California Flower Shop News
AT WORK: Family flower shop in Wallingford prepares for Valentine's Day - Meriden Record-Journal
Sunday, February 10, 2019Q: Where do the flowers come from?Greco: We get flowers from all around the world, six days a week believe it or not. Anywhere from Holland, California, the Philippines, South America and Ecuador. We always have a rotating fresh stock which gives our customers a lot of choices.Q: What’s it like being able to continue the family business?Greco: Well my mother, who is 92, is still here everyday and when customers come in they’ll always remind us ‘oh your mom and dad did my grandfather’s wedding back in 1960.’ The flowers that leave here today are just as beautiful as when my dad was here and making them for the fifty plus years he did the design work here.akus@record-journal.com203-317-2448Twitter: @KusReporterRead more articles like this and help support local journalism by subscribing to the Record Journal.Unlimited Digital Access just 99¢Read more articles like this by subscribing to the Record Journal.Unlimited Digital Access for just 99¢... http://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Lifestyle/Features/At-Work/Wallingford-florist-runs-family-flower-shop.html
Florists feeling the Valentine's Day pressure - KOB
Sunday, February 10, 2019Extra contract drivers will deliver different flower arrangements. He said flowers are being flown in from South America. Truckers are driving flowers from Miami and California.“We’re not delivering flowers. We’re delivering a message from one person to another person, and the flowers just go along with that message,” said Glass. “And that’s really what’s important.” ... https://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/florists-feeling-the-valentines-day-pressure/5236854/
5 Free Apps to Order Valentine's Flowers - The Mac Observer
Tuesday, February 05, 2019From You Flowers offers beautiful flower arrangements for same day delivery by a local florist. Whether you need to send flowers to New York, Texas, or California, FromYouFlowers.com offers USA flower delivery from coast to coast. Want to make it a one-of-a-kind gift? Add a teddy bear, chocolates or a balloon bouquet to your online flower order.Be the first to know about promotion and discount announcements about flower arrangements! Also, you can quickly place a flower order with your mobile device and send flowers to your loved ones with the same day delivery option using the special day reminders and deals. [4 Valentine Apps to Shop for That Special Someone]Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash... https://www.macobserver.com/tips/quick-tip/5-apps-valentines-flowers/
Perspective | This D.C. florist secret to surviving 114 years and four generations - The Washington Post
Tuesday, February 05, 2019The florist’s all-time customer list has featured Washington Post cartoonist Herblock, the late Mayor Marion Barry, the Washington Nationals, television/radio host Larry King, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, astrologer Jeanne Dixon, civil rights and women’s rights activist Dorothy Height and half the hotels in town.Florist shops in the United States average about $350,000 in revenue a year and pocket about $50,000 in profit, according to the Society of American Florists. With $2 million in revenue, Caruso must be raking in profit.Cheryl Diaz MeyerFor The Washington PostRob Mittemeyer of Caruso Florist loads flowers into the van for delivery within a 25-mile radius of downtown Washington.“The business supports a lot of people,” said Mike Caruso, 59, Phil’s son who runs the day-to-day operations at the florist. Four Carusos work there; three brothers and father Phil, who is the president. There are 23 full-time employees and five trucks delivering flowers seven days a week. The big expenses are labor and flowers. [Here’s how rich you have to be not to worry about getting dragged from a plane]The five trucks together typically make more than 100 deliveries a day, dropping off fruit baskets at hospitals, flowers at churches and a dozen roses at a Potomac home. Ninety-five percent of orders arrive by phone and Internet. The business has computer files on thousands of its regular customers. About 40 deliveries are standing weekly orders for drop-offs at the University Club, a dentist’s office, the hotels and a law office — anything within a 25-mile radius of downtown. Caruso Florist is known for higher-end pricing and service, with orders from $35 for a basic arrangement to $30,000 to decorate the Hay-Adams for an over-the-top wedding. Mike Caruso arrives before sunrise every Monday. He spends the morning organizing the day, which may mean unloading 1,000 roses flown in from Ecuador or checking on the Gerbera daisies that just arrived from Canada’s eastern provinces at 6:30 a.m. “We have five trucks out on the road today,” Mike said last Monday. “Probably close to 100 deliveries. August is the slowest month of the year. Once Congress goes out, things kind of calm down.”December, February and May make up half the business. There are three weeks of heavy traffic leading up to Christmas. Mother’s Day is bustling. And then, of course, Valentine’s Day.It’s do-or-die day. The truck fleet grows to 30 just for Valentine’s Day, and the staff doubles.[My conv... https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/this-dc-florists-secret-to-surviving-114-years-and-four-generations/2017/08/18/ee1a0152-836e-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html
