NATCHEZ &045; After nearly 30 years as an educator, Brenda Williams was ready for a change. When retirement time came last year, she indeed chose a second career far different from the classroom and board room.

&uot;I was ready to tackle the challenge of doing something different,&uot; Williams said, relaxing at a small table in Ja’Nel’s Flowers and Gifts, a business celebrating 45 years in Natchez.

&uot;I taught school for 22 years and then went into administration, first as assistant principal, then as principal at Natchez High School and then as district administrator,&uot; Williams said.

As the owner and operator of a florist, her schedule and her daily routine have changed. &uot;Needless to say, I no longer have manicured nails and wear suits and heels,&uot; she said. &uot;I have so many former students who now are grown and come in here and say, ‘Mrs. Williams, is that you?’&uot;

The change could not suit her better, she said. She and her husband, Lee Williams, bought the business in 1997 from Ann Thompson, who had owned Ja’Nel’s for 23 years. &uot;Lee was working next door to Ja’Nel’s, and Ann told him she was selling it. He called me one day and said he was going to buy it. I told him, ‘I don’t think so.’&uot;

Lee Williams persisted, however, and could not be deterred from the purchase, his wife said. As she completed her career in education, he ran the business until June 2004.

&uot;Then I pushed him aside,&uot; Brenda Williams said. She went to floral school and came back ready to make a difference in a business she was afraid people were forgetting.

&uot;For the past several years, there has not been a lot of marketing,&uot; she said. &uot;I’m advertising now and trying to remind everybody we’re alive and well.&uot;

The business opened in the Medical Arts complex in 1960, with close friends the late Jane Wood (Fowler) and Nell James (Woolf) as proprietors. The business next moved to a corner location in the Trace Town Shopping Center, where it remained for many years.

Nell Woolf remembers opening the business and the long hours she and her partner spent at the shop. &uot;Other people had Christmas. We worked. Other people had Easter, but we worked,&uot; she said, quick to add that the business was a joy, as well.

&uot;And I’ve watched it with interest as it’s kept going,&uot; she said. &uot;I’m so proud that it has remained. I know we couldn’t have done it without the support of all our friends.&uot;

Brenda Williams is pleased to be associated with a business that has survived successfully for so many years, she said.

&uot;Ja’Nel’s has been a Natchez floral tradition for 45 years. We’re still small but very customer oriented and want to do our best to please,&uot; she said. &uot;We really appreciate all who have dealt through the years with Ja’Nel’s. It’s a tribute to Natchez and Adams County that a small business like this has been able to survive.&uot;

Moving from the education field into the business field held a few surprises for her, Williams said. For one, she had not imagined the long-range planning required. She is quick to learn, however.

She enjoys most of all the chance to interact with customers and to help them make good choices. &uot;I’ve learned that people really like unique things. They like showing off something different that no one else has.&uot;

Williams has done some rearranging in the shop and hopes to begin adding more gift items to the inventory. She delivers flowers and gifts and can wire &uot;just about anywhere,&uot; she said.

The business has been filled with delights. &uot;There’s nothing more fun than delivering flowers to someone. You know you’re always going to make them smile,&uot; she said.

One delight has been working with brides and learning about the new ideas they bring to weddings. &uot;They are far more creative than traditional. They think outside the box. They’re introducing bright colors. Brides are very trendy,&uot; she said.

With the people skills she has learned as an educator, some of her talents have carried over to the new career, Williams said. &uot;I just like to see people coming through that door so I can try to make them happy.&uot;