
Pink, orange, yellow, purple and red Zinnias are drawing people from all over the Kansas City area to support a new flower stand.
Lindsey Bouse waited four years to make her dream of having a self-service flower stand come true. This year she decided to just jump in and use trial and error to teach her children skills she didn’t learn as a kid, she said.
She set out her first round of bouquets a couple of weeks ago and since then she’s been restocking the shelf about four times a week with freshly cut flowers. There are $5 and $7 bouquets that come in a vase, as well. The stand is at 1438 Main St.
She moved to Eudora two years ago, so the flowers have also been a way to get to know people in the community.
“It’s helped us meet a lot of people in the community. I think that’s probably my favorite part, is the connection of meeting all the people in town, because it’s kind of hard when you’re a stay-at-home mom,” she said.
She first got the idea when she was living in De Soto and saw someone with a more elaborate flower stand, she said.
Bouse’s journey started because she wanted to teach her five kids how to garden. They started with vegetables, but then bought 500 Zinnia seeds. They just started planting seeds wherever there was free space on their property, she said. They also have sunflowers and other wildflowers.
Bouse tries to make her bouquets whimsical but ultimately is just learning as she goes, she said. She’s been collecting cabinets full of vases and bottles for the day when it would be possible. When they finally bought a property of their own in Eudora, it all became a reality, she said. Sustainability is important to her, so the whole project is focused on that, she said.
People have told her they’ve traveled from Prairie Village, Overland Park, Tonganoxie, Lawrence and De Soto, she said. She estimates they’ve had around 35 to 40 people coming each week. She started posting about the stand in community Facebook groups and the response has been great, she said.
Bouse is interested in doing bigger arrangements in the future when they have more varieties. Next year she’s already planning on adding more flowers like snap dragons, she said. The plan is to keep expanding the garden each season, she said.
She is also planning to add some other homemade plant accessories to the stand, and maybe some canned items, she said.
It taught the kids responsibility as well as skills they can hopefully use forever, she said. They also help cut the flowers before putting them together in vases
“It taught me how to water. It taught me how to plant,” 7-year-old Emery said.
The kids get to see how the flowers positively impact the community, Bouse said.
“It makes people happy and that’s why I like it,” Emery said.
Her 5-year-old Lilly has also been involved with planting the seeds, putting vases together and taking them to neighbors. It’s been fun, Lilly agreed.
The stand is about bringing flowers to everyone in town so she wants the prices to remain affordable for everybody, Bouse said.
“If a child walks by and they’ve got some extra change, me and my daughter will cut some flowers and hand them out,” Bouse said.
Susy Muessig has been cleaning homes in Eudora for seven years.
With Bouse’s new side hustle, Muessig has been bringing more love and joy to her clients, while also supporting another small business. After cleaning homes, she’s been taking a vase to her clients, she said.
The flower stand is a great business to bring to a town like Eudora while bringing more love to the families she serves, she said.
Bouse restocks the stand Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and accepts cash and Venmo. Her Facebook page for updates can be found here.