This browser does not support the Video element.
Hassell Florist spans generations
Hassell Florist is a fixture in Clearwater and three generations have run in it. FOX 13’s Russell Rhodes reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Hassell Florist is more than a business; it's a Clearwater landmark. The shop has stood on the same corner for 66 years, a testament to its deep roots in the community.
The backstory:
It all started with Merwyn Hassell, a floral design instructor who turned his passion into a business in 1959.
He began in a small shop down the road but quickly outgrew the space and built the current building on the corner of Drew St. and Duncan Ave.
The business has always been a family affair. Vernon, Merwyn's son, grew up in the shop—literally.
He and his family lived there for six months while his father built their home.
READ: Tampa couple brews up viral success with giant coffee cup café
"We were always here," Vernon Hassell recalled. "We rode our bicycles in the parking lot. We ate dinner here. We did everything here."
Dig deeper:
Like his parents, Vernon Hassell started out with a carer in teaching, but the family business came calling in 1991.
His daughter, Autumn, is the third generation.
"I’ve always wanted to work here," she explained. "It’s in your blood when you’re born into it."
She began working full-time at the shop about three years ago but grew up in it.
"I remember my grandpa would always give me little tasks to do. I would help him set up weddings and he would give me money for it," she recalled.
READ: 'Broader than Broadway' uses theater, music to help students build confidence
After 66 years, not only does the business expand generations, but the customers do too.
"We always have customers that come in and they’re like, ‘You did my parents wedding 65 years ago,' Autumn Hassell said. "And then, now, we’re getting into you – you did my wedding, you did my daughter’s wedding and now we’re doing like the grandchild’s baby shower or first birthday."
Vernon Hassel says the business blueprint that keeps people coming back has never changed.
"The key to success is service," Vernon Hassell shared. "It’s always been service and also the quality of the product that you’re putting out."
What's next:
Autumn Hassell joked that they were training her infant daughter now to run the business someday.
"Hopefully, she’ll want to take it over," she said.
"It’s always been something that I’ve wanted to continue because my dad started it and for me, I just need to step back a little bit and just let her keep taking the reins and that’s how my father treated me and that’s how I’m trying to treat the situation as we go from generation to generation," Vernon Hassell said.
Click here to learn more about Cleveland Hassell Florist.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Corey Beckman.