Building the Valley: My Garden Floral in Indiana Township celebrates 25 years

Pamela Vrabel was a teenage Springdale Dynamo when she started working at the now-defunct Peterson’s Greenhouse.

The high school job in the early 1970s sparked a passion for plants that has led to a 53-year career in the floral industry.

“I think I was born with an eye for design,” said Vrabel, who grew up in Cheswick. “But it all started there.”

Her store, My Garden Floral in Indiana Township, marks its 25^th anniversary this year.

The space at 3447 Harts Run Road abides by its tagline — every occasion in life deserves flowers — offering bouquets, centerpieces, seasonal wreaths and more. The store also has home decor and specialty gifts that include throws, candles, coasters, soaps, linen towels and even women’s apparel.

“I can’t believe it. It went so fast,” Vrabel said of her upcoming anniversary. “It’s been my whole life.”

Vrabel credits her after-school job for spurring her enrollment at DuPage Horticultural School, which operated just outside Chicago until 1988. She got such joy working in the greenhouse that Vrabel intended to make it a full-time gig.

Her plan pivoted after graduation when she enrolled in floral design and wedding design courses at the Pittsburgh Floral Academy.

She continued her studies and earned an interior design degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

“I ended up in this end of it,” she said, adding that her flair for arrangement and composition has been the key to blooming her small business.

“The plants and the flowers, I’ve just always been into it,” she said.

Her favorite flower? Fuchsia anemones, a vibrant magenta flower with delicate layers and a black center.

Vrabel worked for multiple flower shops before taking the plunge and opening her own space in 2000.

The Hampton resident said she has cultivated strong relationships with vendors but admits that rising prices and changing ownership at local wholesalers is becoming a thorn in her side.

Still, working with the public and getting to express her inner artist is rewarding, Vrabel said.

My Garden Floral specializes in parties, small weddings and events. Vrabel’s signature style is English garden — a combination of peonies, hydrangea and roses – but she will customize to suit the client’s wish.

“We do tropicals or traditional, whatever they want,” she said. “We do a lot of events these days, and that’s right where I want to be.”