FIORE florist grew business out of grit and hustle - Pensacola News Journal
Tuesday, January 22, 2019Pallin hustled to hone and develop her design skills by pursuing jobs and learning opportunities from other successful designers. She got her foot in the door with an innovative and prominent California florist after regularly pursuing him for a job, for four years. “I would see him places and I would constantly ask him for a job and he would constantly say no until one day I asked him and he said yes! I learned so much and absorbed what he had to say like a sponge. My motto with my team now is ‘How can we make it different and better,’ and I learned that from him.” Determined to pursue her design dreams, Pallin decided she needed to be in New York City to reach them. At 26 years old, she took everything she had to the Big Apple — $1,000 and a couch — and gave herself a month to make it. She soon found a job working as an interior florist in the Carlyle Hotel. Pallin and one other employee were responsible for servicing the entire luxury hotel with arrangements and helping with party planning. For two years, she worked events for hotel guests such as fashion designers Calvin Klein and Diane von Furstenberg, as well as planned hotel parties where other celebrities would attend, including entertainer Eartha Kitt and many others. New York was a “make it or break it” experience for Pallin, but she says because she was on her own she learned more and persistently asked for help. She found more freelancing opportunities and was soon helping to produce television design shows for the likes of star hosts Martha Stewart and Katie Brown. More: Celebrating with Flowers Thrilled with her success, Pallin had no real interest in moving back to Pensacola where her mother now lived again. However, during a visit home for Mardi Gras she met her husband, Tim Pallin, and never went back to New York. She continued to travel to the Big Apple for freelance jobs but eventually decided to combine her passion for design with her entrepreneurial spirit and open a business in Pensacola. She started FIORE at 35, when she was pregnant with the first of her two children. “I guess I just had a lot of drive,” Pallin explains with a smile. “Florists weren’t as hip then as they are now. My passion was for designing and I had to learn how to run a business. Twenty-two years later, I don’t see myself doing anything else in the future.” Pallin’s team of 10 employees includes one man and the rest are women, several who have been with her for years. They work together around the tables in the Design Room and also in the field preparing for someone’s special occasion. Sometimes the work can be stressful, juggling deadlines and the emotional needs of customers who want flowers for everything from weddings to funerals, but they all work as a team to help customers feel like friends and family. Many stop by just to visit the staff while they work on designs in the shop. Dropping in at FIORE is like stopping by a friend’s place. Inside the historic, brick building on Main Street is an assortment of displays in the gift shop including home décor, jewelry, and the ever fashionable “Fifi,” a decorative display mannequin whose flamboyant regalia embodies the current mood of the season. Just past the gift shop is the large Design Room, the heart of FIORE. The walls are lined with coolers and buckets overflowing with blooms of every color, shape and size, as well as shelves and stacked floor-to-ceiling vases, big and small. It’s a busy, but peaceful... https://www.pnj.com/story/life/2018/08/25/pensacola-florist-grew-fiore-business-out-grit-and-hustle/1070517002/
Perspective | This D.C. florist secret to surviving 114 years and four generations - The Washington Post
Tuesday, February 05, 2019People say, ‘Gosh, why don’t you put a shop in Virginia? Why don’t you put one in Maryland?’” Mike said. “The thing about this is we like to have control over the product and the employees and everyone. That way, you can take care of your quality. If you start branching out more and more, then you have more headaches.”Boxes of flowers come in the back door, and beautiful arrangements fly out the front. Besides the trucks, they have some refrigerators and a computer. “With flowers, you want to move those out two, three days after you get them in,” Mike said. “It’s not like food where you can put it in the freezer. You want to keep that product moving.”The Washington economy does its part.“You are insulated by being in D.C., between the government, the individual businesses and the law firms,” he said. “We have been at this location since 1968. The rents keep escalating. I try to get in as long a lease as I can. I signed one a couple of years ago for 10 years.”[A first lesson on the stock market: Don’t run from a good sale]Mike’s brothers, Tim and Steven, split responsibilities. Tim takes care of technology and billing. Steve handles hard and soft items such as vases and fruit. Phil orders most of the flowers and is the ambassador and face of the company.Everything about Phil is flowers. He lives in a Montgomery County neighborhood called (I am not making this up) Flower Valley. His house is on Jasmine Drive. He wore a green flower-print Brooks Brothers silk tie when I saw him.Phil doesn’t take a salary. He and Peg, his wife of 63 years, live on Social Security and stock investments.“We bought a new truck with my salary [instead... https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/this-dc-florists-secret-to-surviving-114-years-and-four-generations/2017/08/18/ee1a0152-836e-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html
