Rooted in humble farm beginnings, the magic and allure of Roxanne’s Dried Flowers spans the decades, ever dedicated to the natural world. Once a mere dream on a farm and now a beloved Pittsburgh mainstay, we reflect on the years past as we approach our 28th.
It was summer of ’91 when young twenty somethings Roxanne and husband Eric were eager to live off the land, purchasing two farming acres in countryside Washington, Pennsylvania. During harvest season, a piqued interest in sustainable farming lead Roxanne to an organic farm not far from her own. It was there that she found Holy Basil being grown, gathered, and dried for more than just culinary use, but for artfully hand crafted wreaths.
As she watched on, stems of basil were twisted and bound into fragrant, shapely rings for long standing use in the home. Her love of the outside world turned into mementos for the indoors- she could bring the outside in. This chance encounter with the Holy Basil wreaths filled Roxanne with boundless inspiration. She was ready to venture forward into the artistry of the dried flower world.
Roxanne got busy on the farm; planting, growing, harvesting, and drying a thoughtfully curated selection of flowers, knowing not all are so easily dried after extensive research. With a bounty of flora and the innate artists touch, Roxanne started designing and crafting timeless arrangements grounded in old world charm.
Her inspired floral arts were a splendid success at the local country markets and fairs, making way for a brick and mortar to house her ever growing business. Once the Washington store was established in 1994, she was able to fill the shop with more than her beloved dried flowers. Complimentary pottery made by husband Eric and antiques found and picked along the way lent themselves to highlighting the naturalist lifestyle she so steadily pursued and wished to inspire.
In a few years time Roxanne’s Dried Flowers had outgrown the modest, initial shop in quiet Washington, PA. Knowing she had to move her blooming business to a new home, Roxanne sought out Pittsburgh’s bustling Strip District. She was drawn to the city neighborhood for its market-like qualities and abundance of small businesses. A new and bigger location meant even more of what Roxanne so loved, more dried flowers, more natural curiosities, more old world ephemera.
As Roxanne’s Dried Flowers flourished in the Strip District, there was something missing from the shop. Roxanne’s deep love of plants, the true roots of the business, needed room to grow. So after her first six years in the Strip District she moved just across the street to 2115 Penn Avenue, the address we hold to this day. This new storefront offered a whole new world of possibilities, with a parking lot Roxanne so eagerly turned into an urban garden oasis. Housing perennials, herbs, and tropicals during warmer months and fresh holiday trimmings during cold, the backyard garden is always brimming with something in season.
Roxanne then turned her focus to the indoors to expand her selection of dried flower offerings. Since no longer growing her own, she started sourcing flowers from across the country and beyond, cultivating a collection of magnificent florals for inspired handcrafted arrangements and individual bundles for customers to create their own. The selection of dried flowers grew with the business, now brimming with familiar favorites and unique exotics always selected by Roxanne herself.
As the business continued to grow, Roxanne remained in the Strip District but ventured into the world of online sales. A website was built and connections expanded. With a way to reach a broader audience and ship dried flowers, home goods, and more nation wide, our small community of dried flower enthusiasts grew to something much bigger than Roxanne could’ve ever hoped for.
The shop today sits filled with wonders, handpicked or designed by Roxanne herself. Her inspirations speak loudly, from extensive world travels to a deep love and knowledge of plants to her background and education in art. Through every avenue, be it dried flower arrangements, hard to find plants, or locally handmade pottery, the offerings of Roxanne’s Dried Flowers always circle back to the natural world and how best to bring it home.