Roswell Florists Recalls Childhood in Ukraine, Passion for Flowers

The following article was written by Leo Semenov, the founder of The Evangelistic Association of Russia (TEAR). TEAR is a ministry which supports and connects Christians in Russia and the U.S. A longtime friend of local florist, Irina Aleksandruk, he shares the story of her life, as it was first told to him.

Driving down the narrow streets of historic Roswell, an astounding flower arrangement sitting on the edge of a sidewalk caught my attention.

There were three huge bowls lined up in a row. Out of curiosity and
without thinking, I pushed on the brakes and stopped my truck. Then I spotted the sign “”. Intrigued by the beautiful floral arrangement that was so enticing, I stepped inside the store. A slender, sharp looking lady greeted me with a nice friendly smile. 

“How may I help you?” she asked with an accent.

My first reaction was the response of a question, "Where are you
from?”

"Ukraine, the former Soviet Republic," she replied.

"How long have you been living here?"

"17 years."

"What is your name?”

"Irina Aleksandruk."

As I fired these questions to my new acquaintance, my eyes were feasting on all the beautiful flower arrangements. They were like none that I had seen before.

"Would you mind if I would ask you some more questions?"

"Not at all," she replied.

"Well," I began slowly, "I am always interested in how people live in different countries. What was your life like when you were growing up?"

Quietly deliberating and taking a deep breath, she shared her story with me.

"There were six of us in my family. We were very poor and often on the verge of starving. Both of my parents were working full time, but the government didn’t pay them enough to provide for all of us. Because of our poverty, our parents decided to grow flowers and sell them at the flea market, so that we could
have enough food on our table.”

"So, you have learned from them how to sell flowers?" I asked.

“I wish.” she said.

“One time they brought me to a flea market with a whole bunch of roses and left
me there to sell them. I am still embarrassed when I remember what I did
with the flowers that day. One by one I gave them away to every person who stopped by. By the end of the day I had zero rubles in my pocket. I never
learned how to sell flowers, but I learned real well how to love them.”

"Who taught you that?" I interrupted.

"Oh, that’s a whole different story," she smilingly responded, "It was
my grandma.”

“She lost her husband inWorldWar II. As a means of supporting herself, she made flowers out of paper and sold them. When I was eight years old she would have me sit in a high old chair behind a table. She would take a piece of paper and start talking to it. Holding it in her hands, she would imagine that the paper was a flower that would make a person feel good, bringing a feeling of joy and happiness when they looked at it. Slowly, the paper in her hands would become a beautiful flower. There were no flower supplies in those days. We would take branches from the bushes, glue pedals on them, and make roses. Later, my grandma taught me how to make roses out of beets and other vegetables. Flowers to my grandma were like people that could make her cry or
smile. She taught me a secret: certain combinations of flowers
and their colors could carry joy or grief if arranged differently. Her
secret is what I use today when I arrange flowers for
weddings, funerals and many other occasions."

"Well, I am so impressed, but, if you will allow, this is my
last question," I said. "Could you have such a flower store in
the Ukraine at that time?"

"Absolutely not," she replied sadly. "It was prohibited to have any enterprise for people in a former USSR. If you began such an industry like this, you would be put in jail right away.

"I am so thankful", she added, "that America gives people such an opportunity! Only here, as you can see, my dream is becoming a true reality."

Stop by the Hamilton Flowers during each new season to see the fresh arrangements. They are located at 969 Canton Street, Roswell. To place an order or for more information, call them at 770-641-7877.