It was nothing short of a kaleidoscope of colors for florist Hira Rafiq’s own wedding. 

While Hira Rafiq was waiting for the Mashpee Public Library to open in the spring of 2017, she first walked into Verde Floral Design in the Mashpee Commons looking for a part-time job. With the hustle and bustle of Mother’s Day arrangements right around the corner, Rafiq was quickly hired. Her work at Verde Floral Design started out as basic prep work needed to make the store run smoothly: washing buckets and processing flowers. 

In 2020, Verde’s founder and previous owner Jeff Sawyer, handed over the baton to Rafiq, who is now the current owner. Taking over the business marked a moment of significant pride for Rafiq, as she was the first woman in her family to own a business. “The majority of my family, all of the men are entrepreneurs. They’ve all had their own small businesses, and most of the women in our family have been homemakers,” she notes. She said she hopes to inspire her seven nieces that they can and should pursue whatever path is out there for them. 

At Verde, Rafiq creates arrangements for a wide variety of events: memorial services, baby showers, birthday celebrations, and, of course, weddings. “Every big moment that a client has, we feel that we’re a part of it. We celebrate whatever they are celebrating or share in their grief as well with them. That’s a really fulfilling job.” 

Rafiq found that each customer comes in with a differing level of floral knowledge and may or may not have an idea of what sort of arrangement they want for their occasion. Regardless of...