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Local Flower Shop News

HER | Local decorator helps get homes ready for holidays - Texarkana Gazette

Texarkana area for Christmas. Her team consists of daughter, Dee Dee Wells, daughter-in-law Sherry Campbell; Julia Carpenter, Melissa Silvey, Glenda Jeauno, and Gwen Estill.Most of Marie's clients return to her, year after year. "We have several people that hire us to take down the Christmas decor and store it (in their home) for them," she said. "We put it up on a schedule, and take it down on a schedule."A lot of clients have hunting lodges and vacation homes they have Marie decorate. "My favorite jobs are the lodges. We get to do a lot of natural decor in them," she said.For natural decor such as twigs, moss and dried flowers, Marie has a 35-year relationship with "The Nature Lady" in Mena, Arkansas. It is one of few suppliers she uses outside of the Dallas market.Marie Barfoot has lots of little friends around to brighten up the holidays. (PHOTO BY KATE STOW)Farmer's Bank in Texarkana is just one of the businesses Marie decorates this time of year. Others can be seen in Broken Bow, Idabel, Valiant and Hochatown."I've decorated several businesses in Southeast Oklahoma," Marie said, "including four banks, a phone company, some cell phone businesses and lodges at Beaver's Bend."But Oklahoma isn't as far as she is willing to go. "Every July I go to Dauphin Island, Alabama, where I have several clients. They get decor 'refreshers' each summer," she said. "When I go down there I also go deep-sea fishing for Red Snapper, so it's an annual vacation for me."When she isn't decorating for others, she and her husband Jerry reside on the Louisiana side of Caddo Lake where they enjoy entertaining. They are also very active at Trees Baptist Church. They have four children: Tony Campbell of Queen City, Dee Dee Wells and Misty Lutton of Atlanta, and Damon Donnell of Athens, Texas.Marie says she has never gotten too busy to take on more clients."I never turn anyone down," she said. "I just hire more people to do the work. We will do what it takes to make people happy." n... https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/her/story/2019/dec/03/her-local-decorator-helps-get-homes-ready-holidays/806564/

Day in the Life: Florist Amy Schmidt - Ledger Independent

Amy Schmidt, along with several members of her family, have been putting those baskets together for 10 years in her hometown.Schmidt's mother and father, Libby and Frank Estill and her aunt, Betty Duvall, often help out inside the shop and with deliveries. Janet Hunt also works at the shop to help Schmidt with the amount of orders coming in."People think you just sit around and do nothing when you work as a florist. But that isn't the case. Even I was surprised at how busy you stay when you run a shop like this. You're always putting together a bouquet, taking an order, giving an estimate or making sure you have enough supplies. And, flower work isn't all we do here."Schmidt said customers can also find other items for sale in her shop. She does screen printing for t-shirts, prints recipes on tea towels and other services. She also rents tuxes."It's hard to be just a florist shop anymore, especially in a small area," she said.According to Schmidt, there is no typical day at her shop. Some days, she may put together a few birthday or anniversary arrangements, but often times, she is putting together arrangements for funerals."Today, we're putting together a casket spray and bouquets for a funeral," she said. "If the funeral is in the early hours of the day, we have no choice but to arrange them the day before. If the funeral is in the afternoon,... http://www.maysville-online.com/lifestyles/day-in-the-life-florist-amy-schmidt/article_5e33561b-b7e3-5a63-be7f-df00dbd983a0.html

Oceanside, East Rockaway florist continues to grow neighborhood support - liherald.com

He’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

Stamford Florist Celebrates A 'Rosy' 40 Years In Business - Stamford Daily Voice

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Service and quality are what have kept Stamford Florist in business for 40 years.That, and knowing your customers and keeping on top of the ever-changing world.Owner Jim Ferraro should know. He started at the company as a delivery boy when still a student -- and never left. When the original owners asked if he wanted to buy the business 40 years ago, he quickly said yes. Ferraro said he remembers talking to his mom about it. "I said, 'Mom, you take care of the money and I'll take care of the customers.'"And so it was -- she was his bookkeeper for many years before her death.Over the years, he's added gift baskets -- complete with wine and champagne -- as well as handmade truffles, even fruit and what's called an "Italian Feast" basket.Flowers -- in particular, roses -- are still his number one seller. But for a small business to survive, he said, you need to keep evolving.Stamford Florist officially turned 40 on Thursday, June 1 and to celebrate, Ferraro is offering a special cash and carry deal. Buy a rose and get one fre... https://dailyvoice.com/connecticut/stamford/business/stamford-florist-celebrates-a-rosy-40-years-in-business/712537/

