Marietta Square florist asks for help after brazen midday theft

“It makes me sad for the community,” civic-minded owner says
Florist K. Mike Whittle, shown giving a floral arrangement class, had cash stolen from his Marietta store. Photo: Jennifer Brett

Florist K. Mike Whittle, shown giving a floral arrangement class, had cash stolen from his Marietta store. Photo: Jennifer Brett

Florist K. Mike Whittle’s shop sits just off the Marietta Square, beside First Baptist Church, across the street from St. James Episcopal Church and down the block from First Presbyterian Church.

Someone who came into the shop on Monday apparently missed the bit about thou shalt not steal.

Whittle told police that he walked out of his office into the shop’s main area and discovered a man behind the counter about 12:25 p.m. The man told Whittle several times “I didn’t take nothing,” then rushed out. Whittle was able to take several photos as the man exited the building, then discovered cash missing from the register.

"I think he had scoped the place out," Whittle said Tuesday afternoon, just as Loud Security Systems was completing a major upgrade. The man appeared to be keeping an eye on a staircase, and was surprised when Whittle emerged from an office to the side of the main lobby.

“I said, ‘Excuse me, what are you doing?’” Whittle said. “I don’t worry about me as much as I do my employees. It’s crazy the world has come to this for absolutely no reason.”

He asks that anyone with information call the Marietta Police Department’s non-emergency line: 770-794-5300.

A Marietta native who got his start as an entrepreneurial kid who would dig cattails from a ditch and sell them to an area flower shop, Whittle has operated his store in a historic building, once home to the library, for 10 years.

An early career highlight came in 2002, when he was invited to help decorate a float for the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

“We used 35,000 roses,” he recalled. “I was a kid in a candy store with all those flowers. They didn’t know me from Adam’s house cat but they turned me loose.”

He didn’t love getting up on scaffolding to attend to the top of the float, but otherwise enjoyed learning floral problem-solving skills on that big a stage. “We worked 29 hours straight. It just showed me yeah, it can be done.”

These days, his dedication is on display at both festive events and somber occasions in his hometown. Around the holidays, he’s often found festooning venues such as the Hilton Atlanta Marietta Hotel and Conference Center, as seen below:

Photo: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

icon to expand image

Credit: Jennifer Brett

His shop, right beside Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home, also swings into action when Marietta says goodbye.

Whittle is a beloved, civic-minded member of the community. To celebrate “Make Someone Smile Week” one year, he designed 400 coffee mug arrangements with the help of area garden club members and gave them to residents of WellStar Atherton Place and Winnwood Retirement Community. Another time, he walked the Marietta Square surprising commuters with two bouquets, one to keep and one to give away, for a “Petal it Forward” celebration.

If the man who stole cash from his register had come to him requesting help, Whittle said he would have gladly taken him to lunch.

“You try to do good and then crazy people like this come along,” he said. “It makes me sad for the community.”

During a flower arranging class for the Junior League of Cobb-Marietta, he urged caution when handling a popular bloom that, he warned, “will eat your fingernail off.”

The shop will team up with the Davis Direction Foundation, which combats opiate addition, for a holiday event.

He hopes that the Marietta Police Department will be able to apprehend whoever emptied his register on Monday, but he’s not bent on revenge. He supposes the person might need help.

His shop is newly fortified, though, should anyone else consider a similar heist.

“We know when somebody’s coming in now,” he said.