When the doors of Glacier Lilly open on Saturday, Jan. 22, Michelle Evans will become Steamboat Springs’ newest flower shop owner, but for her, the new store is about more than money — it’s about following her family’s roots.

“This is my first flower shop,” said Evans, whose grandmother Joy Russell opened a flower store 35 years ago. “I’m just kind of following in her footsteps.”

Evans’ grandmother is now retired, but she set an example that Evans has embraced as she prepares to open her own shop in Steamboat Springs.

“The last five years, I have actually been a stay-at-home mom,” Evans said. “I have two kids, and they both go to Montessori here (in Steamboat) and before that I was a CPA. I’m pivoting away from boring life — and I did do wedding flowers when I was in college with my grandma.”

That’s where Evans learned about the business and life from her grandmother, Joy Russell. Evans said that her career took her in a different direction, but after moving to Steamboat from Boulder with her husband, Austin, and children, Otto, 5, and Niko, 3, she is now hoping to get back to her roots and her passion.

The plan is to open the shop at 690 Marketplace Plaza Unit C6 and to rediscover the creativity that running a flower shop can bring.

“We are going to have fresh flowers, and we will do weddings, and event flowers, and restaurant flowers,” Evans said. “In the front of the shop, we will have a dried flower bar, so that people can come in and create their own arrangements. We have a ton of different options for them to put the dried flowers in and create arrangements themselves, or of course, we’re happy to do it for them.”

Most important, Evans wants the shop to be an experience where customers can come in and enjoy coffee and, once the shop gets its license, beer and wine.

She is also planning on offering classes in the evenings and is open to clients booking private events, such as bachelorette parties and corporate get-togethers. Evans said she is also open hosting large groups and family events.

“We’re also going to be doing classes in the evenings. We will do events for fresh arrangements, or dried wreaths, or arrangements,” Evans said. “We want to mix it up each time, and right now we are looking at the first Thursday of every month.”

Currently, the Glacier Lily has Bouquets and Brews events slated for 6 p.m. Feb.3, March 3 and April 7. Tickets can be purchased at TheGlacierLily.com.

The shop’s regular hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A soft opening is planned for Jan. 22, featuring Stewart Coffee, which is sold and served at the store. Evans said there are plans for a larger grand opening on Jan. 29, featuring jewelry from Link x Lou.

The Glacier Lily will bring in flowers from Miami, California and Holland. Evans also has a good friend who grows flowers seasonally about 30 minutes outside of Aspen.

With everything she’s planning to offer, Evans hopes that those who walk through the doors of The Glacier Lily will discover the same joy she found arranging flowers with her grandmother growing up.

“I enjoy flowers — it’s more of a relaxing work environment for me instead of the high-demand, 90-hour work weeks where I was auditing banks,” Evans said. “That just was not for me.”

Correction: This story has been updated to fix the name of the flower store Michelle Evans’ grandmother operated. Also, the Sturtz & Copeland Florist and Greenhouses in Boulder is owned by Carol Riggs. It has been in Boulder since 1929. Riggs bought the store in 1976, and it has never been sold or closed during that time. Riggs is still the owner today.

John F. Russell is the business reporter at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach him, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.