By Crystal McGough
ARGO – Casie Bailey has been running her floral business, Petals of Serenity, out of her home in Argo for the past 12 years, but this year, her dream of having a brick-and-mortar store came true.
Argo Mayor Betty Bradley and members of the Argo City Council join with Casie Bailey and her family to officially cut the ribbon for the new Petals of Serenity flower shop in Argo
The Petals of Serenity store officially opened Easter weekend at 1028 Hwy 11, Trussville. Bailey’s building is an addition onto Argo’s well-known Hilltop Farms and Market (formerly Williams’ Orchard).
“For the last two years, I have been working on getting this up and going as a brick-and-mortar,” she said. “In 2019, when Corky Massey bought Williams’ Orchard from the Williams’, he approached me and said he would really love to have a florist in the area. We didn’t have anything here in our area, and it’s a good, central location.”
Massey sold Hilltop to Anthony and Michelle Dickey in February 2022, and they broke ground on the new addition to the building that would be the new home of Petals of Serenity.
“They just kept with his plan of me coming in here,” Bailey said. “They came in and finished everything, and here I am.”
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening was delayed when Bailey’s grandmother’s health started to decline, so she and the Argo mayor and city council agreed to hold an official ribbon cutting on Wednesday, May 25.
“This was a good time for the city council to be there,” Bailey said. “It just all came together at this point in time.”
Left to right: Casie Bailey, Councilor Dennis Griffin, Mayor Betty Bradley, Councilor Michael Hicks, and City Attorney Chelsey Payne with Massey, Stotser & Nichols PC
Bailey, who is a self-taught florist, originally went to college at UAB with plans to become a pediatric oncologist. However, after shadowing some female doctors and talking with them about their home lives, she decided the lifestyle and schedule of a medical career was not what she wanted.
She changed her major and graduated from UAB with a degree in Pre-K-6th grade education, and after that, got married, which is where her career as a florist began.
“It started with mine and my husband’s wedding,” Bailey said. “I just decided that I could probably do flowers like anyone else. … After doing our wedding and then doing friends’ weddings, it just took off.”
Petals of Serenity offers both real and silk flower arrangements, and Bailey provides services for weddings, funerals, and “anything a florist would do.”
She also offers delivery to Blount County, Jefferson County, St. Clair County and Shelby County.
“I got into it really from the heart, so it’s more of my gift giving back,” Bailey said. “It’s a lot of fun for me; it’s not a job in my eyes, because I enjoy it so much. I enjoy meeting new people and talking to new people, and being able to help them in the happy times and in the sad times. … As sad as this is going to sound, funerals are my passion. I get to pour into what the families want. That’s where my heart is.”
In addition to flowers and floral arrangements, Petals of Serenity has a small gift shop where people can purchase a variety of homemade crafts and goods.
“In the shop, we have a lot of other vendors,” Bailey said. “We have candles, hand-stamped jewelry, door hangers, bath sugar scrubs, hand-done art, t-shirts, infused vanilla for cooking, drink mixes, charcuterie boards and hand-cutout wood carvings. And then I keep fresh flower arrangements in the cooler that can just be a grab-and-go kind of thing.”
Petals of Serenity’s store hours are Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Flowers can be ordered anytime, however, through the Petals of Serenity Facebook page or by calling Bailey at (205) 492-1823.
“I just hope that it becomes more of a service to the community,” Bailey said. “Everybody that comes in, they’re excited that we’re here. I’m right in the middle of Trussville, Springville and Moody, so it’s a great central location, and that’s what everybody’s response has been – they’re really excited that something is here, in our area.”
