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Barry Cowart does most of his design work at The Claxton Florist.
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Cowart vies for state floral Designer of the Year title Friday at competition in Macon
By Al Hackle
Enterprise Editor
Barry Cowart of The Claxton Florist will be designing five different floral arrangements in 2 1/2 hours this Friday morning as he competes for the Georgia State Florists’ Association “Designer of the Year” title in Macon. Think of an Iron Chef competition, except with flowers instead of food, and you won’t be far off the mark.
In his first year as co-owner of and designer for The Claxton Florist, Cowart won every one of six district-level floral design competitions he entered last year and so captured the Coastal Georgia Florists’ Association’s “Designer of the Year” award. Those district-level competitions are held in conjunction with the district association’s monthly meetings. For these contests, each designer had to create just one arrangement of a designated type, such as a bridal bouquet, party centerpiece or sympathy arrangement, from materials costing no more than $25.
“You had to be pretty creative to make something out of $25 worth of product,” Cowart says.
The state competition is a designer show unto itself and more involved than the series of district heats. Cowart will face a maximum of five rivals for the statewide title, since there are six district associations. Each contestant must complete five designs in the 150 minutes allotted. Each will be supplied with the same materials in the same quantities but must supply his or her own tools.
Every competitor will make arrangements in these five categories: Sympathy, Centerpiece Bridal, Hospital and Surprise. The “Surprise” category means that contest officials will surprise the designers by asking them to make an unannounced type of arrangement.
The number of arrangements and the time limit subject the competitors to the kinds of pressures they would experience while filling orders in a retail florist shop.
“There’s a time element and, many times you’re limited to materials on hand, you know?” Cowart says.
But unlike what usually happens in the back of the florist’s shop, people will be watching, including judges.
“I hadn’t competed in years and it came as a little bit of a surprise when I was winning and winning and I thought, Oh wow! I’m actually going to end up at state,” Cowart says.
“But I’m excited about it. I think it will be good for me and it will be good for the shop,” he adds. “You know, you never stop learning. At least I don’t think you do.”
The 2010 statewide winner will receive a $250 cash prize at the time of the win plus another $250 after representing the state in the Southern Designer of the Year competition. The winner will also receive a plaque and have their name engraved on the Cooke Cup, the perpetual trophy honoring William and Tommie Cooke, past president and longtime supporters of the Georgia State Florists’ Association.
By prior agreement signed as part of the contest entry, the winner not only may but must represent the Georgia State Florists Association at the Southern Retail Florist Convention in Charlotte, N.C., competing for Southern Designer of the Year.
The state runner-up will receive a plaque and a $300 cash award, and the third-place designer will receive a plaque and $200.
A Claxton native, Cowart has grown far in floral design since his teen years, when he made dried arrangements for Pat Boney’s shop, Pat’s Gift Gallery, back when “country” decor was in vogue. He bought his supplies for those first arrangements from Jane Hammock of The Claxton Florist.
After graduating from Claxton High School in 1986, Cowart attended Savannah College of Art and Design and planned to major in interior design, but instead took a job with a florist in Hilton Head. Now he has more than 22 years experience in the industry, during which he has trained in classes and workshops under some of the world’s top designers.
His design work has appeared in several national magazines, including Veranda, Southern Accents, House Beautiful and Better Homes and Gardens. For several years he helped with floral designs for the CBS broadcasting cabin at the Masters Tournament in Augusta. As often as he can he attends the National Symposium, which sets the standard in floral design shows and is held each July in a different U.S. city. Cowart has also been asked to serve on a panel doing design work for this year’s regional Christmas design show.
Cowart and his cousin, Bernice Anderson, purchased The Claxton Florist in early 2009 from Jane Hammock, who retired at age 91 after owning and operating the shop for more than 45 years. They then relocated the business to a newly renovated shop at 9 East Railroad Ave. where Cowart’s flair for design is on display in the showroom.
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Chamber’s Industry of the Year made Claxton famous Mayfield named Citizen of the Year; other honors go to Quick Kut, NorthSpring, Job Training
3/3/2010
By Al Hackle
Enterprise editor
As recognized by the Claxton-Evans County Chamber of Commerce, the Industry of the Year is the company whose product is Claxton's greatest claim to fame, Claxton Fruitcake, while the Citizen of the Year is an industrial development leader who works to keep the lights on.
The Industry of the Year award to Claxton Bakery Inc. and the Citizen of the Year honor to Randy Mayfield were two of the eight awards presented during the Chamber's 2010 Membership Banquet and Salute to Business & Industry. The banquet held last Thursday evening in the Evans County Wildlife Club facility took its "Survivor" theme from the hit TV show, but there was also an undertone of surviving the current recession as guest speaker Kerry S. Waldron, who works as economic developer for Cook County, Ga., spoke on "Keeping Your Fire Lit When the Wood is Wet."
Industry of the Year
Ovens in downtown Claxton were already turning out fruitcakes before the Great Depression, and even before World War I. In fact, Claxton Bakery Inc. is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.
"We present our Industry of the Year award to a business that was started in 1910 and became an instant success. Throughout the years this business has been
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