New Flower Shop Open In Overton

By Vernon Robison

Moapa Valley Progress

The flower shop in downtown Overton has opened again. Now called “The Front Porch”, the little shop opened on Friday, May 10.

The shop is filled with simple country charm. The display shelving is not typical retail fare, but rather it is rustic and homely furniture. The store is filled with simple little surprises; treasures that are on sale as gift items, home decor and fashion accessories.

“Above all else, I wanted it to be homey and inviting,” said “The Front Porch” owner Charlene Udall. “I wanted it to be comfortable, like coming home.”

Udall has taken her time in getting it right. She started working on the store back in October doing improvements to the inside of the store. She looked for the right furnishings, opened the floor plan, painted the store with cheerful new colors, designed all of the decorative details and performed needed repairs to equipment.

She has also worked to spruce up the store front on the street putting up a new sign over the door, dressing up the display windows and installing large rustic flower pots on either side of the front door.

“We wanted to be part of the whole revitalization movement that has been building steam here in the downtown area recently,” Udall said.

Charlene, her husband Ryan, and their children moved to Moapa about six years ago from Las Vegas. The couple are originally from the small town of Kirtland in the four corners area of New Mexico where they went to high school together.

Since they have been here, they have fallen in love with this community, Udall said. And that is part of the reason why she decided to start the flower shop back up again in Overton.

“The valley needs a flower shop,” Charlene said. “And I thought what better way to serve the community than to be there for them in their good times and their bad times. That is what a small local flower shop is really good at.”

Charlene has already experienced some ups and downs in the community. Though she hasn’t been officially open in the last few weeks, the store has nevertheless been busy filling orders for some special events; both joyful and sorrowful. She has made corsages and boutonieres for the MVHS Prom and provided beautiful arrangements for birthday celebrations and for a funeral or two. Last weekend she was kept occupied filling Mother’s Day orders, no doubt the busiest holiday of the year for florists.

“The Front Porch” offers all the standard fare in floral arrangements from small to large. The store has a large display cooler where they will have freshly-made arrangements at the ready for purchase. But they can custom-make anything the customers want, Udall said.

She is especially fond of unique containers in which to display the flower arrangements.

“I just love the vintage feel with old bottles or watering cans, things like that that will give it a unique look,” Charlene said. “I’m always on the lookout shopping for creative containers for flower arrangements. And people can even bring in their own special containers for us to put flowers in. We are open to unique ideas.”

Looking over the little gift shop at the front part of the store, Charlene bubbles over with enthusiasm. Her favorite little nook in the store is what she calls the ‘Pirate Corner’. This small area, which was designed by Katie Eastman, a member of the store staff, is decorated with weathered wood to have a Pirate ship feel to it.

“We just wanted a spot where we could promote the hometown school spirit,” Udall said. “We are going to be a source for anything Pirate here.”

Udall said that she has already been in contact with the MVHS Pirate Shirt Company to supply T-shirts to be sold at the store. And she plans to have other items that will be popular among the Pirate fans.

Udall looks forward to serving the community’s needs with her new store. She said that she feels like it was something she was just meant to do.

“Last year, when I saw that this space was open I kept looking at it and thinking I should do something here,” she said. “It just felt right. And once I started down the road with it, everything just seemed to fall into place.”

“The Front Porch” is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The store currently has a Facebook page. The website is still under construction and will be available. Orders can be made by calling the store at 397-8334.