Our Someone 2 Know this week is not new to Nevada - Emily MacPherson has lived in Reno for 24 years and raised her kids here.
In December of 2020 she launched her new business - Emmy's Flower Truck - and says that's when she really got to know the place she calls home. And while it was a mid-pandemic risk, she says it was exactly what she needed.
We met up at the Reno workshop where, as she puts it, “the magic happens” …
Picking the just the right flowers and greenery for an arrangement matters greatly to MacPherson, and not just because blooms are her business.
“It’s unbelievable to me how happy people are with flowers. It's just a therapy for your soul.”
The business - Emmy's Flower Truck - is a bit of therapy for Emily's soul, too. After 25 years as a flight attendant for Southwest, the pandemic lead to a pivot.
"We were given money to retire early because they needed people to leave - they had too many flight attendants.”
The offer came while Emily was still reeling from the loss of a dear friend, just a few months earlier. “I had someone I always flew with at Southwest. We flew every trip together, my best friend. It's kinda sad. I woke up one morning, we were on an overnight and he didn't wake up.”
They were meant to meet in the lobby and Emily knew something was wrong. That friend, Jeff Wernicke, was just 53 when he died suddenly of a heart attack on that trip.
Emily says she was devastated. "When something like that happens in your life it does change you. It did change me.”
And so, says Emily, she was ready for something new. "I took that early out and ended up buying the truck.”
An authentic 1965 velvet green VW pick-up truck.
"It's all original parts, the canvass and the canopy are original.” Then MacPherson filled it with every beautiful bud she could find. "I’ve seen flowers in trucks my whole life. You know, 50 years ago people sold flowers out of trucks.”
And in case you're wondering - yes, it drives!
"Only 40 miles per hour, it doesn't go on the freeway. You will never see the truck on the freeway,” she laughs.
You will, however, see the truck selling blossoms and bouquets all over Reno. And soon, MacPherson hopes, she and manager Bayli Liscio - can literally take their show on the road in Washoe County. “We kinda wanna branch out and go to different places and meet different people.”
MacPherson says Emmy's Flower Truck has been showered with support from patrons and fellow business owners - and says she's deeply grateful. "We've been treated just really kindly by everybody so - it means a lot. Reno is amazing.”
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If you’d like to see where the truck is next, or check out their beautiful blooms, here’s a link to their website
https://www.emmysflowertruck.com/
Location & Hours
Emmy's Flower Truck
5301 Longley, Building E. Suite 198
Reno, Nevada 89511
(650) 892-7077
Monday Closed
Tuesday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed
