February 2021 | Volume 11 | Issue 9
THEHOMEWOODSTAR.COM
HOMEWOOD’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE
IN THE BUSINESS OF LOVE Glenda Curry, the bishop at All Saints Episcopal Church, stands in front of the church with the handcrafted crozier made by Danny Whitsett. Photo courtesy of Glenda Curry.
Community comes together to craft crozier for new bishop By INGRID SCHNADER
time and decided she never wanted to leave. “I love creativity and anything I can do with my hands,” she said. “I love being able to make things for people and see their reaction. You’re bringing joy to someone’s day.” A few years after Shelby started working there, Edward walked in the shop for a job. At the time, his aunt owned Blakelee’s Bouquets. Edward had been working in video and media, but after going to a rehabilitation
When the Rev. Glenda Curry was named the first female bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, she asked one of her fellow parishioners, Danny Whitsett, if he could make her crozier. Whitsett had just one question: What is a crozier? “I didn’t even know what she was talking about, but it’s basically the wooden staff,” Whitsett said. “It looks like a big shepherd's hook.” Whitsett does specialty paint finishes and woodworking, but he doesn’t do very detailed woodworking, he said. “So this was a little bit beyond my comfort level,” he said. “But I was so honored, so I said I would basically just figure out
See FLOWER | page A22
See CROZIER | page A23
Blakelee’s Bouquets owners Edward and Shelby Lee inside the flower shop at 931 Oxmoor Road in Edgewood. Photo by Erin Nelson.
Newlyweds relocate flower shop to Homewood, watch relationships bloom By INGRID SCHNADER
E
dward and Shelby Lee opened a new flower shop in Homewood in December. It’s called Blakelee’s Bouquets, named after their 5-year-old niece, and it’s located in Edgewood at 931 Oxmoor Road. Although the pair is in the business of love — providing customers with bouquets of flowers for every occasion — Edward and Shelby’s love story bloomed at this flower shop, too.
Shelby started working at the flower shop five years ago when it was in Tuscaloosa. She was in college and looking for an easy, parttime job. She thought a job at the flower shop would fit the bill. “I thought people who worked in a flower shop just made a couple of arrangements and then sat around and didn’t do much,” she said. “But it’s actually a fast-paced and fun environment.” She didn’t realize at first how much she would love the industry, Shelby said. But within months, she went from part time to full
INSIDE
Sponsors............... A4 News....................... A6
Business................ A7 Events................... A12
Opinion................. A13 Community..........A14
Schoolhouse........A15 Sports................... A17
Medical Guide........B1 Metro Roundup.... B13 facebook.com/thehomewoodstar
Important Mission
A Time of Growth
Annual ArtBlink Gala goes virtual this year to raise funds for O’Neal Cancer Center research efforts.
Coach Tim Shepler says he’s inspired by Homewood’s young team and its willingness to continue pushing forward.
See page A12
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