Myer the Florist's signs will get you

MILFORD — “Pansies and proud of ‘em.” “We wet our plants.” “Mum’s the word.” Those word-plays will be familiar to passersby of the flower shop at the outskirts of Milford, who are undoubtedly guilty of chuckling to themselves after driving by the store’s prominent front sign. Are you one of the half-dozen that are out of the loop? No need to get your pansies in a bundle. Bob Stewart, owner, reveals the story behind Myer the Florist’s famous flower phrases. Opened in 1950 and now home to two family generations, Myer the Florist is the perfect space for Stewart to display his creativity, while doing what he loves. After marrying into the owner’s family, Stewart has worked at the shop since 1982, but wasn’t given his “creative freedom” until 1985. While in high school, the florist might’ve been inspired by beginnings in a school broadcast club, where he was in charge of placing the credit letters on a blackboard, something similar to what he does now. Just like his plants, Stewart too endures “dry spells and wet spells.” “Sometimes I can come up with ten phrases in 15 minutes; other times I can’t,” he admitted. The creative juices really get flowing, he said, during the political season. He has found, over the past two decades, that citizens can easily identify his subtle jokes when he’s poking fun at presidents or potential candidates. Naturally, he always represents each political party on each side of the sign. When he’s not displaying summer advertisements and sales, Stewart uses music-themed play on words; employing the classic rock genre to relate most to his generation. “Sometimes I feel like I miss my mark and use music that my parents’ generation would identify more with,” he said. With the mum flower season fast approaching, Stewart is hoping to get several good sentences in the coming weeks. Consequently, he came up with one in under five minutes for the sake of the Courier’s photo op. The famed display sign has been around as long as Myer the Florist has; it even bypasses the Milford Borough’s zoning laws of keeping a sign so near the road, and has withstood a trailer collision. In a rather loving fashion, Stewart and his employees have taken to crafting their own metal letters to place on the sign, as they aren’t made anymore. Stewart has no plans to eliminate this local landmark. “[While] we have radio, television and newspaper advertisement, nothing gets noticed like that sign. It’s the best form of advertisement we have,” said the proud owner. While not as traffic-stopping as a pig with pants or a cow with a Hawaiian lei, Bob Stewart and the rest of the Myer the Florist staff can be sure their sign will have customers “taking time to smell the roses,” or at least driving under the 25 mph speed limit to catch the sign’s newest verse.