Canoga Park Flower Shop News
'Nonessential' businesses close due to coronavirus - Los Angeles Times
Thursday, April 02, 2020Mall closures were announced by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which operates 15 malls in California including Westfield Topanga & the Village in Canoga Park, Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia and Westfield Century City. Advertisement “We have not made this decision lightly, and believe this is in the best interest of protecting our various stakeholders,” said Jean-Marie Tritant, U.S. president of the Paris-based company. “We look forward to reopening these centers in the very near future. In the meantime, we are doing everything possible to make sure that ‘essential’ retail outlets remain accessible.”Also closed were Simon Property Group malls such as Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance and Ontario Mills in Ontario. Taubman Centers Inc. closed malls across the country including the Beverly Center in Los Angeles and the Gardens on El Paso in Palm Desert.Smaller, stand-alone businesses were busy Friday considering their options and wondering whether they would be able to survive in the coming weeks or months. In Eagle Rock, Leanna Lin was figuring out how to turn her predominantly brick-and-mortar retail business into an ecommerce-only operation. She has run Leanna Lin’s Wonderland, “a playful gift shop and art gallery for the young at heart,” since 2010.Less than a week ago she had decided to offer curbside pickups to her customers. Now, going entirely online eliminates the beading and art parties — birthday and otherwise — hosted in the store.“As long as this doesn’t go much further than April 19, I think we can make it,” Lin said.On her Instagram page, which has 13,800 followers, Lin is showcasing items, offering free shipping on purchases of $25 or more and asking customers to buy gift cards.“Please support us online,” one recent post implored. “I promise you it’s just as cute and we’re adding a bunch new things often.” Advertisement One prominent store operator forced to close his Los Angeles shops said he was incensed that big retailers deemed essential such as Costco, Walmart and Target now have the market to themselves to sell nonessential items such as toys, towels and holiday knickknacks that people might otherwise buy at small businesses.“This really bothers me,” said Fraser Ross, owner of two Kitson stores on Robertson Boulevard, who fears, for example, being stuck with surplus Easter stock after he resumes business. His competitors shouldn’t get to sell theirs right now either, he said.“Is that Easter section at Costco getting closed off?” Ross asked rhetorically. “They shouldn’t be able to ring anything unless it’s essential.”Matt Monroe sat inside Turn Zero Games on Friday with the lights off as he waited for a UPS truck to deliver off a shipment to the store he’s owned for seven years.The 38-year-old and his five-member staff had already taken precautions, such as limiting the number of people co... https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-03-20/coronavirus-nonessential-business-closures
LA Marathon runners mix perspiration with passion on Valentine's Day - Los Angeles Times
Thursday, February 18, 2016My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," 34 married couples, including the Horvaths, repeated "I dos" and two couples wed. Marisol Lopez and Brian Salguero, high school sweethearts from Canoga Park, married in sneakers and racing bibs in front of their toddler son and relatives."We were already running it, it's his birthday, it's Valentine's Day, so we figured, 'Why not,'" said Lopez, who was wearing a veil and pink tutu over her running shorts.Their first act as newlyweds, he said, would be to run side by side to the finish line in Santa Monica.More than 20,800 people hailing from every state and 62 countries participated in the race. Kenyan Weldon Kirui won the men's competition with a time of 2 hours and 13 minutes. Nataliya Lehonkova of Ukraine won the women's race with a time of 2 hours and 30 minutes.Race organizers had worried about unseasonably hot weather, warning racers this was not the year to push for personal bests. But temperatures were cooler than expected. When the race began about 7 a.m. at Dodger Stadium, it was 58 degrees. At the finish line near the Santa Monica pier, a thick layer of fog blanketed the coast and the temperature remained in the 60s into the early afternoon.Ten people were taken to the hospital during the race, a stark decline from last year when the race was run in 87-degree heat in March and 36 were hospitalized.Just past the finish line on Ocean Avenue, tables piled high with bananas greeted the runners, vivid yellow against pearly morning mist. Matt Banfield, a 37-year-old aerospace engineer from Torrance, clutched both sides of a garbage can as he retched repeatedly for several minutes."I'm not all that smart," he said. He had started the race too fast and as a result had hit a wall around Mile 18, he said. Within a few minutes, he was eating a banana and savoring his finish."It's kind of beginning to set in now, the relief," he said, adding, "I'm doing Tokyo in two weeks."Along the route, racers were urged on by an only-in-L.A. crowd: Drag queens in cheerleader uniforms. Tiny coiffed dogs in cheerleader uniforms. Confused surfers. And a man dressed as Christ. In sunglasses. Many handmade signs referred to another exhausting contest: the presidential election."If Jeb can run, so can you," on... http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0215-marathon-20160215-story.html
