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The seed of one of Waverly’s most iconic and beloved businesses – Ecker’s Flowers & Greenhouses – was planted in 1944 when Robert O. Ecker won in a card game the two-year lease of a business from local greenhouse expert Jack Wright.

More than 80 years later, the business that blossomed from that lucky winning hand will be closing its doors for good on Jan. 31.

Cyndi and Lyman Campbell, owners of Ecker’s Flowers & Greenhouses Inc., on Fifth Street NW, in historic Waverly, announced on Tuesday, Jan. 7, that their final day of business would be Friday, Jan. 31.

“I have spent my whole life here. I was born on this block. I lived in that house over there,� she said gesturing to the north of the business, “and I now live in a house over here.�

“I grew up on this block. My mom always said I was born in a flower box, which I wasn’t, but that is where I took my naps wrapped in a blanket,� Cyndi said. “I have been on this block, in this place, for all of my life except for when I was 19, and I moved to Seattle for six months.�

Returning home after her short stint in Seattle, which she said was marked by assorted illnesses, made her feel like the family business was her destiny, Cyndi added. After her parents divorced and relocated to Illinois, Cyndi and Lyman took over full ownership of Ecker’s in 1978.

The business has provided flowers for an estimated tens of thousands of Bremer County and Waverly residents since it was taken over in June 1945 by the Ecker family. Today, the staff of six grows, tends to, cuts and sells flowers, other plants and even small trees to people looking for a special gift, a bouquet for prom as well as wedding and funeral arrangements.

The flower business touches almost everyone, Cyndi said, because of holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter and assorted other special occasions such as employee recognition days spread throughout the year. Add in the ubiquitous birthdays, anniversaries and other personal occasions, and the job seems never-ending, but always rewarding, she added.

“We are thankful to have been a part of (Waverly) residents’ lives,� she said. “Flowers are a huge part (of life). We’ve been able to be a part of (people’s lives), and that has been a special privilege.�

The winning hand that paid off for 8 decades

It was a winning hand at cards which germinated the business for the family that lived in a house on the same block as former owner Jack Wright during the World War II years.

“I am third generation. My grandpa (Robert Ecker) was playing cards with Jack Wright in June 1944, and while they were playing cards, Jack threw a two-year lease into the pot. And, my grandpa won the pot,� Cyndi explained of how Ecker’s came to be. “Jack had then moved to Colorado and didn’t want to come back. So, at the end of the first year, in 1945, my grandparents bought it.�

Cyndi said after her grandfather, Robert, and grandma, Winifred, took over, Ecker’s became a family business with her own parents, Ted and Bobbi, joining the business. By the late 1970s, Cyndi and her husband, Lyman, became the owners.

Over the decades, the business flourished like a plant with plenty of sunlight and ample water and nutrients to feed it. At one time, the family owned nine different greenhouses, Cyndi explained.

But a series of disputes with the city of Waverly over renovating and repairing the aging structures led to the business downsizing to its current iteration: the main shop and two attached greenhouses filled with pleasant aromas of the oils that are emitted from petals, sepals and stems of the various plants.

The couple announced the decision to close the beloved business in a social media post on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The word of the looming end to the business spread fast, with many customers coming into the small store to share memories and hugs with Cyndi throughout Tuesday afternoon.

At about 4:30 p.m., mother and daughter Christa and Maddie Leary stopped into the store and upon seeing Cyndi, immediately embraced her in a long hug, with both women telling her they were “so sad� to learn of the decision to shutter the business.

“They will be missed. They served the community well. As soon as I saw the post that they were closing, I was like, ‘Awww, I need to go buy a plant,’� Christa said. “They are a generational business in our community passed down from family members. It means a lot. It is tough. I want Lyman and Cyndi to enjoy their retirement. It is totally bittersweet.�

Beth Franz, a 13-year employee of Ecker’s, said she has not decided what she will do once the business she’s called home closes at the end of January. Franz noted that she is excited for Cyndi and Lyman and their future plans.

“I am sad for the city of Waverly. It is tough losing a great flower shop. It is going to be hard missing all my friends who I’ve gotten to know and work with,� Franz said. “After this many years, we’ve become family.�

Marcia Litterer, a 31-year staff member at Ecker’s, said the business has been more like a family affair than a job.

Cyndi said the decision to close the business was not easy, but she admitted that she has been planning for her retirement since 2016. What that retirement looks like has yet to be determined, she added, but will likely include flowers in some manner.

For now, the business will remain open with normal hours, all normal services and the usual care and commitment to serving a dedicated customer base as best possible until the final day of operations on Jan. 31.

“Quite frankly, I am ready to retire. I am 72, and Lyman is 76. It takes a lot of juice to run this place. Plants have no idea it is summer. Or that it is a holiday. Or that you are on vacation,� she said. “It requires (a lot). They are like children: you have to tend to them all day, and they are all different. So, we are ready to step away from that kind of commitment.�

Cyndi said she was especially grateful for her marriage to Lyman and his role in the business. She also thanked all of her employees – current and former — saying that she will do whatever is possible to support the current staff into the future.

“(Lyman) is retired. But, he is involved every day. He has been committed since ‘73 when he worked for my folks. When we took over in 1978, I have no idea why he didn’t head for the doors several times during our challenges through the years,� she said.

The possibility exists that the business reopens under new owners in the future, Cyndi noted, but if that does happen, the new business will not carry the name “Ecker’s,� she added. Until the doors close one last time, the store will fulfill all orders, reservations and flower-of-the-month club subscriptions.

“We are going to be a full-service florist all the way through (the closing date). I will tell you what, I started planning this retirement in 2016, and I think it is time,� she added. “It is kind of bittersweet, and there is kind of a heart tug being the one to end a family business. But I want it to be as positive as it can possibly be. We are going out at the top.