Growing up, Holley Simmons would help her mother, gluing rhinestones on custom gowns the seamstress created for ballroom dancers. “It was like a playground,” Simmons recalled.
It was a crafty, hands-on background that instilled in Simmons an appreciation for the arts. Now, the founder of florist She Loves Me (721 Eighth St. SE) uses flowers, fresh and dried, to create her own kind of glamor for special events, celebrations and important moments.
“Nature is anything but perfect,” Simmons said. “Something that’s asymmetrical, that’s slightly flawed, something that is kind of curious and draws your eye in—that’s what we aim for with our flowers. That’s also the type of experience we’re trying to create in both our spaces.”
She Loves Me first opened in Petworth, but when that location closed it spread its tendrils throughout the District. A new shop set to open any day now in Eckington Yards (1550 Harry Thomas Way NE) will be the flagship store and production facility.
Capitol Hill has restauranteur Aaron Silverman (Rose’s Luxury) to thank for a smaller offshoot on Barracks Row. Silverman showed Simmons the little space in front of his catering kitchen, and she decided it was a space well-suited to putting down roots for an intimate little flower shop.
She Loves Me offers wreaths, centerpieces, pre-made bouquets and a small selection of dried flowers sold by the stem. Seasonal flowers are sourced from local, women-owned farms throughout the spring, summer and fall. When winter comes, She Loves Me switches its focus, doing its best to work with American-grown blooms. gifts from jewelry and bath soaks and candles to confetti cannons and flower growing kits.
In addition to flowers and gifts, She Loves Me offers in-person and virtual workshops and arrangements for micro-weddings.
She Loves Me Capitol Hill is open Wednesdays to Fridays, 11a to 7p | Saturdays and Sundays, 10a to 4p. The Eckington Shop is open Tuesday to Friday 11a to 6p and Saturday and Sundays from 11a to 7p. Shop online at Shelovesme.com
