Rumford Flower Shop News
Can Instagram Save the Flower Industry?
Monday, October 01, 2018Selfie-seekers flock to Wicked Tulips Farm in Rhode Island. Jeroen KoemanBut I like flowers. I like them a lot. They make me happy. They make you happy, too, even if you may not realize it. A Rutgers University study found that when participants were presented with a gift other than flowers, they smiled and were happy. Sometimes they would smile a “Duchenne smile,” or a true smile that involves the mouth, cheeks and eyes. But sometimes they would fake it, offering up a half-smile, a false affirmation. When the same participants were presented with flowers, 100 percent of them offered a Duchenne smile. “In an emotions lab, you never get a 100 percent response unless you’re dropping a snake on people,” said the researcher. “I was shocked.”These days, flowers are available at every Walgreens, CVS, Whole Foods and Costco. They’re everywhere, and they’re not particularly expensive—you can get a bouquet for less than $10. So why aren’t more of us buying them?Millennials have not yet been accused of “killing” the floral industry, but there is fear among cut flower buyers and sellers that a dystopian future with fewer bouquets (and too many succulents) could be on the horizon. U.S. employment in the floral sector dropped by more than 50 percent between 2001 and 2014, according to data compiled/... https://observer.com/2018/10/can-instagram-save-the-flower-industry/
Schaefer Wholesale Florist Launches New & Improved Website For Better Customer Experience
Monday, October 01, 2018Wholesale 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
New Urban Farm Brings Cheer to Deserving Community
Tuesday, August 14, 2018Purviance said.To supply those people who deserve flowers, What Cheer Flower Farm has partnered with Amos House, the Ronald McDonald House of Providence, and Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island. The women deliver bouquets and buckets of cut flowers to these institutions and other partners.About 90 percent of the flowers currently being grown at the farm were started from seed by Purviance in her kitchen and in a friend’s basement. The rest of the plants were donated by Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth.The farm doesn’t plan on growing vegetables, because it doesn’t want to compete with Southside Community Land Trust and other urban farmers.Besides brightening people’s lives with free flowers — 1,000 have so far been donated — the nonprofit’s mission also includes reversing urban blight, creating a job training center for Rhode Island residents to help them enter the state’s $2.5 billion “green” economy, and making Providence famous for urban flower farming.Chicken manure from Scratch Farm and horse manure from a gentleman farmer in Rehoboth, Mass., have been used to build soil. The property’s 70,000-square-foot monstrosity will be dealt with after another raised flower bed is installed. The farm rents a meter from Providence Water, which allows it to use a fire hydrant for watering. The water is stored in donated tanks of various sizes.Where the dilapidated building now stands, the co-founders envision a barn, classroom space, an office, and space for lease. The footprint won’t be anything near the building's current 70,000 square feet.What Cheer Flower Farm has applied for a brownfield remediation grant with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. An ongoing inventory assessment didn’t find elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The owners have worked with the National Resources Conservation Service and David Foss of Wilcox & Barton Inc., a Vermont-based environmental consulting firm.The property is in better toxic shape than the new owners predicted, but there’s still much work to be done. Much of that work will revolve around fundraising. As a 501(c)(3), the organization will rely on grants, donations, volunteers, and kindness. They also plan to host fee-based workshops for hobby gardeners and amateurs. https://www.ecori.org/smart-growth/2018/8/3/new-urban-farm-gives-back-to-community-literally
'Floral fusion' the theme of 2018 Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show - The Providence Journal
Tuesday, May 01, 2018As the four-day event kicks off Thursday, expect to find springtime inside the Rhode Island Convention Center — no matter what's happening outside. By Kathie RaleighSpecial to The Journal
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An exit poll at last year’s Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show asked patrons what they had expected to see.The answer might seem like a no-brainer: gardens and flowers and springtime. But Blakely Szosz, president of the Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs, made it her mantra as she worked with the team for this year's show, the second since the title was sold to the Rhode Island Builders Association.As the four-day event kicks off Thursday, expect to find springtime inside the Rhode Island Convention Center — no matter what’s happening outside.The Flower & Garden Show is a major component of the Home Show, produced by the Builders Association and now in its 68th year. It’s a good fit. As Szosz points out, "When you go into any of the big-box (home improvement) stores, outdoor living is huge."This year's theme is "Springtime Floral... http://www.providencejournal.com/entertainmentlife/20180404/floral-fusion-theme-of-2018-rhode-island-spring-flower--garden-show