Welcome to the story of DiBella Flowers & Gifts. Since opening our doors in 1984, we've been honored to celebrate life's happiest moments and offer comfort during its most difficult ones. What began as a dream on Charleston Boulevard has grown into a second-generation family business built on hard work, creativity, and a commitment to treating every customer like family. We invite you to look back through the memories, milestones, and people who helped shape our journey and continue to inspire us today.
CHAPTER ONE
It All Started With a U-Turn
1984
Every family business has a beginning. DiBella Flowers & Gifts began with a determined young couple, a dear friend willing to hit the brakes, and one very important U-turn.
By 1984, John and Susan DiBella had spent years working in the floral industry and were ready to build something of their own. They did not have much money, but they had experience, a strong work ethic, and a family that believed in them.
Helping John search for the right location was Grant Holland, a Realtor, dear friend, and father figure. Grant believed in John and Susan’s dream from the very beginning and was determined to help them find the perfect place to make it a reality.
One day, Grant and John were driving down Charleston Boulevard when John noticed an old property with dead grass, tired trees, and a house that had clearly seen better days.
John looked at it and said, “That would be a great spot for a flower shop.”
Grant hit the brakes and made a U-turn on Charleston Boulevard.
“It doesn’t cost anything to look.”
That U-turn changed everything.
The property belonged to Roland Wiley, a former Clark County District Attorney who later built a cathedral in a desert canyon near Pahrump. Grant helped arrange the meeting, and Roland agreed to sell the property to John and Susan, giving the young couple the opportunity they had been searching for.
Finding the building was only the beginning. The old house still had to be transformed into a working flower shop, and the entire family pitched in. John’s mother, Janie, helped provide the money needed to get the business started and kept everyone fed through the long days of construction. John’s stepfather, Bob, was a builder who helped create the original interior, including the coolers, shelving, and work areas.
Susan’s brothers also helped with the buildout and worked at the shop during the early years. Family and friends repaired walls, installed fixtures, created workspaces, and built the greenhouse behind the store. Piece by piece, the old house became DiBella Flowers & Gifts.
On October 1, 1984, the shop officially opened its doors. Money was tight, and John and Susan felt a deep responsibility to the people who had trusted and supported them. They worked long hours, handled nearly everything themselves, and slowly built a business rooted in family, hard work, and personal service.
John always believed they would succeed. He had experience, determination, and, as he still says today, “a talented, beautiful wife.”
More than forty years later, it is remarkable to think that the DiBella story began because Grant Holland hit the brakes on Charleston Boulevard and decided it did not cost anything to ask.
CHAPTER TWO
The early years of DiBella Flowers & Gifts were built on equal parts confidence and worry.
John and Susan believed the shop would succeed, but they also knew family and friends had trusted them with the money they needed to get started. Paying those people back mattered deeply.
“We were nervous about paying our bills,” Susan remembers. “People had invested in us, and we wanted to pay them back.”
So they worked.
They took every order seriously, handled nearly everything themselves, and slowly built relationships with customers who would remain part of the DiBella story for decades.
Some of the earliest support came from people John and Susan already knew through the floral industry. Bill Yeager, who worked in catering at the Desert Inn, continued doing business with them after they opened their own shop. Caroline Wallace, secretary to Walter Kane of the Howard Hughes Corporation’s entertainment department, also helped connect DiBella with work throughout Las Vegas.
Those relationships opened doors, but the family’s reputation kept them open.
The first open house in 1984 became one of Susan’s favorite early memories. Customers, friends, and supporters filled the little shop to celebrate with them. After months of uncertainty and hard work, seeing so many people show up meant more than any formal grand opening could have.
As the years passed, the Charleston property grew along with the business. The family purchased neighboring property, expanded the production space, added more coolers, and built a greenhouse behind the shop. What began as an old house slowly became a busy floral operation serving customers throughout Las Vegas.
John and Susan never stopped working side by side. John focused on relationships, purchasing flowers, and finding opportunities. Susan brought the creativity, designing arrangements and transforming the shop through the seasons.
John never doubted what they could accomplish together.
“I knew we were going to succeed,” he says. “I had a talented, beautiful wife.”
By the end of the 1990s, DiBella Flowers & Gifts had become more than a new business trying to survive. It had become a trusted Las Vegas florist, built one relationship, one arrangement, and one long workday at a time.
CHAPTER THREE
Growing Up DiBella
For Amy, the flower shop was never just where her parents worked. It was where she grew up.
