Datvik Deirkrikorian, owner of Water Lily Flowers and Gifts in Wiscasset, takes a break from making flower arrangements to pose for a picture Tuesday, Feb. 9. (Abigail Adams photo)
Once Datvik Deirkrikorian made the decision to launch her own business, it was only a couple of months before Water Lily Flowers and Gifts opened its doors in Wiscasset. Deirkrikorian is the proud owner of Wiscasset’s only flower shop at 52 Water St., which opened in November.
Word of mouth is slowly spreading and customers are beginning to seek out the unique gifts, house plants, and flower arrangements Water Lily Flowers and Gifts offers.
Her custom-made flower arrangements are not just composed of flowers, Deirkrikorian said. They are put together “with a lot of heart and soul,” she said.
Whether the flowers are ordered for celebrations, such as Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, weddings, or graduations, or to comfort people during difficult times of sickness or mourning, “flowers say it all for us,” she said.
In addition to flowers, Water Lily Flowers and Gifts offer unique gifts drawn from Deirkrikorian’s ancestry. Originally from New Jersey, Deirkrikorian traveled north looking for a change and for adventure.
She settled in Midcoast Maine for no other reason than she loved it, she said; she has now been here for 22 years. She is of Armenian descent, and many of the gifts offered by Water Lily Flowers and Gifts cannot be found in other stores.
The laces for sale at the store, used as table runners or for coffee tables, are hand-crafted, some by family members. The patterns of the handmade laces are Armenian, Greek, or from Cyprus or Milan.
The store also offers an international collection of other unique gifts, Deirkrikorian said. There are tea boxes, cross-stitched pillows, Middle Eastern bath accessories and bowls, baskets, vases, and hand-painted flower pots.
“I want to be the place people come to for things they can’t find anywhere else,” Deirkrikorian said.
Deirkrikorian has extensive experience working in flower shops and in greenhouses. Owning her own flower shop has been a long-held goal, which she accomplished when Water Lily Flowers and Gifts opened its doors. Plants were her first love, she said, and her store offers a wide variety of house plants, in addition to flower arrangements.
The arrangements Deirkrikorian puts together are catered to the needs and desires of her customers, she said. Flowers are seasonal and certain kinds of flowers may not be available, especially during winter, she said.
If a customer requests a certain flower for their arrangement, however, Deirkrikorian will put in phone calls to her wholesalers, “because there’s always a chance,” she said, and if her customer wants it, she will do what she can to get it. Deirkrikorian also personally delivers her flower arrangements to her customers.
Currently Deirkrikorian is the owner and only employee of Water Lily Flowers and Gifts. As the business grows, she hopes to hire more employees. “A lot of people still don’t know I’m here,” she said. “I’m hoping word of mouth continues to spread.”
Water Lily Flowers and Gifts is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with plans to add Sunday hours during the summer. For more information, visit www.waterlilyflowersandgifts.com or call 882-9333.
