Christopher Turner at his Cary Street flower stand
Seeds of healing and hope grow at an outdoor flower stand that was often the only sign of life in Carytown in recent months. During coronavirus stay-at-home orders, when the usually bustling Cary Street was barren, and in recent weeks, while many businesses have temporarily boarded their windows due to ongoing protests, colorful roses, peonies, sunflowers and tulips continue to bloom at Christopher Flowers.
“Giving flowers to someone stems from love, and love is especially important in today’s world,” says Christopher Flowers owner Hakim “Christopher” Hawkins Turner, 35. “I’m helping my community to let people know they are loved.”
Turner has been creating and selling floral arrangements outdoors year-round on West Cary Street just outside of Can Can Brasserie for eight years. “Flowers, in essence, are an expression of emotion,” he says. “What I do for a living is really all about love — helping people remember people through flowers.”
Turner’s flowers have made an impact on the varying seasons of people’s lives, from the blissful celebration of a birth or wedding to the sadness of a loved one’s passing.
Recently, Turner donated flowers for a memorial created at the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue to remember Black people who were killed by the police. Their photos and stories, along with bouquets from Christopher Flowers, encircled the monument.
“I think it is sad that it’s 2020, and we’re still trying to have a conversation about this,” says Turner, who adds that he has experienced racism during his life. What moves him is that the protesters are people of all colors. “You see every race of people. It is beautiful,” he says. “I believe the most important thing that has come out of this situation is to see the unity of the community that transcends race.”
Turner believes Richmond is resilient and that Carytown will also flourish again. “Despite the pandemic and social climate, Carytown will be fine,” he says. “We will come out on the other side better than we were.”
But the past few months have not been easy. COVID-19 took a toll on Turner’s business. “As far as walk-up customers, traffic dropped 80%,” he says. “People were staying at home. It was a struggle. March and April, those were rough months.”
About two years ago, Turner built a website to take delivery orders to supplement his walk-up sales in Carytown. During the pandemic, online orders have helped to keep his business afloat. “During the coronavirus, people could not see their loved [ones], so I worked as a conduit to help them be present through the flowers,” he says.
“Flowers have always made me happy,” says one of Turner’s loyal customers. “The arrangements he puts together for me are absolutely gorgeous. It’s like having a new piece of artwork added to your room.”
Turner looks forward to the city reopening again. As an open-air business, “I get to interact with more people,” he says. “It’s more of a community than a business. It’s more intimate. It’s what local is all about. And people really do stop and smell the roses.”
Turner’s mother, Bernice Marie Stafford-Turner, affectionately known as Richmond’s “Flower Lady,” helped cultivate his interest in the flower business. As a child, he would often accompany his mom as she sold flowers for years at outdoor stands throughout Richmond, especially during high school graduation ceremonies held at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center. With her endearing personality and unique bouquets personalized for each school, Stafford-Turner was a well-known, welcoming presence at these events for decades.
She would later go back to school and become a lawyer, but her sense of entrepreneurship made an impact on Turner. “She gave me my foundation,” he says.
“He’s a phenomenal floral designer,” Stafford-Turner says of her son. “He’s very mannerable, and the people of Carytown love him.”
Turner once contemplated going into law like his mother but says bringing joy to people through his flowers is his true calling. Flowers also uplift his own spirit. “My favorite flower is the lisianthus,” he says. “The colors are deep and rich. It looks fragile, but it’s hardy.”
When asked about what’s ahead in his life and business, he says, “I see Carytown as my future. My goal is to expand, but if I could be an 80-year-old man selling flowers in Carytown, I will be happy.”
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