Business notebook: Floral designer draws inspiration from her Alaska days

Inspiration can strike anywhere. In the case of Dana McDowell, the idea for her new business came to her in Anchorage, Alaska.

McDowell is the owner of Clementine, a new floral- arrangement and delivery service for Cape Girardeau County. She's intent on bringing the floral-design practices she discovered up north to Southeast Missouri.

McDowell, born and raised in Cape Girardeau, lived in Alaska for two years with her husband while he served in the U.S. Army.

While in Anchorage, she discovered a flower shop offering arrangements of garden-grown flowers and foraged plant materials.

"They had flowers I've never seen before in arrangements. There were local dahlia farms that would bring dahlias the size of your head," McDowell said.

A bouquet sit on display at the Clementine pop-up shop at Annie Laurie's Antiques Friday, May 6, 2016 in Cape Girardeau.Glenn Landberg

Taken by the beauty, McDowell began interning in the Anchorage florist's shop, learning the trade and growing ideas she eventually would bring home.

"When I came back to Missouri, I realized I couldn't find flowers like that here," McDowell said. "I wanted to fill that void with my own creations."

McDowell missed the wild and foraged arrangements she grew to love and wanted to find a way to recreate that in Southeast Missouri. Clementine is her effort to do that.

McDowell's long-term goal is a brick-and-mortar store or a funky flower truck, but for now, she is working out of her home and planning for a garden from which she can cut her own flowers.

Until then, her flowers are supplied by Baisch and Skinner in Cape Girardeau.

"I only order seasonally appropriate flowers; however, I make sure I know what's in season so they look like they just came out of the garden," McDowell said.

Her arrangements, she said, feature unconventional and often-overlooked flowers. Her floral greenery is foraged from her mother's garden.

Business has picked up. She said a spot in the Tailgate Flea Market that took place May 1 in downtown Cape Girardeau brought her exposure and connections she otherwise never would have made. On Friday, she opened a pop-up shop in Annie Laurie's Antiques on Broadway, bringing last-minute Mother's Day arrangements to shoppers looking for something special.

Clementine offers evening and weekend delivery service and online ordering at clementineincape.com.

Delta Authority seeks mapping proposals

The Delta Regional Authority is seeking proposals for a mapping and research project that will connect small-business owners with the physical and digital resources, support organizations and tools throughout the Delta region that could help their business.

The Delta Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Mapping project will identify the physical and digital resources that are available throughout the Delta region.

"What we're hearing from small businesses and entrepreneurs across our region is they need help in connecting with the resources and organizations that can set them up to build out their business, access consumer markets and capital and plan for economic changes," Chris Masingill, federal co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, said in a news release.

The authority is seeking a research partner to develop the mapping project. A request for proposals has been released, and proposals will be accepted from research institutions and organizations throughout the Delta region until June 3.

Block grant awarded to repair flood damage

The Missouri Department of Economic Development has a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) of $955,000 to assist the city of Cape Girardeau in repairing damage from flooding that occurred in 2011.

This project will assist in the acquisition and demolition of 20 residential properties affected and also includes funding for a hydraulic study of Pike Creek.

The CDBG program provides grants and loans for public works and economic development projects to cities with a population under 50,000 and counties under 200,000.

Mondi workers mark anniversaries

Mondi Jackson LLC recently recognized the following employee anniversaries:

• 25 years: Ronald Palisch, Brenda West and Shawn Vogt.
• 10 years: Barbara Lewis
• 5 years: Jay Oliver

Business licenses

• Cabral's Tree Service is a home-based tree-removal service owned by James Cabral. The anticipated opening date was May 5.

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