Scott Hepper is his name and flowers are his game.
Hailing from the Napa Valley area in California, Hepper brings a certain level of style and sophistication to the Webster Groves Straub’s floral department, 211 W. Lockwood Ave.
Working daily with his Amsterdam flower broker, Hepper receives shipments of flowers from all over the world to edge his creativity and distinction from most floral shops.“You won’t find carnations or baby’s breath in this store, ever,” Hepper said. “There are over 10,000 different dynamic flowers that don’t cost any more. For someone to throw carnations or baby’s breath together is basic.”
He compared normal arrangements of carnations and baby’s breath to placing a plastic table cloth on a formal dining room table.
Hepper said the Webster Groves area holds the same level of sophistication and expectation as the area he grew up in near Napa Valley. He says it is a style that he has grown up with and one that cannot be taught.
Along with creativity, Hepper prides himself on providing excellent customer service. He said he treats each customer as an individual and caters to his customers’ specific needs.
“I get paid the same whether you spend $5 or $500,” he said. “It’s all about the person and what they need or want. You set the tone and I play off your requests.”
To the flower market by 6 a.m., to the store by 7 a.m., and lucky to be home by 6 p.m., Hepper’s job is around the clock. Every order is completed and designed by his hands. Those hands are the same hands that pick flowers at the market every morning.
They are the same hands that set up arrangements on site. The same hands that decorate and stock the floral department. It’s almost like a one-man show.
It’s a show that has been recognized numerous times on the Channel 5 Show Me St. Louis program, as well as in the St. Louis Home and Lifestyles magazine. Hepper has designed arrangements for award-winning homes in the Botanical Gardens Home Tour and the Central West End Home Tour.
In the next edition of the worldwide Gourmet Retailer Magazine, Hepper will be featured in an article about some of the “best and brightest” flower shops worldwide.
Now a master floral designer, Hepper began his career with Straub’s starting a floral department in the Central West End store. He was later transferred to the Webster Groves Straub’s with the same task. Now, Hepper may be called on again when the fifth Straub’s store opens in Ellisville, on Clayton and Clarkson roads.
The new store is planned to open during the first week in December, Hepper said.
“There is a need for me to be there and maintain a level of service here,” he said. “Details to follow. No matter where I am, Straub’s customers can always get a hold of me. That will never change.”
While unpacking his most recent shipment of exotic flowers, Hepper recalled the two most memorable arrangements he designed in the Kirkwood and Webster Groves areas.
The first was an Easter arrangement for Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Webster Groves. He emphasized no lilies were used.
“Not a commercial lily in sight,” he said.
The flowers that sat next to the statues of Mary and Joseph were native flowers from Jerusalem.
The second was a wreath he constructed with the help of a customer for the slain officers of the Kirkwood tragedy on Feb. 7 of this year. They placed the wreath in front of the police station and shed a few tears for the people who were murdered and their families.
This type of creativity is what Hepper is known for.
“His creativity is what I love about him,” said Webster Groves resident Kenna Daly. “His work is different than what you would get from a regular florist. He’s always creative and right there on time.”
Hepper began visiting relatives in St. Louis in 1964. More than 40 years later, he resides in his “second home,” bringing beauty and prestige to the flower industry.
