Carlsbad, CA Florists

Carlsbad Flower Shop News

Coronavirus hit California's cut-flower industry at the worst time - Los Angeles Times

Among the victims are the ranunculus that carpet the Flower Fields near the San Diego Freeway in Carlsbad — a working farm that also is an important agritourism destination. It closed on March 17, two weeks into its season. Advertisement “We are absolutely dependent on the partnership between both tourists and cut flowers in order to make that work,” Mellano said of the Carlsbad farm. “And this year, all of our orders for the ranunculus got canceled by the supermarkets. And the tourism was shut down due to social distancing requirements.”Only a small portion of the fields will survive in hopes that social distancing rules will relax before summer. Then, people might again be able... https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-04-04/coronavirus-californias-cut-flower-industry

Flowers of Point Loma still blooms after 35 years - The full-service florist shop now owned by Penn Bryan has lasted 35 years in Point Loma by customizing its business to meet its customers' needs. “We were looking to find a flower stand to start ... - San Diego Community Newspaper Group

The florist can also deliver quality flowers nationwide through a trusted florist network.Bryan goes to the flower market in Carlsbad two or three times a week to refill her inventory. “They have wholesale up there,” she said.In-between terms at college, Erica Bryan, discussing what it’s like to grow up in a florist shop said, “You learn how to be a people person very quickly. It teaches you to be a little more extroverted than normal. You get to know the community really quickly. Everyone notices you and it’s nice.”What does Erica like most about the flower shop?“Working with my mom, getting to see her do her work and helping her with it,” she said.Flowers of Point LomaWhere: 2170 Chatsworth Blvd.Info: flowersofpointloma.biz, 619-223-3161. http://www.sdnews.com/view/full_story/27692651/article-Flowers-of-Point-Loma-still-blooms-after-35-years--?instance=business

Flowers of Point Loma still blooms after 35 years - The full-service florist shop now owned by Penn Bryan has lasted 35 years in Point Loma by customizing its business to meet its customers' needs. “We were looking to find a flower stand to start ... - San Diego Community News

The florist can also deliver quality flowers nationwide through a trusted florist network.Bryan goes to the flower market in Carlsbad two or three times a week to refill her inventory. “They have wholesale up there,” she said.In-between terms at college, Erica Bryan, discussing what it’s like to grow up in a florist shop said, “You learn how to be a people person very quickly. It teaches you to be a little more extroverted than normal. You get to know the community really quickly. Everyone notices you and it’s nice.”What does Erica like most about the flower shop?“Working with my mom, getting to see her do her work and helping her with it,” she said.Flowers of Point LomaWhere: 2170 Chatsworth Blvd.Info: flowersofpointloma.biz, 619-223-3161. http://www.sdnews.com/view/full_story/27692651/article-Flowers-of-Point-Loma-still-blooms-after-35-years--?instance=pb

Marigold harvest a gift to workers who have kept Mellano blooming for 50 years - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Today, Mellano & Co. farms more than 40 varieties of cut flower products, particularly the fresh foliage and greenery that fills out most traditional floral bouquets. With locations in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Orange County and Las Vegas, it’s the largest specialty cut-flower grower in the nation, producing 6 million flower stems each year. In partnership with the Ecke family and Armstrong Nursery, Mellano & Co. also oversees the 40-acre growing and wholesale operations for The Flower Fields in Carlsbad.Michelle Castellano Keeler, the daughter of Battista Castellano, also grew up on the farm and today is the company’s corporate vice president. She and her cousin, Mike M., said the company has always had a heart for immigrant workers because of their family’s roots in Italy.During World War II when Japanese farmers in California were sent to internment camps, Giovanni Mellano purchased some of their L.A. farm properties and equipment for $1 and then stored everything for the internees until they returned after the war.At the Oceanside farm, Mellano & Co. offers onsite housing for its workers, some of whom have lived on the property for two generations. From 40 to 50 workers live there now, most of them were born in Mexican as well as a few Guatemalans and a family of Congolese refugees. Keeler said the idea for the worker housing came from her dad.“He was an immigrant himself and when we first moved here, he felt the way the Hispanic workers were treated was horrible so he built this area on our farm where they could live and be safe,” she said. Advertisement Taking care of workers is also smart business. Mellano said that 10 years ago, 50 people would show up to apply for five open jobs. Now, with the local unemployment rate at a historic low, just one person will show up to apply for five open jobs, and they may not even have the proper legal documentation to qualify. Giovanni and Maria Mellano with their sons Johnny, second from left, and Mike Sr. at their family flower farm in Artesia, Ca., in the 1930s. Their Mellano & Co. now farms more than 340 acres of flowers in Oceanside and Carlsbad.(Courtesy of Mellano & Co.) Beyond the labor shortage, growing flowers is an increasingly challenging business. The cost of water, electricity and equipment keeps rising along with competition from South American growers, who have significantly lower production costs.To adapt over the years, the company shifted its growing focus away from high labor-intensive crops like gladiolus and chrysanthemums to lower labor-intensive crops like myrtle, ruscus and other greenery. The company also expanded beyond the cut-flower trade into growing hemp, succulents and potted poinsettias and hydrangeas.The company has also invested in state-of-the-art equipment, like sensors that measure the amount of water in the soil to... https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/story/2019-10-27/marigold-harvest-a-gift-to-workers-who-have-kept-mellano-blooming-for-50-years

