Cambridge, OH Florists

Cambridge Flower Shop News

Cambridge florist’s truck broken into after delivering meals to frontline coronavirus medical workers - Boston Herald

The owners of a fourth-generation florist shop in Cambridge woke up to disturbing news Wednesday when they learned someone had broken into a truck they’ve been using to delivering thousands of meals to frontline healthcare workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.The passenger side window of Central Square Florist’s truck got smashed overnight inside the Green Street Garage in Cambridge.The family-owned business since 1929 has been shuttered since the coronavirus shutdown, and instead they’ve been volunteering their vehicles to deliver food to frontline healthcare workers.“It’s just very frustrating,” Jackie Levine of Central Square Florist said of the truck break-in. “It’s bad regardless when people do this, but it’s even worse now.“It just hits harder because we’re already stressed out that we’re not open,” she said. “We don’t need this kind of frustration.”They’re on pace to deliver about 4,000 meals to medical workers this week. They’ve been working with the group Off Their Plate to deliver meals to Boston Medical Center, Beth Israel... https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/04/15/cambridge-florists-truck-broken-into-overnight-theyve-been-delivering-meals-to-medical-workers/

Florists reopen ahead of Mother’s Day, planting seed for non-essential businesses’ comeback - Boston Herald

Mother’s Day.“We’ve had customers looking for flowers in general the entire time we were closed,” said Central Square Florist manager Jackie Levine who can now open up her Cambridge store. “We kept watching and hoping something would change.Change came Monday afternoon, when the Baker administration quietly updated its essential services guidance to allow a limited number of employees of florist shops and other businesses to reenter closed stores and warehouses to fulfill and ship orders taken over the phone and online.[embedded content]“It really is just an unbelievable feeling after so much negativity,” Levine said.Handling enormous demand for contactless deliveries for Mother’s Day, flower shop owners could lay the foundation for other non-essential businesses to come back from weeks of lockdown.Florists said calls, emails and online orders for bouquets flooded in immediately.“It’s the second-biggest holiday of the year for us. It’s been very busy today,” said Brattle Square Florist owner Randy Ricker,  who fielded phone calls from his Cambridge shop.But the road back won’t be straightforward for small business owners, and florists are already facing complications. The state’s guidelines for operation in the lockdown are very specific.For example, stores mus... https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/05/05/florists-reopen-ahead-of-mothers-day-planting-seed-for-non-essential-businesses-comeback/

On Mother’s Day, Mass. Florists Struggle to Meet Demand - nbcboston.com

Mother's Day, Sunday. Many florists stopped taking orders for Mother’s Day after selling out. Central Square Florist in Cambridge was one of the few still taking orders and delivering.Herbert Berg Florist in Worcester said demand was too high because they are short staffed and have a limited supply. "When we all closed up the beginning of March and April, nobody was buying flowers so the suppliers had nowhere to sell them to," said Sally Jablonski, owner of Herbert Berg Florist. "They were just dumping all the flowers."Gov. Charlie Baker allowed florists and some other non-essential businesses to open — on a remote basis — in time for Mother’s Day, but some business owners said it wasn’t enough time to prepare.Some businesses, however, got creative to make the day special. Monument Restaurant in Charlestown partnered with a local florist, Junebug, to create dozens of pre-ordered breakfast in a box packages: meals with flowers.Social distancing rules are preventing mothers from going out to celebrate, so one Charlestown restaurant decided to put Mother’s Day in a box and bring it to some of them.“So we’ve been able t... https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/businesses-adjust-to-mothers-day-during-pandemic/2121803/

Flower shops spring back to life ahead of Mother’s Day after state lifts restrictions - The Boston Globe

From Brookline to Cambridge to Dorchester, florists were crushed with orders from sons and daughters looking to substitute bouquets for brunches this Mother’s Day due to social distancing restrictions.“It’s only Wednesday and I’ve pretty much doubled what I did last year,” Mike Lopez said over the sound of ringing phones at his family’s 100-year-old shop, Lopez the Florist, in Dorchester. “I’m starting to worry if I need to shut down my website and say ‘Enough.’ ”Florists said that the swell is a godsend for businesses that were on the brink of bankruptcy, but that they remain hamstrung by staff restrictions and a global supply chain still shattered by the pandemic.The luxury florist Winston Flowers reached peak capacity for Mother’s Day orders on Wednesday in Boston, Greenwich, Conn. and New York City, citing “changes in the supply chain and our commitment to following all safety and health guidelines by limiting our staff in order to keep their workspaces distant.” Any new orders for the holiday will be delivered the following week.Flower orders typically hitch rides in the cargo compartment of passenger planes, allowing for efficient travel at bargain prices. But with limited international passenger flights between the United States and flower powerhouses like the Netherlands, Colombia, and Kenya, there are very few cost-effective ways to ship flowers now, even when there is a demand.Advertisement“That is the latest battle. Can you even get the flowers on a plane? Usually, I can have any bulb flower from Holland within two days. Or a rose from South America,” said Jackie Levine, manager of Central Square Florist in Cambridge, which has been passed down in her family over four generations. “Those that came took a week.”figcaption class=" img_caption margin_horizontal_0--mobile margin_horizontal_0--... https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/07/nation/after-months-empty-shelves-closed-shops-florists-spring-back-life-ahead-mothers-day-surge/

Let a thousand flowers bloom - and then die, because florists aren't allowed to deliver them - Universal Hub

But what about floral delivery, with orders taken online or by phone? David Levine of Central Square Florist in Cambridge reports that, in the consideration of the Cambridge city solicitor, the answer is no, because flower deliveries aren't "essential," either.Neighborhoods: Free tagging:  Ad:... https://www.universalhub.com/2020/let-thousand-flowers-bloom-and-then-die-because