Calif. flower shop with no connection to Capitol riot flooded with threats, negative reviews - SFGate
Sunday, January 17, 2021Thursday afternoon. “One of our employees recently picked up the phone, and the person on the other line said, ‘Are you the bitch who stormed the Capitol?’ And she just said, ‘No, ma’am, we’re in California.’ And the person hung up on her. There’s no apology, no nothing.” At first, Alberti tried to delete the growing number of comments, which he found downright disturbing. “People have written things like, ‘I hope you get cancer,’ ‘I hope your shop burns down,’ ‘I hope you die,’ ‘I hope you rot in jail,’” he said. “And those are the polite ones.” Contrarily, Alberti added that the shop even received a love letter intended for Cudd from a firefighter living in Florida. “To be honest, they both concern me,” he said. In response to the harassment, Alberti notified the Roseville Police Department, which has been periodically sending out officers to check in on the shop. He also contacted Yelp, which he said acted quickly to remove the misguided comments, as well as Google, though he’s still awaiting a response. of this store since 1973.We are getting hate messages and bad reviews as a result. To our customers, please know that we were not part of that. Thank you for your continued trust and please ignore the hate reviews that are not meant for us.— Becky's Flowers (@BeckysFlowersCA) January 8, 2021 “It was just crickets,” he said. “Which was frustrating, because somehow all of (Cudd’s) negative reviews were removed from her page and likely identified as a targeted attack, and we’re the ones dealing with the repercussions.” (At the time this article was published, most of the negative Google reviews for Alberti’s business appeared to have been removed from the platform. However, Cudd’s business also has a 4.6 rating.) Two other florists bearing the same name in Kentucky and Scotland were burdened with similar harassment. Alberti said all of them have given up on deleting the comments, and are instead attempting to respond to each one in order to set the record straight. “I offered to send some people maps of the United States,” joked Alberti. “Most people apologize and then they reverse, but some are steadfast. My thing is, I understand the need to vent and get rid of that hostility, but just spend an extra five seconds of time to see t... https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Beckys-Flowers-Roseville-mistaken-Capitol-rioter-15871654.php
Becky’s Flowers In Roseville Bombarded With Hate, Mistaken For Shop Owned By Capitol Rioter - CBS Sacramento
Sunday, January 17, 2021Becky’s Flowers has a warning to customers on its website stating:“ATTENTION: Our shop has NOTHING to do with the Becky’s Flowers in Midland, TX or any affiliation with Jenny Cudd. Our shop is in California. We did NOT storm the Capitol Building.”... https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/01/14/roseville-beckys-flowers-threats-riot/
‘Are You The B**** That Stormed The Capitol?’: Florist Bombarded With Hate, Mistaken For Shop Owned By Capitol Rioter - CBS Sacramento
Sunday, January 17, 2021ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — A California flower shop is caught in the middle of a fight that’s not even theirs. Now Becky’s Flowers wants to set the record straight.The Roseville store is taking heat for someone in Midland, Texas who’s accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.Assistant manager Kali Mitchell described the stress of simply answering the telephone.“I said, ‘Becky’s Flowers how can I help you?’ And it was immediately met with, ‘Are you the b**** that stormed the Capitol?'” said Mitchell.“I even had one guy say a lot of things I can’t say on TV, obviously,” said owner Aaron Alberti.Those words were aimed at Jenny Cudd. Cudd was arrested Wednesday and charged with a misdemeanor accused of taking part in the Capitol riots.She could be seen smiling and waving at cameras as she left a virtual hearing. She told media outlets she’d, “do it again, and I’d have a gas mask next time.”Here’s where the Roseville store comes in. Cudd also owns a Becky’s Flowers, but it’s an entirely separate shop in Midland, Tex... https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/01/15/capitol-riot-beckys-flowers-president-trum/
Import ban to affect shipments to Hawaii florists - Honolulu Advertiser
Sunday, January 17, 2021HONOLULU ? Seeking to prevent introduction of a fungus that would threaten Hawaii's native ohia forests, the state Board of Agriculture has banned plant products from California, Florida and South America that could be disease hosts.The prohibition will primarily affect shipments to Hawaii florists, who rely on imported flowers and greenery in bouquets and floral displays.At Kihei-Wailea Flowers by Cora, Manager Thelma Garso said about 40 percent of their products used in displays may be affected by the ban.At the smaller A Special Touch shop in Lahaina, florist Leann Lum said she hoped she can purchase more of what she needs from local growers."I think local is always better anyway. It's always fresher," she told The Maui News.The order approved at a board meeting on Aug. 28 takes effect Friday on shipments of any plants of the Myrtaceae or Myrtle family, which includes eucalyptus and guava as well as ohia, which are endemic to Hawaii, and ohia-ai or mountain apple, which is Polynesian introduced.According to Department of Agriculture information officer Janelle Saneishi, the state Plant Quarantine Division has notified Hawaii florists that any Myr... http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Sep/06/br/br8430721956.html