The 7 Best Destinations To See Flowers Around The World, 2019 - CEOWORLD magazine

Some of these regions boast of rare species of flowers which are indigenous to only that region. We bring you the list of the world’s 7 best destinations to see flowers:Carlsbad- California, USA: For nearly sixty years, Carlsbad is one of the hottest tulip destinations in the world.  The Flower Fields here comprises of  The Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers which bloom every year from March through early May spanning over 55 acres of land.  Carlsbad is a great place to enjoy an afternoon’s day out in the presence of beautiful flowers all around. https://ceoworld.biz/2019/09/21/the-7-best-destinations-to-see-flowers-around-the-world-2019/

ROUNDUP: JP Parker Flowers vacates Indy store, adds retail truck - Indianapolis Business Journal

Mark Weghorst and Nick Smith. Weghorst opened the area’s first Slapfish location in July 2019, inside the Broccoli Bill’s grocery store that his father, Bill Weghorst, owns in Noblesville.California-based Slapfish offers a mostly seafood-focused menu, with an emphasis on sustainably sourced fish. Menu items include fish tacos, burritos, grilled fish bowls and other items, including a children’s menu. The chain is based in the Los Angeles suburb of Fountain Valley and has about 20 locations in several U.S. states, plus England.— Fast-casual Indian restaurant Tandoor & Tikka has opened its third Indianapolis store, and its fourth overall, at 5650 W. 86th St. The restaurant’s grand opening was June 26.It opened in Indianapolis in June 2018 at 805 W. 10th St. near IUPUI, followed by a Castleton location in 2019. Tandoor & Tikka also has a location in Bloomington.— The culinary establishment Studio C, 1051 E. 54th St., has discontinued its coffee service though it is continuing with its other lines of business. Local chef Greg Hardesty opened Studio C in 2019 as a place for a variety of food-oriented offerings based on market demand. The business’ offerings include carry-out meals, private dining and a wine club.— Peppy Grill opened June 19 at 910 W. 10th St. in The Avenue, a mixed-use development near the IUPUI campus. The restaurant is in the spot formerly occupied by Madd Greeks Mediterranean Grille, which closed in March after 3-1/2 years.The new Peppy Grill is associated with the Peppy Grill at 1004 Virginia Ave. in Fountain Square—it is not affiliated with Burt’s Peppy Grill at 3401 E. 10th St.— The Fudge Kettle plans to open its first brick-and-mortar retail space... https://www.ibj.com/blogs/property-lines/roundup-jp-parker-flowers-vacates-indy-store-adds-retail-truck

Small but mighty, a Washington florist battles back in the pandemic - Reuters

I really think they did a good job by not reopening too soon, because look at all the places that are having to close back down, like California, Texas,” Banks said. As the White House and Congress debate the next coronavirus relief bill, Banks said she would like more business funding and clarity on Paycheck Protection Program loans. The shop received a $75,000 loan under the program, allowing it to rehire furloughed staff. “They say it’s forgivable, but they haven’t come out with any clear-cut rules on how to make it forgivable,” Banks said. “I am on pins and needles.” Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Dan Burns and Richard ChangOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-smallbusiness/small-but-mighty-a-washington-florist-battles-back-in-the-pandemic-idUSKCN2511D6

