Blooming together: A new chapter for Shirley's Florist
The following is a story by Chris Basinger, news editor of the Trussville Tribune:
TRUSSVILLE, Ala. (Trussville Tribune) — Shirley's Florist and its owner Shirley Carmack are synonymous with Trussville.
Since opening in 1994, the business has helped local families celebrate countless births, weddings, and anniversaries, send comfort to those in pain, and remember loved ones who have passed on.
Now, Shirley's new future is blooming as Cameron Pappas of Norton's Florist carries on her legacy.
Shirley actually started at Norton's in her early twenties, working there for 16 years, before opening her own flower shop with her brother-in-law and business partner Johnny Monteabaro.
When Johnny passed away in 2018, his wife and Shirley's sister Robin stepped up to continue running the shop.
And after 30 years when she decided it was time to finally sell the business and knew exactly who to call.
'We've come full circle,' Shirley said. 'It was just time, and I called [Pappas] and I said 'are you interested in buying my business' and he went 'I might be' and it just went from there.'
Cameron's father Gus purchased Norton's Florist, which has operated for over 100 years in Birmingham, from the Norton family in 2002.
He joined his father in the business in 2015 and ran the business with him until he passed away in 2022.
'I've always had a growth mindset,' Cameron said. 'Our vision is to spread love and joy with beautiful, fresh flowers and gifts and any opportunity that we have to reach more people and spread more joy and make more people smile, I want to take those opportunities.'
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Most of what exists in the store will stay the same–the same great staff, customer service, flowers, and, of course, Jasmine, the beloved shop cat.
Cameron does plan on changing the name to 'Shirley's by Norton's' to reflect the new ownership, but that won't stop locals from remembering its roots.
'I went to get my business license and I went to get the gas and water turned on and at both places people told me 'you got big shoes to fill' and 'I don't care what you call it, it's still gonna be Shirley's to us' and I think it's very honoring to Shirley to know that she's had that impact on this community,' Cameron said.
'I don't live in Trussville but I've owned a business here now for a week and it's amazing to me to see the community and the support behind Shirley, the support behind me as a new owner, I'm very grateful for that.'
Since closing the deal on the business last week, Shirley has had time to reflect on her years running the shop–from making a splash at their first Trussville Christmas Parade to celebrating retirement with her loyal customers–and said what really makes a good business is great customer service and taking care of your employees.
'It's been an interesting run for me, it really has. It's been fun,' Shirley said.
As she passes the torch, she plans to spend more time with her family, travel with her husband Wade, and finally do some fishing at Logan Martin Lake.
'We're excited for Norton's to be here, we're excited to get involved with the community and just spread as much joy and spread as many smiles as we can in Trussville,' Cameron said.
'[My dad] used to tell me, Cameron, we sell flowers, we're a florist, but we're really just a service company that happens to sell flowers. What we really sell is our service, and that's the most important thing when you're running a business is to take care of customers and be there for them.'
He also offered a tip ahead of the ever-busy Valentine's Day–order now!
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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