Floral Designer's Passion Is Business

Lois Coppolino wanted to be a set designer or a window dresser when she was a girl growing up in Barrington in the '60s and early '70s.

But in those decades, there wasn't a clear cut career path for someone who may have been interested in something off the beaten path. So instead, she headed off to school at what was then Roger Williams College in Bristol to become an art teacher.

After graduating with a degree in art education, Coppolino substitute taught for a year before realizing there wasn't a lot of work that was going to open up any time soon. It was time to look at another passion, so she headed to the Rittner School of Floral Design in Boston for an intensive training course.

Coppolino's parents and her husband, Lou, were supportive of her new plans, so every day for several months she drove to and from Boston, gathering the skills she'd need to make a career in the field.

Upon finishing her course, Coppolino went to visit the florist who had done her wedding flowers, with the intention of convincing him to hire her. Instead, she said, he told her she had too much talent to work for him, and she should open her own florist business.

Coppolino's family had businesses in the town of Barrington, and the decision to set her own imprint upon the town she grew up in was an easy one.

Daisy Dig'ins Flowers & Gifts started in a tiny storefront on Maple Avenue in May of 1977. Before long business was so brisk, Coppolino moved her business to the Maple Avenue Shopping Center.

At the beginning of 1984, she decided it was time to make a move again. The business had grown over the intervening years, and Coppolino knew it was time to expand her retail space. It took nine months, but in October of that year, she moved again to her current location at 123 Maple Ave.

A visit to the store is a feast for the senses. Although Coppolino is primarily a floral designer, the store is arrayed with gift items, accessories, home décor, and personal care products that brings to mind a high-end personalized shopping experience in New York or London.

Coppolino attributes much of the success of her business to family support.

“I wouldn't have been able to do this, if it wasn't for my parents and in-laws helping out over the years,” she said.

Those years included rearing two children, Marc, an accountant, and Cristen, a teacher.

Coppolino said neither of her children is likely to take over the store when she eventually retires, so she hopes that when that time comes, she's able to find someone just as passionate as she is about her business.

In the meantime, though, Coppolino has added a new passion to her life -- that of encouraging more people to visit Barrington to shop and participate in town events.

As a member of the Barrington Business Association, Coppolino said, she wants to bring more businesses into town to fill up available spaces -- thereby creating a climate encouraging residents to shop locally, as well as bringing others into the town.

“Most people would rather find what they need locally,” said Coppolino. “But we'd also like to make Barrington a destination town, and I think if we business owners can work together, we can be a real hit.”