Flower Power: Farm-to-Vase Movement Takes Root on Chicago's South and West Sides - WTTW News

U.S., is more often than not Colombia or possibly Ecuador. The small slice of the market not dominated by imports is, in turn, almost entirely monopolized by California growers. Before they reach Chicago, the blooms, most of which are cultivated in greenhouses, will have traveled thousands of miles via energy-guzzling refrigerated planes, cargo ships and trucks, passing from farmer to exporter to wholesaler to retailer. Plenty won’t survive. What you wind up holding in your hand is less a natural wonder than a marvel of logistics and the modern global supply chain. All of which serves as a prologue to the story of Eco House. Eco House founder Quilen Blackwell. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Rain barrels are the sole source of water for the farm's irrigation system. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Beehives at the farm. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Lilies, biding their time before blooming. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Southside Blooms' floral studio, in the basement of the Blackwells' home. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) What a Midwestern flower farm looks like, when spring bloomers are spent, and summer's are freshly planted. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) Southside Blooms seasonal spring bouquet. (Southside Blooms) Eco House upends pretty much everything we just told you about the flower industry. Here’s a farm with land located not in South America but the South and West sides of Chicago. Flowers are grown outdoors in the dirt on formerly vacant lots in E... https://news.wttw.com/2020/07/08/slow-flower-movement-chicago-eco-house

Flower power: Business continues to bloom at Skyway Creations in Colorado Springs - Colorado Springs Gazette

The business has seen many changes, Don says, though there’s also a lot that hasn’t changed. “You’re still dealing with the trucks and the delivery and the product.”That product comes largely from California, with flowers bred in that state, and from Florida, a conduit for flowers from South America.“We’ve always bought from California and Florida,” Don says. But he’s also had to look to producers closer to home to fulfill a growing desire for more unusual flowers.“We need so many varieties of flowers now. We used to be able to order a big case of this and that. Now we need this special flower.”A desire for more variety isn’t the only change he has seen in consumer tastes. “They say the rose will never die, it will always be a contender,” he says, But, “the rose has finally faded a little bit in the public eye.” One increasingly popular flower, particularly with “the younger crowd,” is the Gerbera daisy.Those younger buyers have also spurred plant sales.“The millennials,” he says, “have caught on to plants again. In some ways, green plant sales died for a while, but millennials really like what we do here. The succulents are quite popular.”At the same time, though, the corporate world is embracing artificial greenery as a way to cut down on maintenance costs, Don says.“We’re doing more artificial than we’ve ever done, and that’s definitely the wave of the future.” He admires how far the artificial greenery has come — “some of the artificial these days will totally fool you” — but cautions that even artificial plants need care, specifically dusting. Colorado Springs workshop teaches ancient craft of blacksmithingWeddings continue to provide steady business. “We do as many as 100 weddings a year, so two a weekend.”Corporate customers, such as local hotels, also remain key to the business.“The hotels are still strong,” Don says. “We’re not doing the centerpiece work, the party work, that we used to get with the hotels.”He calls the 2008 economic crisis “the 25% recession.”“We lost about 25% of our customers, and the rest were asking for a 25% discount. If you can’t do it, somebody else will, so what do you do? You sharpen your pencil and go for it.”That was just one of many economic downturns the business has survived over a half-century.“We’ve always been lucky, we’ve never laid anybody off,” Don says. There have been times where he has gone to his staff and warned them that either someone would have to go or everyone would need to trim their hours, “and everyone has always been willing to do that. That says a lot for my crew.”Other flower shops have not fared as well; Don has seen several vanish over the years. He looks at Skyway and Platte Floral, which has been around for nearly 100 years, as “the two big guns on the block as far as full service.”“We’re so lucky to both still be here in the town,” Lori says.Big-box stores and grocery stores emerged as competition 20 or 30 years ago, and Don thinks that is finally taking its toll a bit. “You see an awful lot of people lined up at the supermarkets at holiday time.”But, he said, “we still get them with the quality,” and the customer service.“We spend the time with people,” he says. He u... https://gazette.com/business/flower-power-business-continues-to-bloom-at-skyway-creations-in-colorado-springs/article_d5c342b4-5821-11ea-b62d-7be600878467.html