Welcome to #HOMETOWNHUSTLE – a SweetwaterNOW exclusive series where we highlight hardworking individuals in our community.
This month we sat down with Tracy Hafner, owner of Save the Date in Rock Springs. What started in a garage in 2018 has grown into a full-service floral and event shop with a second location in Green River. Tracy’s story is one of passion, perseverance, and proving the doubters wrong.
The Backstory
Tracy Hafner isn’t new to the floral industry. Before Save the Date, she owned and operated a flower shop in Casper. When she moved to Rock Springs in December 2010 for her husband, she closed that chapter, but only temporarily.
After spending time working for other companies, Tracy realized she missed what she truly loved. In October 2018, she officially formed Save the Date, launching the business out of her garage, taking on weddings and specialty events before growing into something much bigger.
When she signed her first brick-and-mortar lease downtown on K Street, her landlord pushed for a three-year commitment. Tracy asked for two years, telling him she’d outgrow the space in one. He was skeptical. It was a year to the week that she packed up and moved to her current location, exactly as she predicted.
When somebody tells me I can’t, I pretty much prove them wrong
Tracy Hafner
Expanding to Green River
Save the Date’s second location, Aspen and Willow in Green River, came out of community demand, and a turning point in Tracy’s personal life.
After losing her husband Kevin Hafner, who had been her sounding board and biggest supporter behind the scenes, Tracy had to reimagine what the future of the business looked like. As she began meeting with people and hearing more requests for a Green River location, the decision started to make itself.
“The more I was meeting with people, the more people kept talking about it,” she said. “I was like, well, why not?”
Aspen and Willow opened recently and has already been warmly received. The shop’s first Valentine’s Day, typically one of the more challenging days for florists, went well, with both Rock Springs and Green River locations selling out.
“The community has been very supportive in Rock Springs and Green River has been very welcoming to us,” Tracy said.
The Green River location is still building out its inventory, with a focus on expanding its plant selection and gift items.
More Than Flowers
Save the Date offers a wide range of services beyond everyday floral arrangements. The shop handles weddings, sympathy arrangements, linen rentals, tuxedo rentals and a large selection of gift items.
Tracy said Kevin’s role in the business, while he was alive, was less about flowers and more about keeping her focused.
“He was my sounding board, things to try or not try, to focus on or not focus on,” she said. “The support, the encouragement, the cheerleader in the background.”
She said there are still days she reaches for the phone to bounce an idea off him.
“I miss it terribly,” she said.
Opening During COVID
The move to a brick-and-mortar store came in 2020, right into the teeth of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tracy had planned to launch at the spring home show, but the event was shut down along with everything else.
“It was terrifying,” she said.
With no grand opening and no public events, Tracy pivoted. She ran everything remotely, left arrangements on doorsteps, and kept advertising consistently so customers would know she was still there when things reopened.
“I thought if I was going to do this, I needed to stay in front of people,” she said.
It worked. Save the Date not only survived the pandemic, it grew out of its first location within a year.
So if you haven’t already, be sure to stop by Save The Date or Aspen & Willow
- Address:Â Save The Date at 1175 Dewar Dr Rock Springs or Aspen & Willow at 2 E Flaming Gorge Way, Green River
- Hours: Open Monday – Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Phone Number: You can contact Save The Date at (307) 522-5283 or Aspen & Willow at (307) 875-2136
