This month, Karin’s Florist is celebrating 70 years of serving Northern Virginia. Maris Angolia, the current owner, and longtime employee Bryan Swann, the store’s creative director, shared some of the shop’s history and the keys to their longevity. They said hiring great staff, being innovative, and embracing the community has allowed the business to thrive.
On Oct. 26, 1956, Angolia’s father, Bill Dukas, and her grandfather, George Raptis, opened the business at the Seven Corners Shopping Center. They named the fledgling business after Angolia’s older sister. Karin was Dukas’ firstborn child, and also the first grandchild of that generation. They hoped the name would bring the store good luck.
Angolia joined the business 31 years ago when the store moved to its current Vienna location. Their customers from Falls Church followed them to their new address, and Vienna embraced them as locals.
Staff members’ enthusiasm for their work has helped the business maintain low turnover. One employee, Kevin Shay, has been with the company for just over 30 years. Other employees have been there for 15 years or more, like Swann, who is about to celebrate 20 years.
When Swann interviewed with Angolia, he was looking for a job to bring him back to the DMV. He grew up on a farm in Southern Maryland. Both his grandmothers were horticulturalists who loved to teach about design and flowers. He studied horticulture at Virginia Tech, but then drifted into another field for a time. By the time of his return, he had already been working with floral design for 10 years.
“It was a good mesh from the beginning. I didn’t have a 20-year plan. It’s been a really, really wonderful adventure,” said Swann. ”Honestly, there’s no other place I’d really want to work than here, in this industry, in this market.”…