Niece of late florist carries on family tradition
The long-time residents of Santaquin may remember the little floral shop on 330 West Main.
The boutique that Santaquin resident Julie Dolph ran out of her home was closed years ago, and Dolph has since passed away. Now her niece and sister-in-law want to carry on her legacy by opening up a brand new floral shop of their own less than two blocks away from Julie’s original shop.
Necia Bennet of Santaquin and her mother Carmen Eva have revived the old Santaquin Floral in Dolph’s memory, this time calling it the Santaquin Floral and Boutique.
“She begged us for years to open one because her health got bad and she had to shut her’s down,” said Bennett of her aunt.
Bennett says she remembers helping her Aunt Julie in the floral shop by making corsages and boutonnieres when she was little. Carmen frequently helped out at the old Santaquin Floral and decided several years ago to enroll in floral school to improve her skills.
When Necia and her husband Chase Bennett found the house on 520 West Main for sale last year, Necia knew it would be a perfect place to open the new boutique. Only a few seconds away from the old location, the new boutique is a small affair run out of the upper level of an old house.
“We bought this place for this purpose,” said Bennett. “It’s just cute, it’s country so it fits I guess.”
Florist Carmen Eva at the new Santaquin Boutique and Floral
To give the shop a country-style feel, Bennett’s family helped renovate the house. The first several rooms were transformed into display areas where consignments and gift items can be shown off.
Although she admits the location of the business is strange – the boutique is now the west-most business on Main Street – she feels her ties to the community will help them get the word out that they’ve opened.
“We have a great support system here,” says Bennett.
Necia Bennett behind the counter at her new boutique
The ladies hope to do flowers and balloons for weddings, parties, funerals, and any other events.
The new entrepreneurial pursuit is a major career change for both Bennett and Eva who have both been working in construction for years. Bennett has been a loader operator for two years and Eva has been a bulldozer operator for the past six years.
“The guys at work make fun of me,” said Eva. “First I play in the dirt then I come home and play with flowers.”
Bennett is the owner and operator of the new Santaquin Floral and Boutique on 520 West Main.
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