Inside Burge Flower Shop in Asheboro, employees scurry about. After all, Christmas is just two weeks away.

At the counter, a customer presents a miniature red sleigh. “I want you to put an arrangement in this,” she says. “You did such a good job last year; I’ll show you a picture of that one.”

In the back room, florists’ fingers fashion white chrysanthemums into two pieces of foam to create a cross of lacy petals. A couple of workers stand in front of a wall of ribbon. Four shelves stacked to the ceiling hold columns of colors stretching 21 spools tall. They uncurl rolls, form loops, and tie knots to create bountiful bows. By the end of the season, the bow count numbers into the thousands.

As the longtime owner of Burge Flower Shop, Michael Trogdon has a knack for stocking items his customers will love — like cardinals, especially popular around Christmas. photograph by Stacey Van Berkel

Out front, customers mill about in the 3,000-square-foot showroom. Vignettes suggest different styles they might replicate in their own homes. Arrangements of clove-studded citrus fruits and leathery magnolia leaves recall Colonial Williamsburg. Bare branches flocked with fresh-fallen snow — perched with red cardinals and fluffy owls — appeal to nature lovers. A whimsical tree trimmed with pink tinsel and ornaments shaped like cupcakes and cartoon mice encourages childlike delight. Nativity scenes, carolers with rounded mouths, and stately reindeer in white, gold, and silver evoke a classic Christmas aesthetic.

No matter the reason for the visit — a special gift for a friend, a new decoration for one’s own home, a fresh arrangement to express care, concern, or love — customers have frequented Burge Flower Shop since 1950. They come for the products, yes, but more than that, their long-standing devotion lies in how the shop and its people make them feel.

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It’s no coincidence that Michael Trogdon says the best part of owning Burge is the relationships.

“I love flowers and all the beautiful things we sell,” he says, “but my favorite part is the people — the people I work with, the people who are my customers, the new people I get to meet.”

Trogdon started working at Burge in 1978 at age 19. The original owners, sisters-in-law Anita and Ethel Burge, were looking for a delivery boy to shuttle orders around town in the afternoons. Trogdon, a recent graduate of nearby Eastern Randolph High School, fit the bill.

Two years later, at age 21, Trogdon and a business partner purchased the flower shop. Twenty years after that, when his partner was ready to retire, Trogdon bought out her portion.

“Really, besides the farm I grew up on in Coleridge, this is the only place I’ve ever worked,” he says. “I wouldn’t take anything for the years I’ve had here.”

Michael Trogdon. photograph by Stacey Van Berkel

While the shop changes with the seasons year-round — always offering decor, floral arrangements, bows, garden flags, and candles — Christmas calls for a different kind of energy. Before the tinsel and trees are packed up in late December, Trogdon and 10 employees plan for next year. They evaluate what was a hit, what didn’t do so well, and what trends are emerging. In January, Trogdon attends AmericasMart in Atlanta, and he orders Christmas merchandise by February. Products begin arriving in June, and most items are in house by September. As soon as the jack-o’-lanterns go dark on October 31, Trogdon readies Burge for its annual Christmas open house the first weekend of November. Three hundred customers come through in four days to get a glimpse of new holiday hallmarks they might add to their homes.

In addition to shopping, customers gain inspiration. They ask questions about how to take the looks from Burge and re-create them. Often, the most popular pieces appeal to a person’s past.

“Traditional is always good,” Trogdon says. “The vintage-looking things are really popular right now. Someone will say, ‘I remember my aunt had something like that. This reminds me of her.’”

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Betty S. Caviness has been shopping at Burge Flower Shop since she and her husband settled in Asheboro in 1958. After traveling the country following his Air Force orders, the family returned to Caviness’s hometown with a travel trailer, a few household items, and not much else. Over the years, she has collected all sorts of Santas and hundreds of ornaments, many from Burge.

“It’s just magical to go in there,” she says. “I’m not able to go out a lot, but I go in there.”

At age 94, Caviness doesn’t decorate like she used to, when she’d erect a large tree in her living room, rimmed with a train and Christmas village. When she worked in the Randolph County Clerk of Court office, she’d give coworkers handmade gifts every Christmas. She dabbled in painting, crocheting, and candymaking.

For many customers, a highlight of Burge’s offerings is the vintage-inspired decor. Trogdon knows that people love to see nostalgic reminders of the Christmases of their childhoods. photograph by Stacey Van Berkel

These days, her main commitment is preparing Sunday lunch for family, friends, and neighbors. She does most of the cooking and always sets a festive table, often with a table runner, glassware, and figurines from Burge, or “Michael’s,” as she refers to it.

“I’m not sure where he gets all of his ideas, but boy, he comes up with them,” she says. “He’s very talented, but he’s more than talented. He’s kind and courteous and warmhearted.”

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Before Trogdon started at Burge, he thought that mostly wealthy people purchased flowers. He quickly learned that this line of work attracts customers from all walks of life. And the situations often associated with floral purchases require those in the business to navigate a range of human emotions.

“From a family preparing for a funeral to a new dad wanting roses for the hospital, we deal with it all,” he says.

Longtime customer Alana Robinson recalls attending the funeral for a coworker’s husband a few years ago. The widow requested nothing but roses.

“If a young man wanted to get his wife or girlfriend a rose that week, there probably was not one to be had in Asheboro because Michael went out of his realm to buy roses for [the widow’s] husband,” Robinson says. “I’ve never seen so many roses in my life.”

Preparing for Christmas is a yearlong endeavor. Between trees, wreaths, and more, Trogdon estimates that it takes about 32,000 yards of ribbon to carry out his holiday vision. photograph by Stacey Van Berkel

Robinson began shopping at Burge 33 years ago as a newly married homeowner looking for a few things to make her house feel special. Since then, she’s relied on the shop throughout numerous seasons of her life.

When her late father had dementia, Robinson took him out on Saturday mornings to give her mom a break. She always stopped by Burge. Trogdon’s mother worked in the shop, and upon every visit, she greeted Robinson and her father and escorted him around, showing him things and giving him pieces to hold and feel.

In 2021, when Robinson contracted Covid, her best friend ordered a flower delivery from Burge. Robinson’s husband met the delivery man at the door and explained the situation. A few days later, Robinson received a get-well card from Burge, signed by all of its employees.

“That delivery guy didn’t have to go back and say anything, but he did,” she says. “And that really meant a lot to me.”

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Each year, Robinson attends Burge’s Christmas open house. She enjoys the ambience of flickering trees and candles and lamps after dark.

“It’s almost magical, in a way,” she says. “And sometimes I think we need a little bit more of that.”

When Trogdon works late during the holidays, he watches cars slow down and cruise through the parking lot, sometimes parking to admire his window displays. At a time when nearly any piece of decor or gift can be purchased online, loyal regulars continue to visit Burge in person. Trogdon sees customers who make the drive from Burlington, Kernersville, and other surrounding towns.

One particular customer sometimes comes in and says, “Michael, I’m not going to buy anything today. I just need 30 minutes of feeling good.” So she walks around the shop and admires the decorations and watches the florists and bow makers. And without purchasing anything at all, she leaves Burge Flower Shop feeling better than when she came. No matter the season, everyone could use a place that makes them feel like that.

Burge Flower Shop
625 South Fayetteville Street
Asheboro, NC 27203
(336) 625-3466
burgeflowershop.com