{"id":136,"date":"2023-04-24T10:27:54","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T16:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lafayetteflorist.com\/blog\/?p=136"},"modified":"2023-06-22T13:16:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T19:16:08","slug":"the-women-of-lafayette-florist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lafayetteflorist.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/the-women-of-lafayette-florist\/","title":{"rendered":"The Women of Lafayette Florist"},"content":{"rendered":"
Lafayette Florist was started in 1949.\u00a0 There have been a long line of women in the history of our business, supported by our husbands, brothers and sons.<\/p>\n
Kate, founder:<\/strong><\/p>\n
We\u2019ll start at the beginning with Kumiko \u201cKate\u201d Yoshihara, our grandmother.\u00a0 She was born in California, a first generation American along with 4 brothers.\u00a0 Her twin brother passed away in childhood, and Kumiko was sent back to Japan to live with her grandparents.\u00a0 Her brothers stayed in America.<\/p>\n
I wondered why my grandmother was sent back to Japan, while her brothers received their education in the US.\u00a0 As a teenager, the grandparents sent Kumiko back to the US. She was unlike her brothers.\u00a0 Her broken English made her an outsider.\u00a0 Did that make her stronger?<\/p>\n
Kumiko became \u201cKate\u201d and married Yasutaro Yoshihara in California and they were raising their young family while farming.\u00a0 In 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and life changed drastically.\u00a0 Over 110,000 Japanese American were removed from the West Coast and placed in relocation camps across the country.\u00a0 My grandparents were forced to pack up their family and board a train to Colorado.\u00a0 They could only carry one bag per person.\u00a0 While my grandfather carried two bags, my grandmother brought 3 young children.<\/p>\n
In late June of 1942, Amache Camp in Granada, Colorado was open to receive Japanese Americans.\u00a0 When Amache was finally complete, it housed 7,700 residents \u2013 making it the tenth largest city in Colorado.\u00a0 This make-shift city was surrounded by a barbed wire fence and residents were guarded twenty-four hours a day by armed sentry.\u00a0 My Dad told us, the guards said it was for their protection, but the guns faced into the camp.<\/p>\n
Kate raised three children, Gene, Joyce and Jim in a one-room barracks in the most remote part of Colorado.\u00a0 The winters were cold and windy, while the summers were hot and dusty. Kate\u2019s husband was one of the cooks for the camp, so their family had plenty of food and bonus \u2013 Yasutaro was paid for these duties.<\/p>\n
My grandparents did not talk much about life in the camp.\u00a0 They lived there for two and a half years.\u00a0 It was something they didn\u2019t want to think about.<\/p>\n
In 1944, the war was ending and America was winning \u2013 so the internees were told they could go back to California.\u00a0 My grandparents had saved their money and decided it would be more beneficial to stay in Colorado rather than go back to potentially a home that was not there anymore.<\/p>\n
Kate and her husband found a 2.5 acre piece of property in Lafayette, Colorado.\u00a0 It was on Highway 287, which was the main route from Denver to Wyoming.\u00a0 There was a greenhouse, farm and a building on the land.<\/p>\n
Kate negotiated to purchase the property.\u00a0 She was an American citizen, whereas her husband was born in Japan.\u00a0 The time was not the best for a woman of Japanese descent.\u00a0 There were still prejudices, but they endured.<\/p>\n
Kate was given a series of promissory notes.\u00a0 All short term with a high interest rate of 8% versus the 4.5% going rate.\u00a0 The first note was for 1 year.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think the bankers thought she would make it.<\/p>\n
The history of this property was unstable.\u00a0 In the 50 years before Kate wanted the property, there had been 13 owners.\u00a0 Mary Miller, founder of Lafayette, Colorado was one of the initial owners and she took it back a few times because of foreclosures.<\/p>\n
Kate and her husband grew celery on the farm and had 2 more children.\u00a0 They took the celery down to Denargo market in Denver to sell and purchased other fruits and vegetable to market at their roadside fruit stand in Lafayette.<\/p>\n
Kate\u2019s legacy is the property.\u00a0 The word \u201cBravery\u201d best describes this woman.\u00a0 She was feisty and strong.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t let the obstacles she faced deter her.\u00a0 Kate negotiated the purchase with her broken English.\u00a0 She paid for the property in 11 years, and it continues to be in business since 1949.\u00a0 The Yoshihara\u2019s built their business in Lafayette, made their home here and raised their children here.\u00a0 It\u2019s now four generations strong and still growing\u2026<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, our mother Evelyn Kodama grew up in Hawaii.\u00a0 Born and raised in Puhi, Kauai and living a wonderful childhood filled with beaches, fresh fruit and surrounded by family.<\/p>\n
In 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.\u00a0 Evelyn was four years old and going to kindergarten.\u00a0 She told stories of walking to school with a heavy gas mask on her back and daily drills at school putting on the mask and taking cover.\u00a0 She talked about her father and uncles and how furious they were with their Japan heritage bombing their homes.\u00a0 Japanese American distanced themselves from their culture.\u00a0 They did not speak the language.\u00a0 They disposed of any signs of their ancestry.<\/p>\n
