Surrounded by boxes of fresh blooms and supplies, Baaqia Gilkey trims stems, sprays petals, and carefully arranges flowers inside her Butler home.You can use flowers to create anything you want to, Gilkey said.But her designs ar ent for weddings or birthdays.Theyre for funerals.Watch: Butler Florist helps families say goodbye through custom funeral flowers Butler Florist helps families say goodbye through custom funeral flowersGilkey owns Baaqias Everlasting Arrangements, LLC, a one-woman business she founded in 2024, specializing in custom memorial tributes. Working entirely out of her home, she prepares each arrangement by hand. Her goal, she said, is to ease the weight of planning a service.My business is about memorial arrangements, she said.Burying family members is already a burden. I want them to have a little relief, and thats where I come in.Families often share stories about their loved ones a favorite color, a hobby, even a profession and Gilkey incorporates those details into each piece.They can tell me what they liked, what they did, and I can create that for them, she said.According to Architectural Digest, less than 2% of florists in the United States are Black. Gilkey said she has yet to meet another young Black florist in the area who specializes in funeral arrangements.Very rare to see a young Black owner only specializing in funeral flowers, she said.The business is also personal. Gilkey said her father encouraged her to pursue her passion before he died.My dad's passing was a big factor to me, she said through tears. I promised him I wouldnt give up, and here I am today.Today, what began as a hobby has grown into a calling.I love it. Its my passion. Went from crafts to hobby to me going full force and going for it, she said.For more information, you can visit her website.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error ...read more read less