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Springfield’s oldest flower shop abruptly closes. Here’s what we know

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Springfield’s oldest flower shop abruptly closes. Here’s what we know

Springfield’s oldest flower shop has closed after 93 years of serving the Springfield community as a local floral retailer.

Fifth Street Flower Shop at 739 S. 5th St. in downtown Springfield closed on May 17, according to owners Sara and Doug Camp, who announced the closure of the business on Monday.

The couple cited personal and financial reasons for the abrupt closure.

“We thank all our loyal customers for years of support,” Sara Camp said on social media. “Please continue to shop local.”

The shop had to stop taking orders from May 10 to May 12 due to a sheer volume of orders for Mother’s Day. On May 10, Camp said the store’s manager and designer, Nicki Shaub, quit on May 10, adding to staffing issues ahead of the holiday.

Originally Cole’s Flower Shop at 318 S. 5th St., the floral shop moved to its location in 1991 with then-owner Patrick and Robyn O’Connor. The O’Connors sold the shop to the Camps in September of 2013. The Camps have been unable to be active in the store for over a year as Doug has been recovering from a personal health issue since January of 2023.

“I hate to see that legacy end but because of Doug’s health and the finances of the store we’ve been barely making it since COVID,” Camp said. “From an emotional standpoint, I am very ready for this.”

More: Flower frenzy: Business is booming for Springfield florist shop despite rising costs

The State Journal-Register recently reported on the Mother’s Day rush the flower shop was managing with only six hands to turn calls and orders into countless bouquets.

The shop was one of many in the florist industry impacted during COVID-19, and the staff reduced down to Shaub, Designer Kim Monroe and deliverer Nicolai Camp, the son of the owners. The remaining two employees were notified about the closing of the location on May 13 and Monroe is currently looking for a position.

Camp said remaining inventory and items will first be liquidated out to other local flower shops like True Colors at 3 W. Old State Capitol Plaza, before remaining items could be potentially sold.

Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for the State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@gannett.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted

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