The house that love built

A quiet, unique home on College Avenue has recently received new attention when the well-known Jackson floral and gift shop, Bloomers, moved from its downtown location into it.
The Love Pugh home is a Jackson landmark framed by tall pines and pecan trees. It was built in 1910, long before modern businesses made their home on College Avenue. At the time, Isaac Love Pugh was a farmer who owned and tilled the land surrounding the house on both sides of what is now College Avenue, at that time, a dirt road. His acreage began near present-day Hardees and stretched south to where the High Acres subdivision is today.
Love Pugh and his wife, Catherine, along with their 12 children, lived in the five -bedroom farmhouse. Several of the Pughs’ children were born in the home, including Dacy Pugh Espy. Dacy, the youngest of the Pugh children, was also married in the front parlor of the home.
Additions were made to the home through the years. When indoor plumbing became available, bathrooms were added. In the 1950s, the back porch was converted into an apartment.
In 1997, Pat Espy, the grandson of the late Love Pugh, began restoring the home, which had been used as a rental property. The farmhouse took on new life as fresh paint, new windows and a tin roof were added.
As time passed, land around the home was sold for the growth of the city of Jackson, but the lot on which the Love Pugh home sits is still serene and unassuming. The Bloomers’ staff has placed rocking chairs on the large front porch and the aroma of fresh rosemary welcomes visitors to the home that seems the perfect setting for a southern floral and gift shop.
Opening day at Bloomers brought in repeat shoppers and curious onlookers who wanted to see the house that Love Pugh built. No one was disappointed to see the beautiful home teeming with life. Bloomers’ owner, Terri Mc- Connell, and her staff have embraced the farmhouse’s existing charm and style and invested time, love and energy to establish their business within the historic walls.
An antique rhyme states, “A house is made of wood and beams. A home is made of love and dreams.”
The dreams and affections of Isaac Love Pugh built the house which was made into a home by the love expressed by the Pugh family in the early part of the 20th century and now contains the devotion and hopes of a well-loved and ever blooming local business.