Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

“I love my job and I love what I do,” Ronnie Herrington said. “It’s been a lot of hard work and commitment and I’ve made some sacrifices in my lifetime. I don’t want to retire. I love my job. When I retire, it will be when the good Lord takes me home.”
Those comments came from Herrington’s the Florist owner Ronnie Herrington on the celebration of 40 years in the florist business in the Brewton community.
Herrington, along with his wife, Pat and daughter, Hillary, hosted a celebration Sunday afternoon and invited the entire town to the event.
“It was phenomenal,” Herrington said. “The comments and support from the people who came was wonderful.”
The event, held at the Douglas Avenue business, saw rooms full of shoppers and well-wishers throughout the two our event.
“We stayed busy right up until 5 o’clock,” Herrington said. “I am thankful for the community support all of these years. People were surprised that we had 40 percent off the store, but the community has been good to us for these 40 years and I wanted to give back in some way. I have made my living here and rasied my family here and it was just a way to give a little back.”
Herrington began his business when he was just 25 years old after having begun work in the industry at the age of 16.
“I was born and raised in Brewton and began delivering flowers for Brewton Flower Shop at 16 and worked through my high school years,” Herrington said. “I then worked for Garrett’s Flowers and decided to open my own shop when I was 25.”
Herrington offered thanks to those he worked for through those years giving him a good foundation in the florist business.
“Dot Williams and the Garrets played a big part in my life,” Herrington said. “I am very thankful.”
Herrington also said his wife and daughter are a big help with the work he does.
“They are a big help in my life,” Herrington said. “The rest of my staff is wonderful, too. They have been good to me and my family and I can’t thank them enough.”
Herrington also said his parents instilled values in him that have served him well in life and in business.
“I am thankful to my parents for nurturing me they way they did,” Herrington said. “They were always supportive.”
Herrington mentioned some past employees that also made life in the business bearable, even on long days.
“Patsy Kirkland was my right arm,” Herrington said. “She worked with me for 20 years and would stay with me until the wee hours of the morning when I needed her. When she died, it just broke my heart.”
Those wee hours happen more than most might think, Herrington said.
Holidays such as Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day will find the lights on well into the night as the crew works to fill special orders.
“We also work some long hours during special events, too,” Herrington said. “With homecomings and proms, there is a lot of work that has to be done in a short amount of time.”
Herrington’s the Florist is located at 719 Douglas Avenue in mid-town Brewton and is typically open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday’s.
In addition to the floral part of the business, Herrington’s also offers a variety of gifts, accessories and clothing to their customers.