Selling roses to Longview’s drunks

The rose lady, Pam Johnson

If a man and woman are out on the town — they’re two-stepping, they’re having fun — one thing is all but certain: before night’s end, the rose lady will find them.

And when she does, the man better have $3 in hand. It’s a small price to pay for a husband or boyfriend or even a first date who wants to stay in the good graces of his woman.

The rose lady drives from club to club in Longview and Kilgore. On a mission, she hurries through the front door and scans the crowd for her prey. She darts among them, proffering a bouquet of deep red and other brightly hued roses. Many people say no, but plenty say yes.

She’s sold more than enough flowers to keep her in business for the past 20 years.

“Would you like to buy a rose?”

When the rose lady comes around, you might never think to ask her name. She has one, though. It’s Pam Johnson. Two decades is an eternity in the nightlife industry, and Johnson, 46, credits her longevity to the high quality and reasonable price of her roses. No gimmicks for her.

“These girls from Tyler used to come over with cellophane and teddy bears,” she said. “They think they’re so hot. Well, I have run those Tyler girls out of this town. All I have to have is roses, and that makes my customers happy.”

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One Response to Selling roses to Longview’s drunks

  1. Lacy Pyland says:

    I think I do remember the rose lady, i was never big on clubs and havent been in years, but I remember seeing her at Grahms and a creepy guy got me a rose!

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