces, featuring icons such as the Woods Memorial Bridge and Hunting Island Lighthouse. “My Dad is a historic architect, so I’m especially drawn to the incredible architecture of Beaufort and can’t wait to see it depicted on the press.” She works one-on-one with clients to create invitations, business cards, and stationery, but you can also find her one-of-a-kind creations at Beaufort Emporium and Dry Goods on Bay Street as well as on her website at lowcountryletterpress.com
Although their businesses are separate entities, they complement each other almost seamlessly, as does their love for their community and for each other. A beautiful pair, and without a doubt, an asset to our Beaufort community.
