Tree creation is usually an act of nature. But for Dawn Dyer, building a tree by hand is an artful expression of her creative talents as a floral and interior designer.
You can find handmade trees and other plant reproductions at Silk Expressions, which Dyer, 65, and co-owner Candace Shelton, 60, opened last June. The Oro Valley shop is in Steam Pump Village, on North Oracle Road just north of First Avenue.
The plant and flower business allowed Dyer's creative streak to bloom decades ago, when she co-owned a floral shop with her then-husband. She had an interior-design studio for several years, and then "I just decided I wanted to do a retail store again. I missed the chaos," she said.
Dyer and Shelton opened the first Silk Expressions in 2001 in St. Philip's Plaza, near North Campbell Avenue and East River Road.
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The store is filled with creations made from fabric, latex, rubber and wood.
"I do not buy anything that does not truly come from nature," Dyer said. "I've never paid much attention to the cost of a flower, plant or tree, because if it looks good or real, people will buy it."
Shelton oversees the financial end of the business.
"If you asked me to build a tree, we would be out of business real fast," she said.
Gail Meineke, 46, is a floral designer and one of three employees at the store. She worked as a fresh-floral arranger for 22 years before she switched to working with artificials.
Meineke explained what she loves about working with permanent reproductions: "It's more customer-related and much more rewarding. They take something home that they're going to love and enjoy. Every time that they look at it, they will think of us."
Customer and interior designer Vicky Ochoa, 42, was in the shop recently looking for items for her clients.
"Gail is very creative and always has different ideas," Ochoa said. "What's really nice about this location is it's really close" to her clients.
Opening a store in the area appealed to Dyer and Shelton on several levels.
"This is where the growth is at," Dyer said. "A lot of our customers at the St. Philip's store are from Oro Valley."
Shelton was drawn by the opportunity to expand and the excitement of making an empty shell into their store.
"We could do this as we wanted," she said. "This afforded us the ability to have a much more extensive layout, great windows and more expansive space."
Silk Expressions offers custom floral arrangements and in-home design assistance.
Customers can even take home an arrangement on approval and try it out. Home accessories such as candles, mirrors, paintings, clocks and accent furniture round out the store's selections.
"I want them (customers) to feel that they've walked into a calm oasis," Dyer said. "We don't sell our customers. There's no pressure. If they just want to wander and think, we leave them alone."
Flora without the faucet
What: Silk Expressions.
Where: 11015 N. Oracle Road.
Phone: 575-2868.
Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Sample prices: Floral arrangements start at $75, and loose flowers start at $4.
