Jeanette Ard owns the Colonial Florist in Georgetown. She fought for her business to stay open despite the governor’s order to close. April 9, 2020. (Anjali Patel/WPDE). GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WPDE) — South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster ordered more non-essential businesses to close starting Monday. On that list were florists, but Georgetown florist Jeanette Ard didn’t think she should close the doors to her business, the Colonial Florist. "I immediately thought of families who were losing loved ones who couldn’t have regular funerals but were still having close family funerals. They had needs, they needed flowers," Ard said. She’s fought for her business through many natural disasters over the years. "I started the business in 1984 and our building burned in 2013, and we had to relocate and start all over this past year after several evacuations with high tides and hurricanes. We moved to this location on King Street," Ard said. She didn’t want the coronavirus to be the reason she couldn’t keep her doors open, especially when most of her orders come through the internet or the phone. She said she hardly has any contact with her customers, anyway. "So I thought it was a little unfair so I put in a call to the governor’s office, and I also called my state representative Carl Anderson," she said. The governor’s office reached back out to her on Saturday, letting her know that florists actually can stay open, but with a few stipulations: she must practice social distancing in the shop and limit business to delivery and pickup. She said after that decision, other florists across the state reached out to her with gratitude. "I’ve had several call me and say ‘Thank you for doing that,’ and ‘How did I know to do that?’ I said, ‘There’s no need […]