Ansonia, CT Florists

Ansonia Flower Shop News

Florist closes shop after 4 decades - My Citizens News

He expanded into meat a few years later, and in 1984 he purchased the building with help from his parents and a real estate partner. He tried to start up other grocery franchises, one in Ansonia, one in Bridgeport, but they didn’t last more than a few months. Raimo retrenched to Naugatuck.“I still had my baby,” as he called the Rubber Avenue store.On the last day at the flower stand, Raimo was quiet. He punctuated long silences with stories about his life and his business, jumping back and forth across decades. He started bagging groceries in his dad’s store when he was 7. He learned to cut meat in his uncle’s Waterbury market, Antonelli’s. When he had his own store, he liked to group flowers by color.“The colors pop more that way,” he explained, chopping his arms out in front of him like barriers between the colors.When a customer ambled up, Raimo perked up like a geranium after a good watering. His voice got louder and stronger as he called out a “Hi, how are you?” across the parking lot. He cracked jokes, giving some a hard time for planting flowers so late in the spring. If the customers came in couples, he liked to ask, “Who plants them, you or him?” He made everyone who bought a tomato plant promise to bring him a tomato. As one couple drove away, he sighed audibly and said, “It’s people like them.”A friend said to Raimo once, “First time a customer, second time a friend.” Raimo took this to heart. He said he has gone to weddings, confirmations, bar mitzvahs, and funerals of the people he calls “customers slash friends,” and has gotten to know three generations in Naugatuck.“I do love this town, and I love the people,” he said.Teenagers used to come to Raimo, looking for summer jobs.“I used to have a waiting list of kids that wanted to work from the high school,” he said.Some of the former “help,” as he calls his employees, went on to become doctors and lawyers.“Some of them didn’t turn out good,” he said, chuckling. “I love them all anyway.”He said he could tell who was going to do well by watching them work as teenagers.If he had to guess, Raimo said a couple hundred local teens had been in his employ at one point or another, including his own four children, now grown. One son, Eddie Raimo, was with him on the last day, doling out advice on how to make marigolds flower, how to revive sickly tomatoes, selling six-packs of habanero peppers, and loading flats of fragrant basil into cars.The elder Raimo cut deals to sell off the last of his plants. He gave away a few tomato plants to customers he knew, and to a few he didn’t know. He folded bills in half, and slid them into the breast pocket of his tan palm-printed shirt, halfway unbuttoned in the June heat.When the customers were gone, and it was just Raimo, his son, and Josie the German shepherd lying at his feet, Raimo got quiet again.“I’m going to really, really miss seeing all these faces,” he said.He sighed again and looked around.“This stand cost me two marriages. I spent so many hours here —14, 16 hours a day,” he said.On the last day, Raimo didn’t bring a credit card reader to the stand. Cash only. He told one woman who came with just a credit card to just take the marigolds and impatiens she had picked out. Come back to pay him later. She was back in less than 10 minutes with the $6 she owed.“I did that with so many people, and they always come back. I never got beat, ever,” he said. “...

