The New Smyrna Beach Florist, a staple on Flagler Avenue for 36 years, will close its doors at the end of this month. NEW SMYRNA BEACH — On Monday, resident Charlie Sawyer walked out the door of the New Smyrna Beach Florist shop on Flagler Avenue with one of the last bouquets of roses the shop will ever sell. After 36 years in business, the longtime staple in the busy Coronado Island beachside business district will close its doors for good at the end of the month. “I’ll be open (this) week after Christmas, doing a close-out sale,” said Becky Wright, who has co-owned and managed the shop with her mom for the past 26 years. “Or until everything’s gone.” Wright’s mom, Burdett Shaefer, is heading into her second retirement. Her late husband, Warren Cooper, started the flower business in 1983. When he died in 1991, Shaefer, a former teacher at Coronado Elementary, took over the shop. Wright, who was a graphic artist, switched gears and began studying floral arrangement to help her mother manage the shop in 1993 and they’ve provided colorful bouquets to New Smyrna Beach residents ever since. But Wright said it is now time for the multigenerational shop to close so Wright and Shaefer can spend more time with family. She expects the last day to be Dec. 31. Sawyer, who has filled several frequent flower-buyer cards with his purchases from the shop, was surprised to learn Monday’s flowers would be the last available. “I’ve been coming here for years,” said Sawyer, who sometimes stops in to pick up a single rose to drop off with his girlfriend at work. “I guess I’ll have to try and find another place.” Wright said there have been a lot of tears shed these past few days. From […]