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Flower shop able to open for Mother's Day despite being hit two weeks ago

Posted at 7:30 PM, May 08, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-08 22:31:41-04

PHOENIX — One flower shop in South Phoenix was able to open for Mother's Day despite being hit by two cars.

The crash happened about two weeks ago and left the owners of Baseline Flowers scrambling to clean up in time for one of their busiest days of the year.

Kathy Nakagawa and her family have been spreading flowers throughout the desert for over 70 years.

"I have a ton of memories of my grandfather being here, being in the shop every single day," said Nakagawa's daughter, Willa Eigo.

Nakagawa is now the only sibling living in Arizona and took over the shop recently.

"There was stuff I remembered, stuff comes back to you from when you were a kid," said Nakagawa.

But one night her family's legacy was badly damaged as two cars crashed into their building.

Nobody was hurt, but police think speed was a factor.

The crash left debris everywhere and put the shop's cooler at risk.

"Which is where we hold the majority of our flowers, and if that were damaged that would kind of do us in," said Nakagawa. "It would have been really hard."

But with the help of contractors, in just seven days the owners were able to clear the debris and have time to prepare for Mother's Day.

"My mom, I think, took it as a sign," said Eigo. "Like I can either continue with the shop since we could rebuild, or I don't have to and I can be done."

But Nakagawa remembers in the 90's, when part of the shop went of in flames. Even with extensive damage, her parents pushed through.

She told ABC15 that there's a Japanese saying, "shitaka ga nai," meaning "it can't be helped," that her parents would often repeat.

"So, they would just be like you can't do anything about it so you've got to move on," said Nakagawa.

She said that attitude is instilled in her and, like the shop, she's now trying to carry that on.

As they work to rebuild, Nakagawa is hopeful the city will step up.

"They were the ones who chose to expand Baseline from two lanes, and then four lanes, and then six lanes," said Nakagawa.

She said the city has done little to calm traffic.

"I hope it alerts the city of Phoenix to do more to work with small businesses, like us, to try and make things better," said Nakagawa.

The owners don't know the full cost of repairs, but they do have insurance.

Nakagawa thinks the remodel will take until around December.