Perspective | This D.C. florists secret to surviving 114 years and four generations - The Washington Post
Monday, December 17, 2018People say, ‘Gosh, why don’t you put a shop in Virginia? Why don’t you put one in Maryland?’” Mike said. “The thing about this is we like to have control over the product and the employees and everyone. That way, you can take care of your quality. If you start branching out more and more, then you have more headaches.”Boxes of flowers come in the back door, and beautiful arrangements fly out the front. Besides the trucks, they have some refrigerators and a computer. “With flowers, you want to move those out two, three days after you get them in,” Mike said. “It’s not like food where you can put it in the freezer. You want to keep that product moving.”The Washington economy does its part.“You are insulated by being in D.C., between the government, the individual businesses and the law firms,” he said. “We have been at this location since 1968. The rents keep escalating. I try to get in as long a lease as I can. I signed one a couple of years ago for 10 years.”[A first lesson on the stock market: Don’t run from a good sale]Mike’s brothers, Tim and Steven, split responsibilities. Tim takes care of technology and billing. Steve handles hard and soft items such as vases and fruit. Phil orders most of the flowers and is the ambassador and face of the company.Everything about Phil is flowers. He lives in a Montgomery County neighborhood called (I am not making this up) Flower Valley. His house is on Jasmine Drive. He wore a green flower-print Brooks Brothers silk tie when I saw him.Phil doesn’t take a salary. He and Peg, his wife of 63 years, live on Social Security and stock investments.“We bought a new truck with my salary [instead... https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/this-dc-florists-secret-to-surviving-114-years-and-four-generations/2017/08/18/ee1a0152-836e-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html
Forget Flower Girls Chic “Flower Grannies” Led the Way Down the Aisle at this Wedding
Tuesday, October 16, 2018Frostburg. For the couple’s first official date they settled on a restaurant neighboring the Chesapeake Bay in Havre de Grace, Maryland, called the Tidewater Grill. Chelsea and Joseph strolled together down the pier sharing life stories and inside jokes. By the time they reached the Concord Point Lighthouse, it felt as though the stars had aligned. For the next four years, the couple took turns traveling to each other’s homes every weekend.div class="eic-image eic-image-0" data-size-x="516"... https://www.washingtonian.com/2018/09/26/wedding-flower-grannies-not-flower-girls/
Schaefer Wholesale Florist Launches New & Improved Website For Better Customer Experience
Monday, October 01, 2018Schaefer Wholesale Florist offers high quality florals and supplies for current and new clients in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. “SWF is continually seeking ways to fulfill our client’s needs with the highest-quality fresh-cut flowers, special event supplies, and more, and the new website does just that. With the new website, we not only expanded our customer reach with a clean, modern look, but deliver easy to access direct buying options that improve customer selection and offer expanding buying power with outstanding costs savings. In addition, we are excited about the new informational video tutorials on the new site.”- Sherry Schaefer, Buyer/Owner, Schaefer Wholesale Florist. The new website allows Schaefer Wholesale Florist to better serve their clients and continue the tradition of delivering the highest quality products with competitive prices. At Schaefer Wholesale Florist, the new site promises a fresh, up-to-date look that is easily navigated, to make selecting and purchasing the finest, freshest florals and accessories with value packed pricing, cost saving shipping solutions, and excellent service. Visit Schaefer Wholesale Florist (https://www.SWFlorist.com) today, experience the ease of the new client-centric website and find your favorite fresh florals and supplies! Bio: In 1958, Schaefer Wholesale Florist began providing stunning fresh cut flowers to florists, wedding and floral designers, retail and wholesale merchants, and special events planners. Their business has grown successfully due to guaranteed on-time delivery of premium fresh flowers and foliage to customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Today their longstanding tradition of quality, service, and value continues with the South American Direct Program, the Holland Fresh Cut Direct Program, Quick Buy online ordering, and Dutch-Direct Online/Ecommerce Auction. As always, Schaefer Wholesale Florist continues to meet their longstanding goal of delivering the freshest fresh cut flowers anywhere along with foliage, plants, supplies, and accessories. Source: Schaefer Wholesale Florist ... http://www.perishablenews.com/index.php?article=0070771