Women in Business

Cheryl Gantt, “Bo” to her family, handles duties in the florist shop. Van’Go’photo One of the most well-known and popular businesses in this area is BoBo's Nursery and Florist, owned and operated by the mother/daughters/sisters team of Anna Williams and her daughters, Ginger Vybiral and Cheryl Gantt.

Anna and her first husband, Ray Melasky, moved here in the fall of '61 and quickly put down roots, planting a 35- acre garden. Ray had a barber shop, and the family opened a fruit and vegetable stand at the present site of the nursery on Highway 79 between Buffalo and Jewett, selling their extra produce. Anna ran the stand, with their children, Cheryl, Ginger and Joey, helping before and after school. They could not grow enough to keep up with the demand and Ray began to go to the market in Houston for oranges, grapefruit, and cases of bananas. In '73 they put up a green house and began to sell flowers at the stand as well -- petunias and marigolds and hanging baskets. Customers began asking for rose bushes, then fruit trees and shrubs, which were initially purchased from Tyler area wholesalers. Eventually the family decided to expand their operation and grow the plants out themselves.

Ginger now uses a planting machine to establish 36 seedlings at a time. Van’Go’photo Ray Melasky passed away in 1981, and Anna and her daughters have had the business on their own since then. Their last big addition was in 2008, and today there are 13 growing out greenhouses behind the retail store. As BoBo's has grown, these three ladies' skills and expertise have grown with it, and they still do most of the work themselves. They hire some seasonal help, and Anna's second husband Jerry now helps with some delivery and picking up supplies. Kids/grandkids have joined the BoBo's staff on occasion over the years.

Anna Williams obviously enjoys flowers -- and loves working with her daughters in the family business. Van’Go’photo Ginger is in charge of the greenhouse operation. She does all the ordering and planting. Starting with tiny plugs and using a planting machine to plant flats of 36 at a time, she fills the greenhouses. Anna helps whereever she is needed and admits "there's more than enough" to do: planting, watering, fertilizing, watching for bugs, and rearranging plants and flats as they grow from seedlings to retail-ready plants. The perature in the greenhouses must be carefully controlled. The air can reach 100+ degrees on a sunny day, and windows must be opened and fans employed to draw cooler air through. Conversely, during severe winter weather the heaters must be checked throughout the night, since a loss of power could result in the loss of the entire inventory. Backup generators stand ready for that emergency. Spring is busy, of course, but in the fall "the poinsettias come in and you really have to baby them." There is never a slack time. Ginger pointed out, too, that caring for living plants is a seven-day-a-week job. "It's not for everybody... It's demanding and takes a commitment."

Cheryl is over the florist shop. As a school girl, she worked for Sandra Mullenax at Buffalo Flower Shop and learned to make arrangements. Nowdays, when they need extra help, Sandra comes in to assist and Anna also loves to help out. Seasonally, the florist shop can be very busy with Valentines, Mother's Day or prom coursages. Cheryl prepares arrangements for weddings too, and, unfortunately, there are always funerals. Since they have been in business in one location for five decades, Anna, Ginger and Cheryl have served several generations of customers, and feel they know 90% of the people in the area. Anna explained, "There've been a lot of tragedies in Leon County. We either know them or their mother, grandparents or kids. As Cheryl says, what we do is not just a job -- it's a real ministry for the Lord, and we don't take it lightly." Pausing, she added, "We grieve with our customers, whether they know it or not."

Most of the time, though, BoBo's is a happy place where folks come year after year to add beauty to their homes. Regular customers know that, in addition to carrying a wide assortment of healthy plants, these ladies have the answers to almost any question on plants for this area. After so many years in the business, they have knowledge gained both from books and personal experience. In years past Anna spoke at garden clubs and schools, lecturing on landscaping, planting hanging baskets, etc. More recently, Ginger has taken over that aspect of the business, and is in demand as a guest lecturer, booking her speaking engagements six months in advance. She works closely with Leon County Extension Agents Tommy and Wendy Neyland, and just last week BoBo's hosted a luncheon seminar/ tour for over seventy Master Gardeners. ("She's big with the Master Gardeners!" Ginger's mother boasts proudly.) Tours for school children are another way the ladies of Bo- Bo's serve the county -- planting the seeds of interest that help ensure that the next generation will enjoy gardening, as well.

Visiting BoBo's, you can't help but get excited about plants. You go in for a few annuals for a pot on the porch, and soon find yourself filling a green wagon as you spot something new and unique, or spy an old favorite. They sell a kalanchoe called the Old Man's Felt Hat which Anna referred to as "our family plant". Anna's mother-inlaw, Verna Melasky, brought her a small plant in 1963 as a gift. Through the years they have propagated, grown and sold many, many plants from that single starter.

Longevity at Bobo's is not limited to plants. Fourfooted residents at the nursery include an 18-year-old cat, Bright Eyes, and a 17-yearold dog, Honey. Ginger's two schnauzers, Pepper and Cleo, and Cheryl's cockateel, Pretty Boy, round out the BoBo's menagerie.

Outside of their business, the ladies of BoBo's are active in their churches. Anna and Jerry are members at Calvary Christian Center, and Ginger's and Cheryl's families attend Miracle Christian Center, where Cheryl is the pianist. They are open and enthusiastic about their faith, and Cheryl jokingly explained, "We get lots of practice praying here -- with plastic roofs!" A freak hail storm on July 19, 2009 totally demolished the roof of every greenhouse, and baseballsized hail covered the floors. New plastic replaced old and the nursery carried on.

Carrying on, indeed, seems to be what these ladies do so well. Cheryl was very ill just last year, and Anna is facing shoulder surgery next week. As soon as physically possible, however, they are back at BoBo's, doing what they love with the people they are closest to. These ladies seem to have genuinely pulled off the tricky task of working daily with family members and managing to stay close. Anna explained, "We get to see each other every day and love it. We do it as teamwork." Ginger chimed in, "It's more than just teamwork -- your work should be your friend," and Cheryl confirmed, "It helps that Ginger and I are best friends." Summing up, Anna concluded, "We love each other, and we enjoy what we do. It's been a blessing to us and we hope to others. We know that people could go anywhere else, so we're pleased and honored that they trade with us."