A florist who is allergic, of all things, to pollen? Halfway through the conversation with Eileen Miura, the third-generation owner of Fujikami Florist in Honolulu, I wasn’t sure if I heard correctly. But yes, Eileen confirmed that I did, explaining that she wears gloves in order to touch the flowers and takes medicine to help ease the itchiness and other allergy symptoms.
Frankly speaking, as much as I love flowers, I would have quit my job if I were in that situation. Not Eileen—her pollen allergy wasn’t going to stop her from running the family business that her grandfather founded.
The Early Years
Walter Toshio Fujikami, Eileen’s grandfather, was born in Honolulu in 1896 to Yoshizuchi and Kiyo (née Miyatsugu) Fujikami, both Issei from Yamaguchi Prefecture. As the oldest of eleven siblings, Walter started working at a young age to help his parents provide for the needs of their large family. He took on the responsibility for their well-being and in the process, he developed a strong work ethic.
Walter attended college for a short time, but when America entered World War I, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 at the age of twenty-one. After his honorable discharge in April 1919, he was employed at a flower shop in the Moana Hotel where he sharpened his skills as a salesman and a flower designer.
The Beginning of Something Beautiful
Eager to forge his own path, he launched Walter T. Fujikami Florist on September 6, 1919, in downtown Honolulu. In those days, traveling to the Territory of Hawai‘i meant a voyage on the Lurline or S.S. Wilhelmina, for example, two of the Matson Navigation ships. With his shop gaining traction in the community, Walter received business from Matson as well as other big corporations such as Alexander & Baldwin and Theo H. Davies & Co. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. He faced temporary setbacks when he had to relocate his shop, not once or twice, but three times due to various construction projects in the downtown area.
Anthuriums and Proteas and Heliconias, Oh My!
Once commercial airline service to Hawai‘i commenced, Walter realized the potential for new business opportunities. He was one of the first local florists to ship tropical flowers to the mainland via air cargo.
As his flower shop flourished, his reputation grew as a creative floral designer and as a business leader who was highly respected in the community. In 1969, he was honored by Governor John Burns for fifty years of service to the Hawai‘i floral industry.
“Walter had a keen artist’s eye, an innate love of plants and flowers, a congenial spirit, and a deep passion for helping others,” noted George Shikuzawa (Eileen’s stepfather). “Those were the ingredients to Walter’s success and were to remain his trademarks for the rest of his life.”
The Next Generation
Walter married Grace Takeuchi in October 1942 and they had three children: Stephen, Kenneth, and Stephanie (Eileen’s mother). When Walter decided it was time to retire, his oldest son Stephen took over the business in 1979. With the rise of credit card usage in the ’80s, Stephen implemented many innovative ideas that increased sales and established the business as a trendsetting brand.
It was Stephen who developed the distinctive oriental style that became the signature look of Fujikami Florist. The style, as described by George, is “a bold, understated design style, incorporating elements of asymmetry, negative space, balance, and natural elements.” Another of Stephen’s brilliant ideas involved the direct mailing of catalogs he created that showcased the shop’s artistic floral designs. The catalogs were an effective marketing strategy and a tremendous hit with the customers. He was also the first Hawai‘i florist to offer champagne and wine as options when ordering roses and gourmet gift baskets.
In 1987, Stephen moved the shop to a more visible location in a newly renovated building on the corner of South Beretania and Pensacola. After running the shop for over thirty years, he made a decision to retire in February 2011. While thinking he would have to sell the business, he was offered an alternative option that he couldn’t refuse.
All in the ‘Ohana
Like her brother, Stephanie had spent a great deal of time at the flower shop when she was growing up, so it probably came as no surprise that she chose to work in the family business. When she learned that Stephen was thinking to sell, she knew that in order to preserve her father’s legacy, the shop had to survive.
Stephanie and her husband George, the shop’s operations manager for the past eighteen years, discussed the situation and approached Stephen with their decision, which he accepted. For the next five years, they ran the business before passing the torch to their daughter Eileen.
Grandpa’s “Little Girl”
“Growing up, the flower shop was my second home,” said Eileen, reminiscing about her childhood. “All the employees were like my aunties and uncles.”
Eileen wasn’t pressured to work in the family business, so when she graduated from McKinley High School, she was thinking to work in the travel industry. She briefly worked for a freight forwarding company and an accounting firm, but those jobs didn’t resonate with her. In September 1994, she decided to work part-time at the shop and has never looked back.
