STAUNTON — Lynn Hughes almost didn't believe that the flower shop she manages was on fire last week.
Rask Florist designer Phyllis Arbogast's daughter saw someone on Facebook. That's when everyone rushed to downtown Staunton.
Hughes was in shock and disbelief as she stood in front of the building.
She has worked at Rask Florist for the past six years. It's her home. It's where she creates. It's where her heart lives.
So as she sped from Afton last Thursday, she was met with a smoldering building as her entire spirit sank.Her lip trembled and tears started running down her face as she remembered what it felt like to come upon the disaster.
Devastation. Heartbreak. Loss for words.
"Everything I worked for, all my hard work, was just gone," she said.
Hughes not only is the manager and head designer, she works at the shop nearly seven days a week. She provides flowers for area funeral homes, so she's constantly on call. It's what drives her. She wants to be able to give people joy with the flowers she presents.
Rask Formals, which is located upstairs, was also destroyed. According to Hughes, there were about 400 dresses. Theshop, which started in 2020, carriedgently used dresses and formal wear.
It's also where her two grandsons, Devin and Dustin, have been growing up. Hughes said jokingly that Devin has plans to own Rask someday. Devin seemed pretty serious, though.
"He has come to work with me since he was two years oldand there was so many great memories," she said.
OnFeb. 3,a fire broke out at Rask Florist on Frederick Street in downtown Staunton. The early morning blaze destroyed the majority of the first building that the florist is located in.
As the fire was still being put out, co-owner Luanne Goodloe was adamant the shop would still be fine for Valentine's Day. The second building, where the flower design takes place and where a large portion of the flowers were kept, wasn't damaged too badly. They were able to get what they needed and begin the search for a temporary home.
"I had to put myself together," Hughes said.
That's when her mind wandered to her mentor and last employer, Donald Tony, who owns Don's Florist in Charlottesville.
"I thought, what would Don do?" she said. "He would have told me to pick my head up, dry my tears and never give up and never give in. He taught me to create something great from nothing."
Hughes and Goodloe then went into overdrive.
"We will not let our customers down, we will stand strong," Hughes said.
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The fire, which started before 7 a.m., was contained by 8 a.m.
"I was more worried about how we were going to continue to do business," Goodloe said.
They had a big flower shipment expected to come the next day and nowhere to put it.
She didn't have to worry for long.
The same day as the fire,Goodloe's daughter-in-law, Heather Goodloe, reached out on social media in search of spaces to use for a temporary set up for the business. She posted a plea for help on a local Staunton VA Facebook page.In just a matter of hours, the post had more than 400 interactions and more than 100 comments.
Around 10:30 a.m., they received a called from Jonathan Kuntzy, who owns a building on Springhill Road. That's how they ended up in a temporary spot at835 Springhill Road, formerly where Lundch was located, across the street from Queen City Brewing.
The flower delivery came to the new location and everything started to fall into place.
Those at Rask said they have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community.
"It shows the true spirit of Staunton," Goodloe said.
Goodloe said they are paying rent at the new location and waiting to see what will happen with the downtown spot. Friends donated large coolers for the flowers and people have been dropping off vases for the shop to use.
They've filled up with donated vases six times over, Goodloe said. She said someone contacted her and said she had collect 96 vases from her neighborhood.
Now, they're getting ready for Valentine's Day — one of the busiest holidays for the shop. Goodloe said they average about 200 to 220 deliveries, 50 pick-ups and then do walk-ins. This year, the load is spread out through the weekend, since the holidays is on a Monday.
Although lots of items were destroyed in the fire, Hughes and Goodloe said they're moving along. Luckily, Hughes was able to salvage her wedding binder, which has all the orders involving weddings in it. If that was lost, she'd be lost.
"There are so many things that are priceless," Hughes said. "We're going to make new memories and stand strong. We will rise back to where we were, if not better."
Rask Florist has been around since 1870, Goodloe said, and in the downtown location since 1940. Goodloe and her husband, George, have been owners since 2005. They rent the building and aren't sure what's next. Goodloe said they have insurance going through damage claims, but the building needs a complete overhaul and that's going to take time.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, Goodloe said.
Goodloe and Hughes both said they are so thankful for the community has banded around them in their time of need. They've had donated lunch delivered everyday and people constantly asking what they can do to help.
"We had such an outpouring from the community. We're just overwhelmed," she said.
Laura Peters is the trending topics reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses?Or a good feature? You can reach reporter Laura Peters (she/her) atlpeters@newsleader.com.Follow her@peterslaura. Subscribe to The News Leader at newsleader.com.
