For many, December 31st symbolizes a closure to a year. With the ball dropping at midnight, crowds gather together to bid farewell to the old, and usher in the new. With mixed feelings this year’s end, Jo Mitchelle, LMT, says good-bye to her plant and flower shop, located in front of the Library Thrift Store on Morris street. The gate is locked with a pink sign reading “Flower Shop will not re-open in 2019”.

The flower shop’s inception began roughly five years ago, after Mitchelle broke her arm in a scooter accident. Mitchelle ran Jo’s Healing Hands, her massage therapy practice in town. Not being able to work for a few weeks after her accident sobered her to ask, “What would I do if I can’t massage?” She considered what her other talents might be, settling on gardening and landscape.

Building on her previous experience selling flowers, she knew she needed a small, centralized location for her new venture. Soon after she opened her small gardening business, La Fountain’s Plants and Flowers. It is on property owned by the library. They agreed to rent to her. She reflects, “they have been great to rent from.”

With the close of the year Mitchelle is selling everything, including her iconic flower trailer. She is closing because, “I just can’t compete with the larger, one-stop-shopping stores.” She focused on the needs of local shoppers instead of targeting seasonal shopping trends. She strove to keep prices reasonable and affordable. That proved to not be sustainable.

Mitchelle has made the valley her home for 40 years. She has no new plans but is open to whatever may come her way. She continues to offer massage and will maintain her nursery license to keep her fingers in the dirt. She is available for landscaping work around town.