Jaklyn Cato Glorifies God through Her Passion for Flowers

By Anna Harman

Jaklyn Cato is the owner of The Village Petaler, an in-home floral shop right here in Cedarville. She is a wife and a mother of three boys, running her own business with the creative help of family and friends. They moved back to the area a little over a year and a half ago. 

The Village Petaler began with her wedding in September 2011. She really began to work with flowers at her sisters’ weddings. She continued receiving more opportunities to work and the more she created with flowers, the more her love for them and the desire to create grew. 

“ I love art and being creative,” Cato said. “Flowers became an answer to prayer, a way to get my hands dirty and create. It’s my own form of art. In essence, I view each arrangement as my canvas, and in lieu of paint, I build in a vessel with flowers, bendy branches, and greenery. Each different color, the shapes and textures of each component come together into a final composition.”

When asked what sparked her love for flowers, she said, “I’m not sure there was a time when I didn’t love flowers. I am always reminded of how great God is when looking at his creation.” Her passion for flowers and art sparked her desire to start her own business, which is exactly what she did. 

Cato loves designing arrangements, bouquets, installs, etc., and then making them come to life.

“From the flower recipes to the mechanics, vessel choice, ribbon and tags to then taking photos of the finished product, every aspect is life-giving,” she said.

Cato doesn’t grow the flowers herself, but instead supports several farmers in the area and in SW Ohio when possible or gets the flowers from her wholesaler. Interactions she shares with recipients such as delivering flowers to someone and being with them in their hard moments, fill her heart with so much joy.

“I love when the Lord gives me opportunities to shine his light,” Cato said. 

The Village Petaler gets anywhere from 2-10 orders a week normally. But during the summer the number of orders increases, especially for weddings. Last year, they had 10 weddings to make arrangements for. These numbers will only continue to increase as her business continues to grow quickly.  

Every day is different for Cato. She enjoys the varying opportunities that each day of running her own business brings and also the flexibility of her schedule. It allows her to be at home with her three children, age 7, 5 and 3. 

Jaklyn Cato

They help her throughout the day, taking boxes to the burn pile, emptying buckets, riding along to the wholesaler or to make deliveries, and inspiring her with their own creations.

“A home business really becomes a family business,” Cato said. “My huseband is also a huge help as well as my mom who lives in the area. Grandparents and aunts that provide babysitting services during the wedding season, a sweet college girl turned adopted sister who helps me process flowers, the list is long. I couldn’t do it by myself.”

The Village Petaler is a great local business to support if you want to buy your loved ones or even yourself flowers, or if you have an event you need floral arrangements for.  

Cato is available through Facebook and Instagram @thevillagepetaler, where you can send a direct message, or email thevillagepetaler@gmail.com or call/text 937-926-2496 to place an order or make an inquiry. They accept Venmo, Paypal, and Zelle. A website is in the works and will hopefully be available soon.  

Anna Harman is a sophomore Biblical Studies major and also a reporter for Cedars. She appreciates writing, London Fog lattes, flowers and going to concerts.