Rayford Florist and Gifts - Henderson, TX

123 E. Main Street, Henderson, TX 75652

http://www.rayfordflorist.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayfordflorist

In 1843, two years before Texas was admitted to the Union on December 29, 1845, Henderson, Texas – named for James Pinckney Henderson, the first governor – was designated as the county seat of Rusk County, making it one of the oldest towns in the state.

At 123 E. Main Street, a jewelry store was opened in the mid-1800s. In 1878, a fire destroyed most of downtown, including the courthouse. In 1905, a fire hit the block with the jewelry store. When it burned, the safe crashed through the weakened floor. “That safe is still down there,” says James Nicholson, current owner of Rayford Florist and Gifts, now located at 123 E. Main Street. “It was too heavy to move and they couldn’t get it opened, so they left it and built over it.”

The rich history of the building as well as the picturesque small town lured James and his partner, Jon, to move from Louisiana back to James’ native East Texas. For 10 years, the couple ran a busy floral shop near New Orleans. In 2014, they wanted to slow down their life’s pace and started looking to open a shop in Texas. After researching areas around Houston, Austin and Dallas, they found a posting on Craigslist for the shop in Henderson. They fell in love with the tall ceilings and squeaky floors of the only art deco building in town. “There’s just a feeling that an old building has,” James said. They opened their doors in June 2014. Three months later, they were voted “Best Florist in Henderson” by the Henderson Daily News. (There are three other florists in town.)

In 1987, Henderson was accepted by the Texas Historic Commissions as an official project for the Texas Main Street Project City, a reinvestment into the state’s historic downtowns. In fact, the entire downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the buildings have both a National Register Marker and Texas Historical Marker. In Henderson, there are four “Main Streets”: North, South, East and West. “The north and south were once named Broadway a long time ago, but they renamed it,” said James.

Rayford Floral was originally founded in 1921 by the Rayford family. James and Jon are the fourth owners of the business. Originally located in a building across town, the floral shop moved into the East Main Street location once occupied by Reed’s Jewelry.

Although it is the smallest place the Nicholsons have ever lived, James says, “It’s a wonderful environment…when you walk around downtown, you feel the pride people have in their small businesses. If you’re outside [your shop], people honk their horns and wave at you.”

While a good deal of their business is from the town’s residents, James says they get a number of tourists who like the “cute downtown look” of the historic town and come to shop. He points out that the “enormous” annual Heritage Syrup Festival held every November typically increases the population from 14,000 to 30,000 during that one weekend.

His returning locals like to tell stories about when the business was owned by a jeweler. “I’ve had people tell me they bought their wedding ring in the store. They also ask whether we’ve ever found any gems. They say that Reed’s used to make custom jewelry and if a gem fell on the floor, sometimes they’d [purposely] drop another one to see if it would roll near the first so they could find it,” says James. He adds, “I’ve been down on my hands and knees looking, but haven’t found anything yet.”