Believing in Magic: Rose Petal Floral, Café, and Supplies
article by Ashley Kavanagh
My decision to purchase a small floral shop in the heart of Cut Bank felt like an unexpected career choice at the time.
In February of 2019, my husband and I were enjoying a birthday getaway in Helena— the place we met, graduated from Carroll College, and got married— when I turned to him and said: “What if we bought the Rose Petal?”
Some people regard New Year’s Eve as an opportunity to evaluate life, make resolutions, and dream of plans for the next year— I have always done this on my birthday. As we approach a year since I asked that simple but life-changing question, becoming an entrepreneur via a floral shop does not feel random at all.
Ashley Kavanagh
My maternal grandmother has a garden that can only be compared to that of the regal homes we toured while living in New England. My paternal grandfather crafted a garden out of his single-home plot that served as a playground for us and is a legacy that people still refer to almost 20 years since he passed. My mother— a simple, no-frills woman— had a regular order at our local flower shop in Billings that sat on the counter in our kitchen, soaking up the natural sunlight in her hodge-podge collection of vases.
For me, walking into the Rose Petal every morning feels like a culmination of life’s experiences and a rewarding, challenging, up-at-night adventure.
Forging our path as a business in a small town outside of Glacier National Park has been one of my favorite aspects of business ownership. I came up in the marketing world, sitting at tables with business owners and sharing their experience and expertise as they made a name for themselves in the world. It feels like a huge gift to be able to do this for my own business each day.
We’re working on growing into our name: Rose Petal Floral, Café, and Supplies. Currently, we offer floral design services for events and everyday occasions. With Glacier National Park as our backdrop, we work with local growers to make our client’s vision a reality. Our shop is a collection of some of the best makers Montana has to offer, along with tried-and-true national brands that we have purchased (and repurchased) or heard rave reviews from our customers and fell in love with them ourselves. The “growing-into it” comes from the middle part of our name. With a mix of scrawled out journal page drawings and more formal renderings, we hope to amp up the cozy in the shop with espresso and seating for the summer travelers making their way west or our customers who want a place to work or catch up with a friend. Who knows, maybe next time we check in with Montana Woman Magazine it will be with photos of latte art!
