Mary Wesley, also recognized by those in the community as “Miss Mary,” is the owner of one of the only Black-owned flower shops in the region,Flowers Just 4-U. The idea to open her store originated from a thought she once jotted in a notepad kept by her nightstand.
“I planned it ten years before it took hold, it was just a projection that I had set a goal for myself because I didn’t want to retire and just sit down,” Wesley said regarding the 1984 opening of her business. “That something was giving back to the community — the community was in desperate need of a flower shop. We’ve never had one before.”
It’s early morning when vans from eight different Hmong farms pull up to unload spring bouquets across King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Bins and boxes, filled with vibrant flowers wrapped in white paper, are placed on the ground or on tables. Gold and red tulips, cream and maroon peonies, blue violet irises and pink lupines. Volunteers move the flowers into the shade to avoid wilting, careful to keep the blooms brilliant for later, when they’ll be picked up by families and gifted to hundreds of beaming mothers in the area.
