Adrienes Flowers Petaling It Forward

By: Betsy Reason

Flowers make people happy and their day brighter.

So if someone happens to give you flowers today, smile and say “thank you.”

And if you receive two bouquets of flowers, pass one on to someone else to make their day brighter.

That’s the advice of Adrienes Flowers & Gifts co-owners Stephen and Moffett Craig of Noblesville.

Adrienes Flowers & Gifts is joining floral industry businesses nationwide to surprise passersby in downtown Noblesville with two free flower bouquets, one to keep and “enjoy yourself” and one to give away.

Why the generosity? Today is Petal It Forward Day, a random-act-of-kindness effort organized by the Society of American Florists, of which Adrienes is a member. The effort was planned for a Wednesday to help the mid-week slump.

Adrienes wanted to be a part of the mood-boosting effort and make a difference in the community.

Stephen Craig said Adrienes would be giving out 110 flower bouquets to 55 people late morning today on the east side of the Hamilton County Courthouse Square along Ninth Street. They have green buttons, Alstroemeria, purple daisies, billy balls and other beautiful flowers in the bouquets.

While it’s the first time Adrienes has participated in the “Petal It Forward” national effort to help people start their day with a smile, Adrienes had its own “Porch It Forward Day,” during the pandemic, offering folks who stopped by the shop’s front porch one day on Conner Street a free bouquet to leave on a friend’s porch.

What’s so wonderful about a flower bouquet?

“It changes the mood for people,” Stephen Craig said.

The Craigs said the original idea behind Petal It Forward’s “keep one, share one” flower giveaway concept, which started in 2015, came after looking at statistics that showed while 80 percent of people reported receiving flowers makes them happy, even more — 88 percent — said that giving flowers makes them happy. “We want to give people the chance to experience both,” Craig said.

Each year when the Noblesville Lions Club members and Noblesville High School Noble Roadies volunteer to deliver flowers for Mother’s Day, for Adrienes, Craig said the reactions from people receiving the flowers is “uplifting.”

He said, “The mood is much better when people receive flowers.”

The shop is blessed, Craig said, to have great flower wholesalers, “the team we have working here,” “the people around us” and a supportive community.

In September, Adrienes Flowers & Gifts celebrated its 44th anniversary.

And Stephen and Moffett Craig, both 76 (she’s six months older), celebrated their 34th anniversary of working together and owning the business.

Jessie Robinson and husband, World War II U.S. Navy veteran Stanley Robinson, and son, Doug Robinson, started the family business in 1979 believing there was a special need for a floral business to serve the community, according to a family story as shared by their son, Cameron Craig, on the 40th anniversary of the shop in 2019.

Adrienes was created for the purpose of being the first florist listed in the Yellow Pages. There is no “Adriene” but a smart move from business savvy that continues today.

Adrienes originally opened south of Conner Street on Eighth Street near the railroad tracks, with limited parking and a bar next door. Jessie Robinson greeted customers as did part-time employees Moffett, who was Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, and Stephen Craig, son-in-law. Both are 1965 Noblesville High School graduates.

Within a few years, the floral shop moved to 1249 Conner St., in an 1893 two-story house across the alley from the Craig House and next door to the First Presbyterian Church. The Craigs bought the business from Moffett’s mother, father and brother in 1989.

Stephen, a former farmer, and Moffett, a professor of communication at IUPUI, became floral designers through classwork and attended conferences to master the art of floral arranging. They became active members of the Indiana Floral Association, FTD, Teleflora and other nationally known floral organizations and became experts in the industry. Both of the couple’s sons, Aaron and Cameron, worked as drivers and in customer service. Later, Cameron went on to become a designer. Their grandson, Jonathan Baker, who they raised, graduated from Noblesville High School in 2022, attends Purdue University and still helps in the shop.

Adrienes continues to be involved in the community in every way possible.

Moffett and Stephen Craig once said, “Bring what you can to show others love and joy in a community that is brighter than the most radiant flower.”

-Betsy Reason writes about people, places and things in Hamilton County. Contact The Times Editor Betsy Reason at [email protected].