Working for her uncle, Eileen started out as a newbie and had to learn everything: names of the flowers and foliage, phone etiquette, taking orders, and how to design arrangements. But from day one, she already possessed values that are important for success, in particular her strong work ethic and her dedication to customer care.
When her mother and George were thinking to retire in 2016, Eileen realized, “I could not let it end yet. For me, this is what I know and love to do.” After stepping up to take over the business, the first major challenge that she had to deal with—yes, you guessed it—was relocating the shop again because the lease was about to expire. Interestingly, she was able to find a new location on Pali Highway, near to the original location where her grandfather had established the business.
Eileen is married to Davy Miura and they have two sons, Brandon and Dalen. When she isn’t working, she enjoys watching K-dramas with unusual storylines such as Goblin and Master’s Sun, two of her favorites. She also loves to travel when her work schedule allows it. She likes to visit the mainland and has traveled to Europe, but her favorite destination is Japan.
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Lois Kajiwara (LK): Congratulations on Fujikami Florist’s 105th anniversary! How do you feel about this amazing milestone?
Eileen Miura (EM): It’s incredible. I’m very appreciative for the legacy that has been built before me. To be a part of such a long-standing enterprise and to continue this legacy in a small way is remarkable. It’s important for me to follow and keep the values of Grandpa, Uncle Stephen, and Mom. I feel it’s due to their honesty, dedication, and hard work that we are still here today.
I’m so very thankful for Grandpa, Uncle Stephen, Mom, George, my husband and family, all the employees, and the generations of customers that have supported us.
LK: What challenges do you face as a small business owner?
EM: Today’s environment has altered flower productivity and longevity, so the toughest obstacle is bringing in a variety of quality flowers. Since Covid, the costs for flowers, supplies, and shipping have increased a lot. Despite all of these additional costs, we need to keep prices reasonable and meet our customers’ expectations in terms of quality and design. Nowadays, designing flower arrangements takes a little more imagination!
LK: What accomplishments are you most proud of?
EM: I can think of two accomplishments. The first one is when I learned how to design flower arrangements. Over the years I slowly learned to wrap a rose, then arrange a dozen roses, and eventually I was able to design all types of flower arrangements. Learning the mechanics and color combinations were the most difficult. I had tough judges: the customers, my family, and especially Uncle Stephen. He had a set criteria for the design of the oriental, contemporary, and “hi-style” (or tall and airy) arrangements that we, Fujikami Florist, are known for.
The second one is taking over the business from Mom and George. I had to start in a new location. Then when Mom retired, it was the most challenging time. I had to learn to manage everyday operations, the employees, ordering flowers every week, and delivery schedules.
LK: Can you tell us three tips regarding cut flowers?
EM: Sure! Anthuriums like to be watered from the face. Bells of Ireland and tulips move towards the light. Tulips actually continue to lengthen. And Liatris blooms top to bottom. Most other flowers bloom bottom to top.
LK: Please share some cherished memories of your grandfather.
EM: Grandpa would always celebrate Japanese traditions like Girls’ Day, Boys’ Day, and birthdays. I remember him putting the kadomatsu outside our front door and having mochi for the New Year.
We would watch Japanese shows such as Abarenbo Shogun, Ikkyu-san, and Soko ga Shiritai. Since I was mostly at the shop, he would take me to get snacks. However, my most treasured memory of Grandpa is when he would let me sit in his recliner and show me how to sketch horses and write Japanese calligraphy. He was very artistic.
LK: What do you love the most about your work?
EM: I enjoy everything about the flower shop. Work is very fulfilling. Being a small business, I like having a close relationship with my employees, vendors, and neighbors. It’s a big family! The best part is communicating with my new and regular customers. They are all unique in their own way.
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Happiness Blooms from Within
Joy, gratitude, pride—these are the emotions that I heard in Eileen’s voice as she talked about her family business. Whether she is prepping the flowers, designing an arrangement, or delivering an order, Eileen is mindful that customers place their trust in her for important occasions.
“There are many customer orders that have made me happy and some that have brought tears to my eyes. Each order for a flower arrangement has a story behind it and I try to convey that message through the flowers. My customers know I’m always here and they can depend on me to put together something special just for them.”
As a method of expressing our feelings, flowers are nature’s beautiful messengers. For Eileen, not only are they beautiful messengers, flowers are her way of life. I have a hunch that she won’t stray, not even for one second, from the path that she is on.
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Visit Fujikami Florist online at http://www.fujikamiflorist.com.
©2024 Lois Kajiwara
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