New owner of Sweeney’s Floral Shop to bloom, expand business

By Christopher Miller

LOCK HAVEN, PA – Spring is a time for new life and fresh ideas, and one local business in downtown Lock Haven has a new owner pulling at the reins.

“I am thrilled to be part of the Lock Haven business life,” said new owner Emily Singh of Lock Haven. “I am from Jersey Shore originally, and I have so many friends here, it’s just lovely and nice to be part of the business community here where I can make my own mark.”

You could say that being an entrepreneur runs in her blood.

“My dad owns Big Mountain Disposal and my father-in-law owns Lucky 7 Travel Plaza, so it just makes sense that I would become a business owner some day,” Emily said.

She wasn’t always a business owner. A nurse for eight years, Emily was working in home health and really enjoyed it, and then the COVID-19 pandemic happened.

“My husband, now deceased, opened Lucky 7 Travel Plaza and at the time learning the business world was a nice break for me…in a way, nursing is some kind of a business as it is people oriented, and I shine in that world,” she said.

Emily went back to nursing when she lost her husband, but with a toddler, she felt that she was spreading herself too thin.

“I was helping out at Lucky 7 when he passed, and the business really came natural to me, it’s about people and relationships, and community and Lucky 7 is really a hub for all of that working with people from all walks of life,” she said.

It wasn’t until recently that her father-in-law was looking to expand his business and he was looking at purchasing a building in town for office space.

“When he was looking at the location and realized that an already established business came with the purchase, he asked me if I wanted to run a flower business and I said sure, I’d love to,” Emily said ecstatically.

“I love the flower shop, plants in general, I refer to myself as the “Miss Honey” type,” from the book and movie Matilda. “The previous owners were looking to retire and were very helpful in the transition to get me acclimated, Karen helped me out at first and thankfully floral designer and artist Lisa Geyer, who had been here for over 35 years, decided to stay on.”

With the business purchase, Emily looks to bring modern, fresh ideas and creativity to the business.

“I am going to start small with maybe a grand reopening planned for July, and I am meeting with a builder to help with my ideas of redoing the floors, restoring the old pressed tin ceiling tiles, and eventually expanding and adding a gift area to focus on some handmade, artisan items from local makers,” she explained. “Fresh flowers are a luxury, but you also want to feel like this is a luxurious spot, they are well-made, so fresh, and last for so much longer than what can be found off of a store shelf.”

For those who don’t know much about floral design, Emily also offers to bring customers into the back rooms to see the flowers available, and to pick and choose what they would like in their bouquet.

“The possibilities are endless when you combine flowers with gifts and specialty items, and I have some great things planned with some wholesalers I am just getting to know,” Emily said.

After only nine days, Emily has received an overwhelming response from the community.

“People are calling me at the store so happy and they are glad to see Lisa is staying on with me here; the transition has been wonderful so far,” she said.

Floral designer Lisa has worked at Sweeney’s for the past 35 years.

“I knew I wanted to do this since I was in high school here,” Lisa said. “Flowers bring joy and happiness, and this is what I love about my job, and knowing and helping my customers.”

Other things are in the works for Sweeney’s, but according to Emily, they are top secret classified information.

“I want to add another business here…if you look at the footprint of the lot, it is basically 50% parking lot and unused space, but I cannot tell you what I have in mind for it just yet,” Emily said.

In the flower world there are so many varieties to choose from and so much to learn about the breeds and hybrids. The “art behind the bouquet,” Emily says, is learning what can be done with the flowers to add dimension and feeling behind the masterpieces.

“Some people request a specific flower because it was their mother’s favorite, or it was in their wife’s wedding bouquet, but at the end of the day it is the individual flower experiencing the people.”