Local Flower Shop News
Orlando florist hurt by COVID-19 hopes business blooms for Mother’s Day - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
Wednesday, March 31, 2021ORLANDO, Fla. – Mother’s Day weekend is a time when many people purchase flowers for their moms, but an Orlando florist said increased holiday sales may not be enough to help an industry that saw a lot of business disappear during the coronavirus pandemic.The sounds of customers coming and going are welcomed by Bay Hill Florist owner Carol Newton.Newton said she opened the doors to her business on Monday for the first time in more than a month. Her store was closed for a week after the statewide stay-at-home order was enforced, but she later reopened her business to offer deliveries only.Still she said the COVID-19 pandemic is wilting her business. Newton said she lost 95% of her sales.“We lost an awful lot of business with Disney, Universal, the hotels and restaurants in the area. It was very tough,” Newton said.She is hoping her business will bloom now that the state is slowly reopening.Newton said this time of the year is usually busy for her store. With Mother’s Day this weekend, she said she is seeing more customers come into the shop to buy flowers or place orders online and by the phone. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/05/06/orlando-florist-hurt-by-covid-19-hopes-business-blooms-for-mothers-day/
Florist brightens her city with gorgeous floral installations - Aleteia EN
Wednesday, March 31, 2021Anne Dickson is working hard to bring joy to the residents of Pittsburgh with pop-up flower displays.Florists have been hard hit by the pandemic. With major events being canceled, a lot of work and profit has dried up. However, one Pittsburgh florist, Anne Dickson, has decided to put her skills and time to good use.Inspired by fellow florist, New Yorker Louis Miller, who’s been creating some stunning “flower flashes” to brighten up New York City, Dickson decided she wanted to spread some floral joy in her own community, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.She started by sharing her gratitude with health workers for all their hard work. So the owner of Fox and the Fleur florists went along to Shadyside’s Family House, where patients and their families can stay together. She brought some bright blooms to decorate the facade of the house with an impressive installation. She also tagged her work “F&F [Heart] Pittsburgh #flower power” in chalk on the sidewalk in front of the home, and added it to her Instagram account to spread a little more joy.From there Dickson created more imp... https://aleteia.org/2021/03/24/florist-brightens-her-city-with-gorgeous-floral-installations/
'It's up in the air': Louisville-area florists hustle ahead of a pandemic Valentine's Day - Courier Journal
Wednesday, March 31, 2021LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Valentine's Day hustle at Susan's Florist gets started well before the calendar turns to February.Myriad roses need to be ordered for the storefront at 2731 Preston Highway. Grids have to be taped on top of colorful vases to hold up flowers during transportation. And, of course, flowers must be arranged in said vases for the special occasion.And though this year's Valentine Day is anomalous for multiple reasons — it's on a Sunday, a non-workday for many, and in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic — the 73-year-old flower shop is ready to do what it has done for nearly a year now: stay nimble and make special deliveries for its many customers.But like other holidays, COVID-19 continues to throw a wrench in everyone's plans."We really don't know what to expect," said Jessie Smith, lead designer for Susan's Florist. "We're just kind of rolling with the punches."As with businesses nationwide, the deadly coronavirus pandemic has impacted Louisville-area florists. On one hand, workers now suddenly... https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/02/11/valentines-day-2021-louisville-area-florists-hustle-amid-pandemic/4435860001/
Here’s your guide to preserving and crafting with flowers straight from your garden - OregonLive
Wednesday, March 31, 2021Working from her home studio in Hillsboro, Eliades said having this business during the pandemic has helped her to push her creative boundaries.Anyone can craft with plants, however, and florist Jeremi Carroll and farmer John Peterson said a good place to start is just by looking around your garden.“See what you have. What aesthetic do you want? What are you trying to build?” Peterson said. “See what textures you might want to incorporate into whatever you’re making.”Owners of Pollinate Flowers in Newberg, Carroll and Peterson started a dry flower program at their shop last year. They create arrangements and wreaths made from flowers they grow and dry on their farm, and even sell wreath kits at their retail shop.Carroll said that you can dry anything, but some flowers are just naturally easier to work with than others. Roses, yarrow, statice, Gomphrena, amaranth, marigold, hydrangea, grass seed heads, feverfew, celosia and strawflower are all varieties that are considered dry when they’re alive, he said, so they will dry easily and hold their shape well.“They already have a crispy texture to petals, so when they dry they don’t change structure or color,” he explained.24Dried flower craftsThere are multiple ways to dry flowers, but the three most common methods are hanging upside down, using silica gel and pressing. Carroll said the traditional way is to bunch flowers together and hang them upside down in a dry and dark space. He recommended drying them in the house away from a window, where humidity is low.That method works for many flowers and grasses, but for daisy-like flowers, such as black-eyed Susans, drying works better with the petals and center of flower drying face-up, Carroll said. When they hang, the gravity will close up the petals around the center, so Carroll recommended dr... https://www.oregonlive.com/hg/2021/03/heres-your-guide-to-preserving-and-crafting-with-flowers-straight-from-your-garden.html
After the shooting, a boy gave flowers to workers at King Soopers stores near the attack - The Washington Post
Wednesday, March 31, 2021He purchased dozens of carnations in a variety of bright colors and paid for them with money he earned from dog-walking. When JJ told the florist his plan to give a flower to every store employee, she offered him a generous discount.That’s when he turned to his mother and excitedly said, “kindness is spreading!” Witmer recalled.They did several laps around the supermarket and handed out one flower to every employee. With each flower, JJ shared an earnest message.“We just wanted to let you know you’re appreciated. Thank you for being here today. It must be hard,” he said to each employee.“At first, I was a little bit timid because I wasn’t sure how they would react,” JJ said.But then he saw that employees instantly responded with overwhelming gratitude.“They were really thankful. Lots of them were crying and giving me first bumps and air hugs,” JJ said. “It made me feel so good. I was filled with joy and happiness.”While chatting with the store employees, “they said they were kind of scared to go do their job,” JJ added. “I think we made the right decision because it made a lot of people feel good.”Although Witmer followed closely behind her son, “I just stood in the background and let him do his thing,” she said. “This was his idea, and I was just there to support him.”After about 45 minutes in the store, they moved on to another King Soopers location in Reunion, a community in Commerce City, which is where the Witmer family usually gets their groceries.“We know most of the employees there,” JJ said.He purchased three dozen red roses that the store’s florist also offered at a heavily discounted price. Again, he circled the supermarket, handing out flowers to every employee in sight.“He even waited for a staff meeting to end so he wouldn’t miss anybody,” Witmer said.Marsha Esparza-Barnabe, 58, who works in the pharmacy at the Commerce City King Soopers, was surprised when JJ approached her with a rose.The atmosphere in the store was “very somber,” she said. “Everybody was talking about [the shooting], and it was just very sad. It could have been our store.”Then JJ appeared, rose in hand.The small gesture of kindness was so overwhelming, Esparza-Barnabe said, that “I actually turned and walked to the back and cried.”Not far away, in the baking aisle of the supermarket, Zerelda Todd — a King Soopers employee of 46 years — was on her knees, stocking the shelves with tubes of frosting.“All of a sudden, I heard this quiet voice go ‘Ma’am,' ” Todd, 64, said. ... https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/03/25/king-soopers-shooting-flowers-colorado/
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