While most kids spent afternoons at daycare or waiting for their parents to get home from work, Amy spent hers wandering through coolers filled with flowers, watching designers create arrangements, and listening to the steady rhythm of ringing telephones and delivery drivers coming and going. The flower shop wasn't something she visited. It was simply part of everyday life.
As she got older, watching slowly turned into helping. There were buckets to wash, floors to sweep, flowers to process, and eventually phones to answer. Like every family business, there was always another job that needed to be done, especially during the holidays when everyone pitched in.
Family was never far away. Susan's brothers worked at the shop during the early years, cousins helped during busy seasons, and holiday rushes often meant calling anyone available to lend a hand. The shop wasn't just built by family. It was filled with family.
John still laughs when he remembers those days.
"Amy was there too... she wasn't doing much."
To be fair, she was only six years old.
As the years passed, the little girl wandering around the flower shop became part of the business itself. She learned by watching her parents solve problems, serve customers, and somehow make every holiday come together, no matter how impossible it seemed.
The flower shop also became an extension of home. There were always donuts in the morning, extra food in the break room for anyone who forgot lunch, and enough Hot Pockets, macaroni and cheese, and Cup Noodles to feed whoever happened to be there. Susan made sure no one went hungry, while John made sure there was always another project to tackle. Music played throughout the shop almost every day, although Susan was famous for turning it down... and Amy was just as famous for turning it right back up.
Looking back, growing up at DiBella Flowers & Gifts wasn't always glamorous. Holidays meant work instead of vacations, weekends were often spent at the shop, and family dinners were sometimes interrupted by another delivery or another customer walking through the door.
But it also meant growing up surrounded by hard work, creativity, laughter, and a family that genuinely loved what they were building together.
Those lessons never left.
Today, Amy leads the day-to-day operations of DiBella Flowers & Gifts, carrying forward the same values her parents built the business on more than forty years ago. The jobs may have changed, but the heart of the flower shop remains exactly the same.
CHAPTER FOUR
Holiday Magic
If there is one thing the DiBella family understands, it's holidays.
For most people, holidays mean time off. For a florist, they're the busiest and most rewarding time of the year. Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, prom season, and every major celebration on the calendar have always meant one thing at DiBella Flowers & Gifts... it's time to get to work.
In the beginning, there weren't many hands to help. During the shop's first Christmas, John and Susan handled nearly everything themselves, designing arrangements, answering phones, making deliveries, and doing whatever else needed to be done to keep the doors open.
"We did everything ourselves," Susan remembers. "It was kind of hard, but we survived."
As the business grew, so did the team. Talented designers, drivers, and staff became part of the DiBella family, and many stayed with the shop for years. Together, they tackled the holiday rushes that seemed impossible until they were somehow finished.
John still laughs about one unforgettable Valentine's Day when the DiBella family and their small team worked through the night creating arrangements for the next morning's deliveries. By the time the last arrangement was finished, there wasn't much point in going home before the day started again.
"Our family ended up sleeping on the floor in the front of the flower shop until the next morning."
It wasn't glamorous, but no one complained. There were flowers to deliver, customers counting on them, and a job to finish.
Over the years, the holidays became known for more than beautiful flowers. Susan transformed the shop with elaborate seasonal displays that customers looked forward to seeing every year. Christmas villages, Easter scenes, Halloween displays, Valentine's decorations, and festive storefront windows became a DiBella tradition, making the flower shop a destination during every season.
Even today, holidays still mean early mornings, late nights, and a tremendous amount of teamwork. While the faces have changed over the years, the mission hasn't. Every arrangement that leaves the shop carries the same care, pride, and commitment that John and Susan brought to those very first holidays more than forty years ago.
CHAPTER FIVE
Seasons of the Store
One thing customers quickly learned about DiBella Flowers & Gifts was that the shop never looked the same for very long.
Every season brought something new. Spring filled the store with fresh colors and blooming plants. Summer welcomed bright arrangements and celebrations. Fall introduced harvest displays, pumpkins, and rich autumn colors. By the time Christmas arrived, the shop had been transformed once again into a winter wonderland.
Susan had a gift for decorating that went far beyond floral arrangements. Every corner of the shop reflected the season, from elaborate holiday displays and themed windows to handcrafted decorations she often built herself. Many people stopped in just to see what was new, often bringing children or visiting family along to experience the latest display.
Amy remembers those displays becoming part of what made the shop so special.
