Flowers Guaranteed To Beautify Your Home
Local florist blooms where she’s planted!
Community: Marilyn Schwizer Moeser
Written by Olive Gallagher, Contributing Writer
Marilyn Schweizer Moeser knew from childhood she wanted to spend her life working with flowers. Raised on a small family farm in Molalla with five siblings and parents who loved growing things, she says the family cultivated everything they needed to sustain them.
Her accountant father and stay-at-home mom called the farm Wayward Acres and were constantly taking in other neighborhood kids who, for a time, weren’t doing so well at home. Marilyn admits she struggled in school because she was bored. However, she loved horses and preferred to be with them, dreaming of the time she could go to work.
Attending an alternative school in Oregon City helped her complete high school early so she could take her first job at a wholesale nursery specializing in commercial landscaping. She then worked at Famous Amos Cookies, becoming manager within the year. There, she discovered her love of customer service. As a teen in 1989 working in a mall, Marilyn felt her life was “pretty cool.”
She then received a rare opportunity to work at a flower shop in downtown Portland where, as an apprentice, Marilyn learned every aspect of the business. Since several friends worked there, too, they carpooled. Her intuition that flowers meant everything to her was confirmed.
After moving to Battle Ground, she started her own business, working out of her home, on her own terms. Although she loved the work, she still felt she was searching for something. When a family tragedy hit, she spiraled into a deep hole and struggled to sort out her life. One day, a dear friend came by and forced her out of the house, taking her to a craft store to buy some beads to make jewelry. That simple shift made Marilyn realize how creative she was. It worked therapeutically to help put things back together for her.
In 2008, she opened Main Street Floral and found her joy again, acknowledging, “I won’t know if I’ve failed if I don’t try.” From the start, local florist Marilyn was committed to reaching out to nonprofits, providing both goods and support, while recognizing she still had to attend to her bottom line. Her mom advised her to “pick what you care about.” So she chose service clubs, her first being Rotary. As relationships and the business grew, she became involved with more nonprofits like Rocksolid, as well as senior centers, organizations concerned with animal rescue, pet food drives during the wildfires and holiday toy drives.
Today, along with all of those, Marilyn serves on the planning committee for Harvest Days, an annual festival that took place this year on July 14 and 15, featuring a classic car cruise, parade and vendor fair.
For more information about Harvest Days or Main Street Floral, please call Marilyn at 360-723-5365 or check out www.mainstreetfloralcompany.net.
