For 25 years, Lee Ann Ray and her staff have been creating beautiful memories at Pilot Point Florist.
Tuesday, the community came out to celebrate the impact that extends beyond the shop’s blossoms.
“I’ve gotten to be a big part of the community and be at home,” Ray said. “My nieces got to grow up in the shop with me, which is wonderful.”
For Ray, it’s a point of pride that she could come back home to own and run a Pilot Point institution as a fourthgeneration Pilot Point resident.
While she was a teenager and when she was out of school during college, Ray worked at the florist.
She took over the shop from her mentor, Eva Nichols.
“[She] called and said, ‘Hey, I’m ready to sell the shop, but I’m only going to sell it to you,’” Ray said. “I went home and I talked to my mom, and she was like, ‘You do whatever you want to do.’ I thought about it for 24 hours and thought it’s a chance to come back home. The rest is history, and I’ve not regretted it at all.”
When she bought the shop, Jana Matthews was part of the package.
“I’m the original,” Matthews said, adding, “I came with the shop.”
Ray credited her longtime friend and staff member as having “pulled [her] through a lot.”
“She knew everybody that was here and how it all ran,” she said. “She actually ran it for two weeks while I finished up my job in Denton so that I could come on full time, so she was the lifeline.”
The two, along with Ray’s other dedicated staff members, such as Bryan Bellah, have heard stories they can’t repeat and helped people celebrate life’s milestones.
“I absolutely have the best team,” Ray said.
Matthews spoke of how much Ray cares as a boss.
“She gets it done,” she said. “She’s got a really good work ethic, and she’s a really good person.”
Patsy Brown, who used to own the shop with her husband, Bob Brown, came to celebrate Ray, and she said she was proud of the way she keeps Pilot Point Florist going and growing.
“It’s been wonderful, and I’m so glad she’s got it still here,” she said.
Being a florist is a bit different than it seems from the outside.
“Everybody thinks all that we do is play with flowers all day long, and there’s a lot more to it,” Ray said.
Eric Francois credited Pilot Point Florist with getting him out of trouble with his wife, Texas Tammy Francois, by helping him give her the perfect bouquet for an almost forgotten birthday.
The people who frequent the shop become more than just customers, Ray said.
“[Our customers] have all become like family to me, and it’s just been wonderful,” she said.
And the people who turned out to celebrate with Ray and her staff Tuesday agreed.
“When you’re supporting Lee Ann, it’s like you’re supporting family, because she’s just part of the fabric of Pilot Point,” Angie Price said, adding that Ray did the flowers for her wedding.
Lifelong Pilot Point resident Greg Pelzel spoke of Ray’s heart for the community, which can be seen in the way she has served as part of the Pilot Point Educational Foundation, the Pilot Point Cemetery board and the Pilot Point Chamber of Commerce.
“She’s been here for this community, rain or shine,” he said. “She does a great job. … Genuinely, Lee Ann cares about the community of Pilot Point. She was raised here and she cares. She’s generational and her family is generational Pilot Point.”