Evelyn came to Colorado in 1955 to attend Colorado State College (now the University of Northern Colorado).\u00a0 She received her teaching degree and taught 3rd<\/sup> grade for one year in Broomfield.\u00a0 Then, she married Kate\u2019s oldest son, Gene and had to help in the family business.\u00a0 The newlyweds converted the farm into a flower shop and greenhouse, keeping the fruit \/ vegetable stand.\u00a0 Building a family business took commitment and Evelyn was not able to visit her family in Hawaii for over 7 years.<\/p>\n
The flower shop was built in the 1960\u2019s.\u00a0 Our dad, Gene built the greenhouses in the 1970\u2019s.\u00a0 He grew cut flower carnations and shipped them across the country through Denver Wholesale Florists (DWF).\u00a0 Gene became a board member of DWF, was a Lafayette City Council member and Lions Club member.\u00a0 Evelyn was working hard to build a business.\u00a0 She took business law and financial classes in the evenings while raising her 3 children and building Lafayette Florist.<\/p>\n
Evelyn was a true businesswoman.\u00a0 She was smart, kind and was always teaching her craft of floristry.\u00a0 She dressed impeccably and her financial mind helped build Lafayette Florist and give it a solid foundation for future growth.\u00a0 Evelyn served on the board of directors for Boulder Community Hospital.<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s legacy is teaching.\u00a0 She taught her daughter Sandi how to be a world class designer and nurtured her daughter Lori to be a businessperson.\u00a0 Her son Colin went on to be a successful mechanical engineer and is raising a family in Denver.\u00a0 All three children graduated from Colorado State University.<\/p>\n
Lori and Sandi, Kate\u2019s granddaughters, Evelyn\u2019 daughters:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>I am Lori, a 3rd<\/sup> generation family business owner, but I never wanted to be a florist.\u00a0 My family worked too hard and I thought the scale was too small.\u00a0 My mother didn\u2019t want me to be a florist either.\u00a0 She helped guide me through my college career, choosing what would best suit me.<\/p>\n
After graduating with CSU with a BS in Textiles and Clothing, with a concentration in Fashion Merchandising, I took an internship at May D&F Department stores in downtown Denver.\u00a0 I took a permanent job with May Company as a department manager of Better Sportswear at Southglenn Mall, then moved up to assistant buyer in Women\u2019s sportswear.\u00a0 I was promoted to Buyer for Better Dresses and Suits for the 13 stores in Colorado and traveled to New York City every 3 weeks.\u00a0 It was an exciting job, good pay and benefits \u2013 the perfect job for a young person. \u00a0I worked for May Company for eight years.<\/p>\n
Before I took the job at May Company, I married Brian Wheat.\u00a0 He came into our family business in the 1980\u2019s and moved his way up to Chief Executive Officer.\u00a0 We have a son, Tanner (born in 1988)\u2013 our 4th<\/sup> generation.<\/p>\n
I came back to Lafayette Florist when our son was 3.\u00a0 It was difficult traveling while leaving a toddler to Dad and grandparents, so it was time to make a change.\u00a0 It was the perfect timing as computers were becoming very mainstream and we needed to convert first generation computers to newer technology.<\/p>\n
My sister Sandi is a real talent.\u00a0 Mom taught her how to do floral design and Sandi has an eye for it.\u00a0 With a degree in Interior Design, her color and balance sense it superior.\u00a0 She also has good common sense and is a friend to many.\u00a0 A perfect balance to successfully run a florist and work with people.\u00a0\u00a0 She has my mother\u2019s Hawaiian welcoming spirit.<\/p>\n
Sandi in certified by the\u00a0 American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD).\u00a0 This highly coveted designation has a rigorous application process along with annual renewals.\u00a0 Few florists in the world have an AIFD designer on-staff.\u00a0 Along with this accreditation, Sandi is involved with educating other designers, including our own staff at Lafayette Florist.\u00a0 Sandi was part of a team of designers selected to work on President George W. Bush\u2019s inauguration.<\/p>\n
Sandi\u2019s son Jackson is part of our 4th<\/sup> generation Lafayette Florist team.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nColin Yoshihara (son) with 2 nd generation owners Evelyn and Gene Yoshihara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFirst generation owners, Kate and Yasutaro Yoshihara in front of the new florist building. Circa 1960\u2019s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSandi Yoshihara-Sniff, AIFD, AAF General Manager \u2013 Florist, 3 rd generation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEvelyn Kodama Yoshihara, born and raised in Hawaii<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLori, Brian and Tanner Wheat, 3 rd and 4 th generation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSandi and Lori with parents Evelyn and Gene Yoshihara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nKate and Yasutaro Yoshihara at their home in Lafayette, CO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/p>\nKumiko \u201cKate\u201d in the Carnation Greenhouses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSisters Lori and Sandi, 1990\u2019s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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<\/p>\n
These are the women of Lafayette Florist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lafayette Florist was started in 1949.\u00a0 There have been a long line of women in the history of our business, supported by our husbands, brothers and sons. Kate, founder: We\u2019ll start at the beginning with Kumiko \u201cKate\u201d Yoshihara, our grandmother.\u00a0 She was born in California, a first generation American along with 4 brothers.\u00a0 Her twin… <\/p>\n
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