BUCYRUS—Sue Stander, owner of Norton’s Flowers, received the 2022 North Central State College’s Arts for Success Leadership Award Thursday night.

“It was part of the fund-raising effort for North Central State. I’m very honored,” Stander said.

The award represents her many years of service to the community.

“I came here for a job with Norton’s Flowers back in the 70s,” she said. “I’m a transplant (from Montana via Wyandot County).”

The shop has been around since 1882 and at the present location since 1937.

“It was Eddie Norton who taught me that if you give to them (the community), they’ll give back to you. Eddie was a prime example from donating his white shirts that he always wore. He’d buy new shirts even if he didn’t need them, just so he could donate the others.

“He was my mentor. I worked for the Nortons for a while. Then I bought it from the Hoskinsons,” Stander said.
She did her internship in the greenhouse “a long time ago” and graduated from Agricultural Technical Institute.
Stander previously worked with the Retail Merchants group that became the Bucyrus Area Business Association.

“I served on those committees and was president. I was on the Chamber of Commerce board. I’ve done a little bit of it all,” she said. “I’m one of those if you’re on it, you’re work, not just your name on the thing.”

First Fridays, downtown Sidewalk Sales, and the first Candlelight Christmas are projects Stander has been involved with over the years.

“I’ve been involved in whatever’s going on. My crew knows that they’re getting paid to volunteer. They get roped into it too, and they get paid, but that’s all part of the community.”

Her children went to Bucyrus City Schools, and her granddaughters attend Wynford.

“We’re part of this area, so you want to see it continue,” she said.

Stander has seen the floral industry evolve.

“We have a little bit of everything; pressed, fresh and artificial flowers, plants. With pandemic gift lines, we still carry different things for sympathy.

Dealing with the pandemic was difficult, with the business forced to shut down for seven weeks. Stander said the shop was closed for Mother’s Day in 20202.

“But we were able to do curbside and make no-contact deliveries.”

She established additional cleaning practices and continued most of those. “It’s good for the flowers; it’s good for us.” Today the supply chain presents another challenge.

“Just getting the product. There’s been so many companies that have not survived. Some of the people we buy things from are no longer in existence,” Stander said.

The price of gasoline and fuel surcharges affect the cost of products.

People still love getting flowers.

“There’s studies that say it lightens the mood. Endorphins that make you feel good are in there when you receive a flower,” she said.

“We have a wide variety. People don’t want the same thing. Lots of different colors; this year, some orange worked in with it. The pinks and reds and purples are still the most popular.”

Norton’s Flowers is located at 225 S. Sandusky Ave., Bucyrus. The phone number is 419-562-2816. The website is nortonsflowersbucyrus.com.