Business owners tell state lawmakers they are ready to reopen - Dayton Daily News

A local florist was one of several business owners from across Ohio who told state lawmakers Monday that the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has brutalized their businesses and they are eager to reopen with safety precautions in place. “All my employees are furloughed and filed for unemployment and have yet to get unemployment,” Tom Hamilton, owner of Beavercreek Florist, told the Ohio House of Representatives’ 2020 Economic Recovery Task Force. “My business is struggling since there is no income,” Hamilton said. Coronavirus: Complete coverage from the Dayton Daily NewsClosed by government decree since March 24, he said they missed out on proms, secretaries week and Easter and look forward to reopening at the beginning of May in time for Mothers Day. “Who was it who first taught you how to wash your hands? Mom,” he said. But he and other people in his industry are concerned that if they are forced to stay closed they will lose employees to other companies that were allowed to stay open. And if... https://www.daytondailynews.com/business/business-owners-tell-state-lawmakers-they-are-ready-reopen/pl8zPjPLw8ZGBR5C7GwHRN/

Local florist offering delivery specials to nursing homes - 13abc Action News

SYLVANIA, Ohio (WTVG) - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine ordered the closure of all dine-in restaurants, bars, theaters, and gyms, making it an uneasy and sure time to own a small business or to be planning large events. However, one Sylvania florist is trying to make the best of an awful situation. Jen Linehan owns the flower shop Beautiful Blooms by Jen in Sylvania, which has already seen its fair share in wedding cancellations. "Brides are all calling to apologize, and I tell them it's not your fault, we'll do the best we can to reschedule," says Linehan. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing homes are also closed to visitors. That's when Jen had the idea for "Blooms for the Blues" -- a special delivery rate to send a bud vase with some fresh blooms to lift the spirits of nursing home residents. ... https://www.13abc.com/content/news/Local-florist-making-smiles-bloom-568863591.html

Flower growers see sales wither as planting season launches - CBC.ca

Canadian production stems from Ontario. Neighbouring New York and Ohio have also forced garden centres to lock their doors, while Michigan and Vermont have banned retailers from selling non-essential products, including home gardening items. "If they don't open, the damage is going to be astronomical," said trade group head Andi Kuyvenhoven, noting garden centres' crucial role for bedding plants in particular. British Columbia — the second-biggest flower and plant producer — Alberta and Manitoba and have allowed garden centres to keep running, while Quebec deemed them essential along with nurseries as of April 15, though not in time for Easter. Kuyvenhoven, who with his wife co-owns a $2.5-million business selling potted Chrysanthemums and indoor calla lilies — largely to U.S. distributors — on a pair of farms west of Toronto, says clogged supply chains south of the border remain a problem. 'I haven't slept in five weeks' "U.S. customers for a time closed their distribution systems to floral and so the main grocery chains were not purchasing plants," he said, which was hard on growers of cut flowers such as roses and tulips. "If a truck can take 24 skids and four skids were flowers, the flowers came off the trucks and they put more food on the truck — which we completely understand. The only challenge is, when you're growing flowers as we do, they also have a shelf life," said Kuyvenhoven, who bought his business from his parents in 1990. "Now we're now facing liquidity issues...I haven't slept in five weeks." Flowers Canada Growers says exports to the U.S. make up about one-third of greenhouse flower and plant sales, which hit $1.6 billion in 2018, according to Statistics Canada. Nursery sales topped $500 million. While garden centres can continue to operate across much of the continent, growers wonder whether bouquets and flower pots will remain on the shopping list of consumers struggling to make rent amid soaring unemployment numbers and a looming recession. Kuyvenhoven is hoping that families confined to their homes for most of the day will choose to spend what they've saved from unpurchased vacations and lattes on plants for their vases and flower beds. "That's part of what's carried us through downturns in the past," he said. Growers associations are in talks with federal and provincial governments over potential financial relief, with Flowers Canada Growers asking for a "cash injection" as well as extended debt repayment plans secured in part by Ottawa, Kuyvenhoven said. So far, the federal government has extended a stay of default for eligible farmers until Oct. 31, giving flower and potted plant producers an extra six months to pay off federal loans that would have been due at the end of April. Ottawa has also granted exemptions on air travel restrictions to temporary foreign workers and invested $50 mi... https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/flower-growers-hamilton-1.5546023

Family Over Flowers - The New York Times

You find out what’s most important when you start removing things from your wedding day,” said Ms Fagan, who received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master of Education from Fordham.“I came to learn, more than anyone, that the things that are most important are your family,” she said. “Like the flowers and the other stuff, you don’t need that, you just need family.”Mr. Bogle, 44, who teaches fourth graders at John B. Russwurm School (P.S. 197) in Harlem, said his wedding to Ms. Fagan provided a lesson for him as well.“It’s all about commitment,” said Mr. Bogle, the son of Lucena Jackson of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and the late Raymond Bogle.“Unless you are uncertain about marrying someone, you need to get what you have got to get done, done,” said Mr. Bogle, who received both a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of the West Indies and an Master of Education from the City College of New York.Despite the silver linings, the couple, who met in 2017 through mutual friends at the Carmel Hill Foundation’s party for Harlem District 5 teachers, admitted that they were both a bit disappointed as to how the coronavirus reshaped their wedding.“I could seriously say I was disappointed, but what can you do in that situation,” said Ms. Fagan, whom Mr. Bogle surprised with an engagement ring in April 2019 at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.“You just have to hope that everyone else is safe and OK,” she said. “You just have to hope for the best, and just count your blessings.”... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/25/fashion/weddings/family-over-flowers.html