Sudbury-When Karen Alberti and Steven English ran the side business of a flower shop in their Framingham home, they learned to improvise.

They hid flowers and other plants in a spare bedroom and opened all the windows to keep them cool. When preparing for a wedding or private party, the petals are spread on the floor, and their cats often wander around the flower pots.

"Every weekend there will be billions of flowers in the house. Then we will send them all out to restore the house to normal," English said.

Now the couple has "taken out the flowers from the kitchen". Their new store, Persephone Flowers, opened in Sudbury Town Square at 29 Hudson Road about a month ago.

English said that the decision to open a store in an empty store was made during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he called it "a risk, but a beautiful risk."

Alberti, who has worked in this industry for about 25 years, said that they have seen empty storefronts that have been vacant for many years, and they think their business style fits this small town.

"I think these plants deserve it in some ways," she said. "They are worth showing off. If you are a cute little potted plant, you don't want to sit on a shelf in a warehouse. You want to sit on a beautiful cabinet and be lit."

Every flower arrangement that goes out is handmade by Alberti. She said that she does not use templates for design.

Can't find the perfect gift in a store or online? You can give gifts of experience

Alberti said that our goal is to prepare the plants for use when they are purchased in the store, so customers don't have to be "gardening experts."

The couple visit the Chelsea Flower Market about three times a week to buy products for the store. If they buy something that they can’t adapt well, they will have a small nursery at home for “plants that need some help after class”.

English says they can also provide customers with education on how to take care of plants "on the spot", which sets them apart from buying in supermarkets or online.

Now, this shop has milky white gerbera for sale. 

"We try to get something unique and (have) some characteristics. When you walk into Amazon, we have seen every flower. We are here to try to provide different options-there are too many choices, too many textures. Why? No? Provide it?" Alberti said.

The name of this shop comes from the story of the Greek harvest goddess Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter.

She was kidnapped by Hades, Hades, and Hades fell in love with her after seeing her picking flowers. In the compromise of the gods, Hades decided to let Persephone return to Earth with her mother for part of the year, and then she would be forced to return to the underworld for the rest of the year.

The return of Persephone symbolizes spring and harvest, while her arrival symbolizes winter.

"I just think this is a powerful story about maternal love," Alberti said.

Alberti said the store is also working hard to support New England artists. Customers can see photographs of Connecticut teenager Nolan Serra on the wall or Southborough resident Chelsea Bradway.

Persephone Flowers is open from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5:30 pm, or reservation is required. For more information, please visit https://persephoneflowers.com.

Zane Razzaq writes about education. Contact her at 508-626-3919 or zrazzaq@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.