"My mom always created the most amazing window displays. She didn't just decorate them, she built many of the props herself and added her own creative flair. As a kid, it was so much fun watching each season come to life. It was something our customers looked forward to every year, and honestly... so did I."
The creativity didn't stop at the front door. John and the design team were constantly experimenting with new flowers, techniques, and ideas, believing there was always a better way to create something memorable. Whether designing everyday bouquets, wedding flowers, sympathy tributes, or one-of-a-kind specialty pieces, every arrangement was made with the same attention to detail and pride.
As the years passed, the flower shop became more than a place to pick up flowers. It became a place where people could slow down, browse, find inspiration, and celebrate the changing seasons. Many customers made it a tradition to stop by throughout the year, knowing there would always be something different waiting for them.
Looking back, those changing displays reflected something much bigger than decorations. They represented the creativity, imagination, and heart that have always defined DiBella Flowers & Gifts.
CHAPTER SIX
Community & Recognition
As Las Vegas grew, so did DiBella Flowers & Gifts. What started as a neighborhood flower shop became woven into the fabric of the city, helping celebrate its biggest moments while never losing sight of the families who walked through the front door every day.
As DiBella Flowers & Gifts' reputation grew, so did the opportunities. The family designed flowers for conventions, hotels, charities, sporting events, and community organizations throughout Southern Nevada. From floral displays for the Las Vegas 51s and the Vegas Golden Knights to local fundraisers, charity walks, and countless community events, giving back has always been an important part of the DiBella story.
Susan's handcrafted floral guitars became one of the shop's signature creations, made for Elvis Presley during his Las Vegas appearances. The shop also had the privilege of designing for performers including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Céline Dion, Wayne Newton, Dionne Warwick, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gormé, Robert Goulet, and many others.
One celebrity, however, became much more than a customer.
"Joan Rivers was the nicest lady," Susan remembers. "One day I turned around on the flower shop floor, and she was standing behind me. She became our friend."
Over the years, DiBella Flowers & Gifts has also been honored with industry recognition, including multiple FTD Top 250 Florist awards and Best of Las Vegas honors. While those awards are deeply appreciated, they have never been the family's measure of success.
Success has always been measured one customer at a time.
Whether creating flowers for a world-famous entertainer, a bride on her wedding day, a family celebrating a new baby, or someone saying goodbye to a loved one, every arrangement has been designed with the same care, creativity, and attention to detail.
Looking back, the greatest recognition isn't found on a plaque or trophy. It's the generations of Las Vegas families who continue to trust DiBella Flowers & Gifts with life's most meaningful moments.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Today & Looking Ahead
More than four decades after opening on October 1, 1984, DiBella Flowers & Gifts remains exactly what John and Susan set out to build: a family business.
The journey has not always been easy. One of the greatest challenges came when the City of Las Vegas acquired a substantial portion of the longtime Charleston Boulevard property through eminent domain. After decades of building their lives and business there, the family was left with little practical choice but to relocate.
Leaving Charleston was heartbreaking, but giving up was never an option.
The move marked the beginning of a new chapter. For the past two years, DiBella Flowers & Gifts has continued serving Las Vegas from its new home on West Sahara Avenue. The address changed, but the heart of the business did not.
Today, Amy leads the day-to-day operations, carrying forward the vision her parents began in 1984. John and Susan remain deeply involved, sharing the relationships, creativity, and experience they have built over a lifetime in the floral industry.
The next generation is already part of the story too. Just as Amy grew up among flowers, delivery vans, holiday rushes, and the organized chaos of a family flower shop, her sons, are now making memories there as well.
Looking through the photographs, it is easy to see how much has changed. The shop has evolved, Las Vegas has grown, and another generation has joined the journey. Through it all, the values behind DiBella Flowers & Gifts have remained the same.
Susan says it best:
“We’re a family business. We work together and take great pride in everything we send out. We put a piece of ourselves into every item that leaves the store.”
That philosophy has carried DiBella Flowers & Gifts through more than forty years of celebrations, losses, challenges, changes, and new beginnings.
The story that began with making a U-turn on Charleston Boulevard continues today because of the family who built it, the team who helps carry it forward, and the generations of customers who have trusted DiBella Flowers & Gifts with life’s most meaningful moments.
Become Part of Our Story
For more than 40 years, we've had the privilege of helping Las Vegas celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, new babies, holidays, and life's most meaningful moments.
Whether you're sending flowers across town or planning a once-in-a-lifetime event, we'd be honored to help you create the next memory.