Florists wilt under COVID-19's impact, losing Easter and Mother's Day would be devastating - yoursun.com

NORTH PORT — During World War II, you couldn’t deliver flowers in rubber-tired vehicles.Florists survived that one.And the floral industry in the 1930s halted a $2 million marketing push as the economy collapsed. That’s about $31 million in 2020 dollars.Again, florists persisted.Now there’s COVID-19. And some florists aren’t so sure about the future. They are banking flower sales this Easter, April 12, and Mother’s Day on May 10, will carry many of them through summer’s off-season.While every facet of American life is affected by COVID-19, florists will rake in big dollars on a few select holidays, then pay the electric bill on wedding arrangements and prom corsages.While web delivery giants such as Teleflora, FTD or 1-800-Flowers may carry the bigger floral shops, smaller ones relying on walk-in business hold their breath. There’s COVID-19’s double-whammy limiting access to senior-care centers, hospitals, weddings, funerals, work functions and other places and occasions where flowers and floral arrangements normally go — meaning the industry could be upside down by the t... https://www.yoursun.com/northport/news/florists-wilt-under-covid-19s-impact-losing-easter-and-mothers-day-would-be-devastating/article_2e88771e-75de-11ea-a009-0b875913d327.html

As coronavirus ravaged the prom and wedding seasons, florists found they had to adapt to survive - Pacific Northwest Inlander

With the pandemic causing in-person events for spring to be canceled, local florists had to adjust to running a business without depending on the income from graduations and weddings. Luckily, curbside pickup and delivery options have made many florists able to adapt along the way. Rose and Blossom, run by Terri O'Connor for the last 28 years, recently moved to a new location in the Spokane Valley. She says in a typical wedding season Rose and Blossom would cater to 250 or more weddings. The pandemic has pushed all the late-spring weddings until at least September or October, and this definitely put a dent in typical flower sales. "I'm not putting too many eggs in my basket for this year," O'Connor says, but she also acknowledges how their everyday floral designs will be an important component in pulling them through this season. One of the best ways for customers to support local florists, O'Connor says, is to spread the word about businesses you like, including by writing reviews online. North Spokane floral and gift shop Ritters has also been offering curbside pickup and delivery. Kirsten Wyman, the head of Ritters' social media accounts, has been working hard to promote every plant the company receives and show a deeper look into the plant company's daily orders. They also worked to get more creative with their online sales. With sales dipping dramatically this spring for fresh-cut flowers, Ritters decided to close its fresh-cut flower shop for good; however, it kept open all other aspects of its business. "It wasn't an easy decision by any means, but it's a perishable item," says Denice Thompson, the company's manager. The pandemic has ultimately brought unpredictability to the forefront of ma... https://www.inlander.com/spokane/as-coronavirus-ravaged-the-prom-and-wedding-seasons-florists-found-they-had-to-adapt-to-survive/Content?oid=19786088

‘This is our biggest weekend of the year:’ Orlando florist hurt by pandemic hopes business blooms for Valentine’s Day - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando

ORLANDO, Fla. – Central Florida flower shops are hard at work with Valentine’s Day just days away.Bay Hill Florist owner Carol Newton is hoping the holiday will boost her bottom line.[TRENDING: Your funniest Valentine’s Day stories Big snake: 16-foot python caught in Fla. Video: Mom tackles accused peeper]“Love is in the air all around and our fantastic local customers are supporting the business and they are amazing,” Newton said.Newton said she and her staff are busy taking orders and making flower arrangements ahead of the holiday.“This is our biggest weekend of the year. We’re excited, we’re busy and the flowers are looking beautiful,” she said.Newton said business is blossoming with holiday sales after her store took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.“During the summer last year we lost our hotel trade, restaurant trade, Disney, the theme parks,” Newton said. “All of that business is gone and we still have lost a lot of it.”News 6 stopped by her shop last May during the first week she reopened after the statewide stay-at-home order was enforced.Since then, Newton said business has b... https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/02/12/this-is-our-biggest-weekend-of-the-year-orlando-florist-hurt-by-pandemic-hopes-business-blooms-for-valentines-day/

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