By Chris Aldridge

Kentucky Ag News

FRANKFORT - In October 2024, after eight years working as a wedding planner, Shelby White started her own business to spend more time with her now 7-year-old daughter.

White had the idea of opening a build-your-own bouquet business, or flower bar. But she also wanted a place where members of the community could hang out with their friends and neighbors – like the type of bar that serves cocktails made with or without alcohol.

“Adding an actual bar was a play on words,” White said of Poppy’s Flower Bar in Lexington. “This (type of business) doesn’t really exist anywhere else, and I felt like it would really do well here.”

White posted on Poppy’s Facebook page that the business “blended our love for flowers, shopping, and fun drinks to create a place where you truly want to come and hang out. Bring your friends and shop some of our favorite goods from local makers, create incredible floral arrangements, play a (board or tabletop) game, and sip on some booze or a (non-alcohol) mocktail!”

“We want it to feel like a dive bar without being dirty and dingy,” White added. “We pride ourselves as a place where people feel comfortable. It’s been really special. We’ve gotten a great response from the community. As a full-service cocktail and mocktail bar, some customers come in to have a drink, others come in just for flowers, and some come for both.”

Customers of the flower bar are invited to choose the size of bouquet they prefer and select the corresponding number of stems. They can either take the stems home to arrange themselves or let Poppy’s florists put the bouquet together. 

“We’re stocked with a wide variety of flower types and textures,” White said. “You pick how many stems you like, and we wrap it with greenery and turn it into a bouquet, or we add a vase and create an arrangement for you.”

Poppy’s boasts a certified Kentucky Master Florist, Bryan McCoy, who White affectionately calls “our angel.” He was recently named Kentucky Designer of the Year by the Kentucky Floral Association and will compete nationally in August in the American Institute of Floral Design’s Middle of America Cup.

“Bryan worked at another Lexington florist, and I watched him put together a bouquet,” White remembered. “What he created in five minutes right in front of (a customer) was so impressive.…  I asked him if he wanted to freelance for me, and he came on board at the end of 2024. He would come work here after his other job, and we built this place essentially.”

White is negotiating with her landlord to expand into an adjoining space once occupied by a hair salon at 210 Old Mount Tabor Road.

As a new Kentucky Proud member, Poppy’s sources as many flowers at it can from Kentucky, including fellow Kentucky Proud member Wild Roots flower farm in Harrodsburg.

“During the growing season, we get quite a bit of flowers from local farms,” White said. “We try to get at least half of our flowers from March through November.”

Poppy’s is approaching one of its busiest times of the year. “Valentine’s Day (on Feb. 14) and Mother’s Day (on May 10) are huge for us!” she noted.

Throughout the year, McCoy shares his floral knowledge through a variety of workshops.

“They’re ticketed events, themed, to learn the mechanics on how to create an arrangement,” White said. “During February, we have several (workshops) geared toward Valentine’s Day, typically every other Wednesday. We have a cookie workshop and a flower workshop.

Poppy’s is the only florist in Lexington that is open past 6 p.m.  “We’re open until 8, 10 on weekends,” White said, noting Poppy’s is a full-service retail florist and makes deliveries every day.  

Poppy’s also rents rooms or the entire shop for bachelorette parties and corporate groups.

“We’re classified as a florist first, so we can have (customers) under 21 in here,” White said. “Mocktails are a huge hit for the under-21 crowd. It’s an experience for them.”

“Poppy’s is for flowers, fun, and friendship,” White posted on Facebook. “We need more of all three in the world.”