Local Flower Shop News
HIGH PROFILE: Little Rock florist's fascination with flowers began in his grandmother's garden - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Tuesday, December 19, 2017Sampson Walls Sr., Walls grew up in North Little Rock. His grandmother just grew flowers, but it was Walls' aunt, Shannon Stormes Watts, who worked in the floral business. Visiting her at her job at Tipton & Hurst in Little Rock, and accompanying her to flower shows at the former Vestal Floral Supply in North Little Rock, then-11-year-old Walls felt he'd found his calling."I would sit there for hours and hours and hours and watch these three designers up in front, working on tables, creating these amazingly gorgeous arrangements with everything from branches they find in the yard to things they find at the fruit and vegetable department at the grocery store," Walls says.Around age 12-13, Walls got to work with his aunt. "When she would let me take the trash out, I would go through the trash and grab all the dead flowers and take them home and make arrangements," he says. Eventually Walls began helping out at Tipton & Hurst during the holidays, watching the florists work and getting ideas from them. During the off-season, he'd camp out in the basement, creating Christmas arrangements that would be sold starting in November. His work on the arrangements drew the attention of company owner Joe Hurst and took him from unpaid intern to paid employee.Eventually, Shannon Watts left Tipton & Hurst to start her own shop, at which Walls would hang out after classes at Catholic High School. It was there that he met Steinkamp -- "the 'it' caterer of the moment in Little Rock," says Walls, who accepted her invitation to come and work with her.Steinkamp remembers how conscientious the then-teenage Walls was when he came to work for her. "You [told] him something one time, he knew," she says. "He just has the most natural ability and I've never seen a work ethic in someone that young." Their working relationship turned into what has been a 35-year friendship, with Walls becoming like a member of Steinkamp's family.Doing food and, sometimes, flowers for Steinkamp's events, Walls knew he wanted to be a floral designer. But he also wanted a Plan B ... namely, a business degree. After graduating from Catholic High, he earned that degree from Christian Brothers College (now University) in Memphis.While working at his aunt's business, Walls met Tom Chandler, who'd offered him a job at his interior design firm after high... http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2017/dec/03/michael-rayburn-walls-20171203/
Tipton and Hurst buys Shepherds Florist - Pine Bluff Commercial
Tuesday, June 13, 2017THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Shepherd Florist and Greenhouses in Pine Bluff has been sold to Little Rock-based Tipton and Hurst for an undisclosed sum. Tipton and Hurst is the oldest and largest florist company in the state. Howard Hurst, owner of Tipton and Hurst, said Shepherds will be remodeled and take on a more 21st century approach to both home decor and the floral industry, including an online presence.Hurst said that he and John Shepherd, owner of Shepherd Florist, have been friends for years, and their fathers were contemporaries.“While we are the oldest florist in the state, Shepherds is probably second or third and one of the largest,” Hurst said. “We have always thought of them that way. My dad and John’s dad started the Arkansas Florist Association in the early 50s.”Shepherd said he plans to stay at the florist shop for a few more weeks, then retire.“We know that our customers will be in good hands,” Shepherd said.Hurst said that Shepherds will retain its name. http://www.pbcommercial.com/news/20170602/tipton-and-hurst-buys-shepherds-florist
Oceanside, East Rockaway florist continues to grow neighborhood support - liherald.com
Sunday, February 28, 2021He’s one of us, so I can’t say enough about the good things he does,” D’Ambrosio said. “The part that excites me is the fact that as a customer, you can’t get a better florist, but at the end of the day, what the guy gives back to the community is more important.”Graham is a lifelong Oceansider, and attended School No. 3 and Oceanside middle and high schools. He has volunteered in the Oceanside Fire Department for more than 15 years, and is involved in many organizations, including the Oceanside Kiwanis Club and Chamber of Commerce. He lives in Oceanside with his wife, Rachel, and their daughter, Rylie.Graham called it “amazing” to earn the honor, adding that there were 1.6 million votes cast in the contest overall, but he was unsure how many were for his shop. The business has also given back to the community in many ways, including at the height of the pandemic in April, when the shop donated 50 arrangements to seniors at the Oceanside Care Center and dropped flowers on stoops of random strangers’ homes throughout Oceanside and East Rockaway. Additionally, the shop offered carnations to a woman who was placing them on nurses’ cars at hospitals, including Mount Sinai South Nassau, to show support for front-line workers. Graham said the coronavirus took a toll on his business because he had to close his shop from mid-March through early May by order of New York state. He is still feeling the effects of the pandemic, he added, because there has been a shortage of supplies, so costs have increased. “Another challenge is day to day, you don’t know what’s going to occur with the pandemic,” Graham said. “You don’t know what business is going to be like, and there’s really no way to project anything.”With Valentine’s Day coming up, Graham said he thinks his shop will likely sell out of product early. He said some positive changes also came with the pandemic, leading his shop to start offering curbside pick-up and increasing its delivery service. With stores in Oceanside and East Rockaway, Graham said he was hopeful to open businesses in other towns.“I think in the future, our goal is to continue to grow and to continue to do everything we can to give back to the community,” he said. “Whether it’s fundraisers, hospital donations or anything else, we want to be a place where the community comes, and we want to be a part of something to help others. Whatever we can do.” ... https://www.liherald.com/stories/oceanside-east-rockaway-florist-continues-to-grow-neighborhood-support,129886