Flower shop among many businesses fighting to blossom - The Riverdale Press

That has sent Columbia delivery drivers throughout New York City, as well as New Jersey, Westchester County and Connecticut. Those are some tall orders, especially since social distancing requirements limits the number of workers allowed in the small shop. “We cannot have many people working in the store, so it has been busier for us,” Dennis said. “Most of the time it has just been my sister, myself and one worker. I have even been taking deliveries out myself.”Sales have dipped, but so have supplies in some cases. In late March, as many were trying to adjust to the “new normal,”  Columbia struggled to stock its flower inventory, both in quantity and variety. For example, one thing missing from the store’s offerings has been tulips. Fortunately, most flowers purchased from South America are still available, Dennis said. Pricing hasn’t changed much, but delivery costs have increased since the shop is going without its regular delivery staff.Flowers also are a crucial part of large events like weddings and baby showers. Yet, all events are now canceled or postponed. It’s unclear when they’ll return, but at least one customer found a creative way to repurpose her ordered flowers into a kind gesture.The woman had put together a sizable order for a baby shower, but ended up hospitalized with the virus that causes COVID-19. Fortunately, she recovered, Dennis said. She was so thankful for her recovery, in fact, she sent the flowers intended for her shower instead to the nurses who took care of her.Unfortunately, many small businesses aren’t having the same luck as Columbia, as the coronavirus shutdown languishes on. While many storefronts are shut because they’re deemed “non-essential,” those that can stay open operate at a reduced capacity. The big question is whether many of the now-shuttered businesses will be able to reopen once New York City is allowed to open its doors again. Some businesses — even essential ones — are choosing to stay closed with hopes of being around long-term, said Christopher Rizzo, a board member of the Riverdale Main Streets Association.“Some of these small businesses have such small profit margins to begin with,” Rizzo said. “So staying open when your revenues are cut in half does not make sense for a lot of businesses. They are choosing to stay closed so that they can stay open in the future.” Dennis says she’s thankful Columbia Florist can stay open in some capacity. She receives many calls from customers thanking her for the flower deliveries, especially to funerals, where a lot of people aren’t present. Says Dennis: “Having a flower there makes a big difference.” ... https://riverdalepress.com/stories/flower-shop-among-many-businesses-fighting-to-blossom,71820

‘Going to be insane:’ Mother’s Day flower delivery during a shutdown - CTPost

Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 71 Caption Close Image 1 of 71 A customer shops for flowers at Filanowski Farms on Wheelers Farm Road in Milford, Conn. on Thursday, May 7, 2020. A customer shops for flowers at Filanowski Farms on Wheelers Farm Road in Milford, Conn. on Thursday, May 7, 2020. Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media ... https://www.ctpost.com/news/coronavirus/article/Going-to-be-insane-Mother-s-Day-flower-15256607.php

Florists Impacted by Coronavirus Restrictions - NBC Connecticut

Connolly.“This year has proven to be a bit of a challenge for obviousreasons,” said Leah Van Ness, the co-owner of the Montville Florist and thepresident of the Connecticut Florists Association.She says many shops are dealing with limited deliveries offlowers, as well as a drop in sales because of canceled events such as proms,weddings and graduations.“Florists are people who tend to be able to very quicklydevelop a new plan and way to make a challenging situation work,” said VanNess. Back in Wethersfield, Notaro says while some business hasdecreased, sadly there’s been an increase in people not being able to attendfunerals and choosing to send flowers instead. She’s run her shop for 11 years and says it was important tokeep it open, though only for curbside service and deliveries.“I felt flowers were a necessity. Everybody loves them,” saidNotaro.Many florists remain closed and some are just reopening forthis week. And they’re stressing deliveries and pick-ups will be non-contact to help ease any worries. ... https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/florists-impacted-by-coronavirus-restrictions/2267250/

Love in the time of coronavirus: Weddings postponed - The Advocate

Ginel doesn’t know when she’ll be able to wear the wedding dress hanging in her closet. She had planned her church wedding for May, but when the coronavirus started to spread in Connecticut, those plans changed quickly. “Everything is obviously emotional and disruptive, but we’re willing to work around whatever obstacles come our way,” Ginel said. “When you think about marrying someone, you think about the difficult times and it just so happens that our difficult time came before the wedding.” As of Sunday morning, the state had confirmed more than 225 cases in Connecticut and five people had died of COVID-19, which is caused by the coronavirus. In the past week, Gov. Ned Lamont has ordered all restaurants to close their dining rooms, limited any gatherings to 10 people or fewer and municipalities have closed public buildings, an end to all events, including weddings. House of worship also have stopped public services. At this point, Ginel and her fiance were just wrapping up the finishing touches to the big day — invitations had been sent, RSVPs ... https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Love-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-Weddings-15152335.php