By Hanna Allen
Photos by Lacey Barnwell
Jean’s Flowers, known for its fresh arrangements and longstanding ties to local families, opened its doors in Moody in 1967. However, the shop’s newest chapter began with an unlikely florist, Kristy Thompson, who never planned to own a flower shop, let alone run the oldest one in town.
In the early 2000s, Thompson took time out of the workforce to raise her kids. With her youngest child entering kindergarten in 2011, she began searching for something simple and flexible.
Jean’s Flowers needed a delivery driver.
“I was a stay-at-home mom, and when my youngest one got into kindergarten, I didn’t have anything,” she said. “They needed a delivery driver, so I just started working part-time, and then I just slowly started learning.”
Though Thompson had no floral background, she quickly picked up design skills on the job.
“I mean it was just for me, working here, learning as I go,” she said. “I did go to college for a couple of years, and then I was an insurance agent and worked for an insurance broker when I first got out of school, so this was way out of my zone.”
What began as a flexible side job turned into something more permanent.
“I just thought I was getting a little part-time job, making a little money delivering,” Thompson said. “I never dreamed that I would get to this point.”
In the early 2020s, as the shop’s longtime owners, Carl and Carol Howard, began stepping away, Thompson started to take on more responsibility. Then came the moment of transition in 2021.
“We’re the oldest business in Moody,” Thompson said. “Jean’s Flowers started in 1967. Carl and Carol Howard were the previous owners. Carl’s mom started it in 1967, and then in 1976, they bought it from her and ran it until I bought it in 2021.”
Taking on the business was a leap of faith—and not without its difficulties. Thompson describes the job as ever-changing.
“Every day’s a challenge,” she said. “There are just so many facets. With this type of business, nothing’s really off the shelf. Everything is so customized and unique. It’s really about being able to change every day to do what the customer needs you to do.”
Jean’s Flowers handles arrangements for all kinds of life moments—from birthday bouquets and anniversary gifts to funeral sprays and casket flowers.
“We do a lot of birthdays, anniversaries and happy occasions, but we also do a lot of funerals and sad occasions: casket sprays that go in the caskets, sprays on the stand and sympathy work” Thompson said.
Behind the scenes, Thompson works with a small, tight-knit team that includes full-time designer Emma White, delivery driver Carol Chambers and part-time designer Edie Hobgood.
“Carol, the previous owner, taught Emma and me both,” Thompson said. “Emma’s been with me since I started in 2021.”
Jean’s Flowers takes pride in the fact that the shop’s creative style has remained consistent through the generations.
“We still do things the same way Jean’s Flowers has always done. Nothing’s really changed,” she said.
Though the shop has a general style, which Thompson said leans more structured, they adapt every order to the customer’s needs.
That adaptability and their creativity relies on consistent access to fresh flowers.
“We have a flower truck that comes three times a week, so we get fresh flowers constantly,” she said. “And then when the flower truck doesn’t, we go get what we need. That’s how we stand out. Our flowers are fresh, and they last a long time because we turn them over so rapidly.”
Fall is one of Thompson’s favorite seasons to work in. She said it is less about switching flower types and more about the color shift.
“I like to work with sunflowers,” she said. “Solidago (commonly called goldenrods) is a good, filler flower. In the fall, it’s more of a color thing. It’s just the reds and the oranges and the yellows. A lot of our flowers that we get are year-round; it’s just that they change the color scheme. Rover is a good fall flower, and mums are huge in the fall.”
One of the shop’s most meaningful recent projects was a wedding that had to be quickly reorganized when the groom received unexpected news he would be deployed before the original wedding date.
“It was supposed to be in September, and it was supposed to be a huge wedding,” Thompson said. “But the groom got called out—he’s in the service—and so we did a wedding on July 5.”
Jean’s Flowers is more than a business to Thompson; it’s part of the community. She supports schools and churches throughout Moody and nearby towns.
“We try to put back into the schools and the people who support us. I always try to give back to them, whether they borrowed plants or needed to decorate their stage,” Thompson said.
The shop serves a wide area, delivering across Trussville, Pell City, Springville, Leeds and parts of Birmingham, but Thompson said many are unaware of that.
“A lot of people still don’t know that we deliver flowers and that we go to Birmingham and all these other areas,” she said.
Keeping the shop alive means more to Thompson than just making ends meet. It’s about preserving something that matters to her town.
“It means a lot we’re still here,” she said. “To keep another local small business going…it means a lot to us.”
Even through a couple changes in ownership, Thompson and her team are doing just that. More than half a century since opening its doors, Jean’s Flowers remains filled with flowers for all occasions whenever needed.
Jean’s Flowers is located at 2606 Moody Pkwy in Moody and is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. To place an order, visit jeansflowersonline.com, or call 205-640-5451.
Kristy’s Seasonal Picks
September
Color Palette: reds, oranges and yellows
Go-To Flowers: sunflowers, Alstroemeria and Solidago
Styling Tip: Add colorful leaves to give it a more seasonal appearance.
October
Color Palette: deep oranges, purples and moody hues
Go-To Flowers: Fuji mums, Gerbera daisies and statice
Styling Tip: Add texture with seasonal fillers, and place arrangements in small pumpkins, baskets or ceramic containers for festive flair.
November
Color Palette: rust, burgundy and bronze
Go-To Flowers: Rover mums and roses
Styling Tip: Use foliage and berries for extra autumnal depth.