Especially Yours Florist to Celebrate 20 Years in Kenilworth - TAPinto.net
Sunday, February 28, 2021KENILWORTH, NJ - Twenty years ago, on October 7, Especially Yours Florist opened its doors. Since that day this local florist shop has been a staple in the Kenilworth community creating flower arrangements and floral gifts for numerous occasions and celebrations. Owner Cindy Baker Southern spoke to TAPinto Kenilworth to tell her story how it all began.Starting a business 20 years ago was the scariest thing I have ever done. Not sure of what would be ahead of me, I was positive I would give it my all. My first year open brought challenges I did not expect. My sister Jaye Shear found out she had breast cancer and would leave working with me. I hired a driver, Sharon Iscaro to help out, and nineteen years later we are still together. She became shop help, a designer, and my friend. We went through the tragedy of 9-11, and helped raise money for the first responders, and then we had a fire in the front of the shop! Having gone through a tough first year, I realize none of it mattered if we didn’t giv... https://www.tapinto.net/articles/especially-yours-florist-to-celebrate-20-years-in-kenilworth
Love blooms year-round at Stamford florist - The Advocate
Sunday, February 28, 2021Cluceru.The ceremony took place, not in a cathedral or a temple or on a beach in Acapulco, but inside a flower shop in Stamford, just blocks away from the Government Center. Cluceru is also a florist, and conducting weddings in-store is just another part of her business, like selling roses and arranging bouquets. Except that Cluceru, who has owned Nobu Florist with her husband for over 20 years, doesn't quite see it that way. In the two years since she's been officiating weddings at Nobu, it hasn't necessarily boosted her sales of flowers, although brides-to-be often find her through wedding websites and blogs. Some of the clients who marry in her shop do purchase their flowers for the occasion from Nobu, but many don't. Some even bring their own with them. "I love it," Cluceru said. "Every single wedding I do, I almost cry, even though I've said it a million times." Many of the ceremonies performed at Nobu are arranged at the last minute, for a variety of reasons, whether personal or political, Cluceru said. While performing the ceremony, Cluceru choses words that emphasize the importance of respect, integrity, honor and equality in marriage. She has just one piece of advice: it's better not to get married on Val... https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Love-blooms-year-round-at-Stamford-florist-5233785.php
New Floral Subscription Service from Bloom Gal at Rockcastle - Spectrum News
Sunday, February 28, 2021GREECE, N.Y. — A longtime family floral business in Greece is offering a new floral subscription service. Bloom Gal at Rockcastle Florist is a flower subscription for flower bouquets delivered on your schedule.Wendy Rockcastle is surrounded by bright beautiful flowers no matter what time of year. She’s been arranging flower bouquets for decades at her family floral business. She knows flowers make people happy.What You Need To KnowBloom Gal is a floral subscription service by Rockcastle FloristWeekly, bi-monthly, monthly and seasonal flower deliveries are availableRockcastle Florist has been in business since 1951“It has been proven that flowers improve your state of mental health. So we thought that, especially during this time, it was important to get more flowers to more people more regularly,” said Wendy Rockcastle.Wendy and her daughter Mary wanted to not only help boost spirits, but boost flower delivery service. Bloom Gal offers weekly flower delivery, bi-monthly, monthly or seasonal. You can cancel at any time. They deliver to homes and businesses in Monroe, Ontario, and parts of Wayne and Orleans countie... https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/business/2021/01/26/new-floral-subscription-service-from-bloom-gal-at-rockcastle
New Floral Installation Launched At Queens Farm - Flushing Post
Sunday, February 28, 2021The Floral Escape.“The flowers are made to look real and play to people’s senses,” Ahmed said.(Image provided by Laila Ahmed)Ahmed said that a crew of up to 35 people – made of up of florists, carpenters and other assistants – put the installation together on site which took about a week to complete.For example, the body of the 11-foot tall latte is made from wood wrapped in vinyl and then topped with roses, hydrangeas and eucalyptus to represent the flavor toppings.“It was a full production and we wanted to lift people’s spirits and share our joy of flowers,” Ahmed, who has been a florist for 12 years, said.An 11-foot tall latte at The Fall Escape. (Image via The Floral Escape)“Flowers and bright colors make people feel happy and we want people to take pictures in front of the installations and create memories,” she said.Other floral attractions include a bright red rose barnyard, a “cornfession chair” engulfed in blooms and a selfie station arced in the colors of the rainbow.“It’s an immersive experience,” Ahmed added.Ahmed said that The Fall Escape can be enjoyed alongside the Queens Farm’s fall program which includes pumpkin picking, a massive outdoor corn maze as well as its harvest weekends where patrons can purchase and consume some of the farms produce.All attendees are required to wear masks when unable to maintain a social distance of six feet and there are several sanitizing stations located throughout the farm, organizers said.The Fall Escape is open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday to Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and runs through Nov. 29.Tickets cost $20 each for adults, $14 each for children aged 2 to 10 years of age and kids under 2 years of age are free.Tickets can be purchased on The Fall Escape website by clicking here.(Image provided by Laila Ahmed) No comments yet... https://flushingpost.com/new-floral-installation-launched-at-queens-farm-museum
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