Whitesboro’s Flowers By Faith under new ownership

As a Whitesboro High School student in the 1990’s, Shannon Scoggins’ first job was working at Texoma Florist on West Main Street in Whitesboro. It’s only fitting that decades later, her floral career has come full-circle as she and her husband Neil have become the new owners of Flowers By Faith in downtown Whitesboro.

With a Bachelor’s degree in horticultural science with an emphasis in floral and landscape design, it’s no surprise that in 2002, Shannon convinced Neil to purchase a flower shop in Sherman. They ran the business for eight years before selling it to a new owner (the shop is still there today, now under a different name). She also worked for a broker for fresh flowers before being called to the field of education. (In her mind, the leap from horticulture and florals to science teacher really wasn’t that big of a jump.)

That was 13 years ago, and Shannon has been in the field of education ever since. This year marks her sixth year in Whitesboro, where she is the middle school principal.

Throughout her time in education, her love for flowers never waned. Over the years, Flowers By Faith has come up for sale multiple times. According to Shannon and Neil, the timing was just never right. But that didn’t keep the couple from discussing and dreaming about the possibility of one day owning the business. 

So in May, when the phone call came from Michael and Rhonda Ross (the shop’s previous owners), asking if Shannon and Neil would be interested in purchasing the business, it wasn’t completely out of the blue.

“Now, somehow, the timing was right,” Neil said. “And we realized this opportunity may not come around again.”

There are several aspects of the transfer in ownership that have made this venture possible. The first is the Rosses, who Shannon and Neil say have been extremely helpful in making this a seamless transition.

“They’re the sweetest people, and they built a great business that was worth buying,” Shannon said. “They’ve been so helpful in making this a smooth transition, and we’re extremely grateful.”

The second is that Flowers By Faith already has an amazing team who keeps the business running like clockwork.

“We’ve got a great staff who see our vision and are willing to help us bring it to life,” Shannon said.

And that’s what will help make the flower shop continue to run smoothly when the school year begins and Shannon resumes her weekday role as the middle school principal. 

“That’s the beauty of buying the business right now,” Shannon said. “We live in a web-based, app-based, cloud-based world that allows us to do some of the work remotely.”

Outside of school hours, Shannon is dedicated to working at the shop. Her goal is to create a destination shopping experience where customers who call in or walk in will find a variety of gifts and vintage housewares from local artisans.

“We love our town and are dedicated to making downtown Whitesboro a destination,” Shannon said.

Owning a business will take a lot of work, but Shannon and Neil are no strangers to undertaking a big project. In 2022, they bought the old McJunkins house (as in, McJunkins Pharmacy) on the corner of East Main and Virginia Streets. Built in 1903, the home needed some serious renovations.

“Growing up, I always loved that house,” Shannon said. “And now, I’m so happy I get to live there.”

Purchasing the house was the first step in integrating themselves into the downtown community. Just three years later, the couple now owns a home and a business in town.

“We’re excited to be part of the downtown community,” Shannon said, “We live downtown, we own a business downtown; we’re dedicated to growing and supporting the Whitesboro community.” 

Taking over the business has been a bit of a whirlwind. Shannon and Neil closed on the purchase on Wednesday, July 16. The next day, they were in Atlanta at Market purchasing new products for the shop.

In the past, Flowers By Faith has sold fresh flowers, plants and the wares of local vendors. Under new ownership, the shop will bring in some new items as well as continue to support local artists and provide an outlet for them to sell their products.

“We have the same vendors that were here before we took ownership,” Shannon said. “We’re just rearranging the merchandising of the products.”

Customers will notice a few changes. The business has a new logo and is gaining new signage and fresh paint as well as a new website (coming soon). In addition to the flowers, plants and gifts customers have come to know and love, Flowers By Faith will provide a more immersive floral experience. The shop will have hands-on opportunities for customers to craft their own collections, from a fresh flower bar and DIY flower frame station to an air plant bar.

“Flowers By Faith will be a place where people can find a unique variety of gifts and home décor as well as beautiful, fresh flowers,” Shannon said. “Customers can expect to see a continued emphasis on quality flowers and unique design.”

For Shannon and Neil, Flowers By Faith is a family endeavor. While the couple is handling the business side of things, their daughters are helping with social media content and flower deliveries.

“Everyone is pitching in,” Shannon said. “It’s an exciting time.”

Flowers By Faith is located at 101 E Main Street in downtown Whitesboro. They’re open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. To place an order or for more information, stop in or call 903-564-1819. Shannon, Neil and the Flowers By Faith team look forward to serving you.