Bellevue Flower Shop News
Flowers that delight and surprise: Bellevue Floral Co. offers “bespoke floral artistry” - Napa Valley Register
Sunday, January 17, 2021Christina Yan, owner of Bellevue Floral Co. and Camino Goods, holds one of her floral bouquets while standing in a Napa Valley vineyard. A floral arrangement that Christina Yan created in her Napa home. a href="https... https://napavalleyregister.com/business/flowers-that-delight-and-surprise-bellevue-floral-co-offers-bespoke-floral-artistry/article_166fc8e2-4030-57b5-914d-462c669cdf45.html
Retired educator, florist Sylvia Richardson dies at 76 - Richmond Free Press
Tuesday, April 16, 2019Sylvia D. Richardson loved the color purple. And the bubbly woman who brimmed with enthusiasm infused that color into her dual roles as an educator and a florist. During her tenure as principal of Bellevue Elementary School, Mrs. Richardson turned the historic building in Church Hill into a purple palace. She had the school’s entry door, hallways, classroom walls and building floors painted her favorite color. Purple also was the color of the house on the corner of Brookland Park Boulevard and Edgewood Avenue from which she operated a floral business, Bouquets by Sylvia, for nearly 25 years. “Purple was her chosen color because the color signifies royalty, and that was how Sylvia carried herself and also how she treated everyone with whom she came into contact,” Adeline Clarke, a longtime friend, wrote in a tribute.Mrs. Richardson died Monday, March 18, 2019, of complications from a fall at her residence, her family said. She was 76. Family and friends celebrated her life at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church on Tuesday, March 26. Born Sylvia Juanita Duncan in Cheraw, S.C., she came to Richmond to teach after graduating from Bennett College. In a career that spanned 37 year... http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2019/apr/05/retired-educator-florist-sylvia-richardson-dies-76/
Another gay wedding case that could go to the Supreme Court. This one's about flowers.
Tuesday, July 03, 2018Ferguson said in a statement.Curt Freed, left, and his husband Robert Ingersoll, after a hearing before the state's Supreme Court on Nov. 15, 2016, in Bellevue, Washington.Elaine Thompson / AP fileBoth the state and the couple sued after Stutzman, the couple's longtime florist, arguing that she was in violation of a Washington law that makes it illegal for businesses to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation."Discrimination based on same-sex marriage constitutes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," the Washington court ruled last year.Stuzman, a Southern Baptist, said providing the flowers would violate her religious beliefs and "her relationship with Jesus Christ.”She also said the law violated constitutionally protected right of free speech, asserting the flower arrangements were a form of artistic expression. Phillips had said the same about his wedding cakes."The decision to either provide or refuse to provide flowers for a wedding does not inherently express a message about the wedding," the Washington court ruled. "As Stutzman acknowledged at deposition, providing flowers for a wedding between Muslims would not necessarily constitute an endorsement of Islam, nor would providing flowers for an atheist couple endorse atheism."It also rejected her claim that the law violated her religious freedom, because it applied to the general public and was not targeted at any particular religious practice.In Monday's Supreme Court ruling, Justice Anthony Kennedy suggested that future cases would be necessary to settle the broader debate between religious rights and discrimination."The outcome of cases like this in other circumstances must await further elaboration in the courts, all in the context of recognizing that these disputes must be resolved with tolerance, without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs, and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market," he wrote. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/other-gay-wedding-case-could-go-supreme-court-one-s-n879906
How Newport Became the Most Exciting Beach Town in New England - Travel+Leisure
Tuesday, March 27, 2018English peas, roasted beet salad with ricotta, and spaghetti with fresh tomato and basil. The next morning I woke up early to meet up with Rizzo on Bellevue Avenue, Newport's fashionable main thoroughfare. She was tending to the floral arrangements at La Forge Casino Restaurant. A Newport institution that overlooks the grass courts of the neighboring International Tennis Hall of Fame, it is undergoing its own transformation. "New owners took over here a few months ago and started replacing the dusty tchotchkes and pink tablecloths and frozen food," Rizzo explained. The menu has gone from nachos and quesadillas to burrata from Narragansett Creamery and locally grown squash blossoms stuffed with house-made ricotta. Rizzo was combining some big, architectural monstera leaves with a bouquet of gladiolus and sunflowers grown on a flower farm just north of town.From left: A surfer arrives for an afternoon session at Sachuest Beach, a.k.a. Second Beach, a local favorite; guests at Castle Hill Inn, a historic Newport estate, take in the view of Narragansett Bay.Brian W. FerryRizzo's penchant for loose arrangements and unexpected combinations — instead of the hydrangeas and rose balls that were once de rigueur in a place like Newport — has proven popular. Because the town is one of America's premier wedding destinations, she's especially busy in summer, but she is in demand all year long. From La Forge Casino, we walked a few doors down to the Audrain Automobile Museum, another of her clients, which showcases some of the rarest and most precious cars on earth. (Another automotive palace, th... http://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/newport-rhode-island-beach-town
A Colorado baker, a Richland florist: Do religious beliefs justify discrimination? - seattlepi.com
Wednesday, January 03, 2018Stutzman, left, a Richland, Wash., florist who was fined for denying service to a gay couple in 2013, smiles as she is surrounded by supporters after a hearing before Washington's Supreme Court in Bellevue, Wash. The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, has unanimously ruled that Stutzman broke the state's antidiscrimination law. Stutzman said she was exercising her First Amendment rights, and her lawyers immediately said they would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the decision. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File) A Christian baker in Colorado, who wouldn't craft a wedding cake for a gay couple, took center stage before a divided U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, in a case that will decide whether religious conviction can be a basis for discrimination.The baker has a counterpart in Richland, Wash., florist Barronelle Stutzman, convicted of violating the state's anti-discrimination law after she refused to provide flowers for the same-sex wedding of a long-term client.The case drew an unusually long 90-minute argument before the Supreme Court and more than 100 amici curiae briefs.Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, author of seminal gay rights opinions, appeared likely the deciding vote.With the Trump administration arguing the case of baker Jack Phillips, Kennedy asked whether Phillips could have put a sign in the window: "We don't bake cakes for gay weddings." He described the administration's argument as offensive to the "dignity" of LGBTQ people.But Kennedy took Colorado officials to task in their treatment of Phillips, saying: "It seems to me the state in its position has been neither tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillips' religious beliefs." The justice suggest...
'Essential' businesses: Florists, boat sellers and toy makers - The Daily Herald
Sunday, January 17, 2021Some not mentioned in the list have come up with their own interpretations. Do florists delivering flowers qualify as “agriculture”? Washington Floral Service, a wholesale firm with warehouses in Tacoma and Spokane, applied for and received a state exemption, Chris Berglund, a company vice president, told The Herald. “We’re essential,” Berglund said. Many of his customers — retail florists — are also seeking exemptions. “From what we’re hearing, it’s a 50-50 split on whether florists are getting an exemption,” Berglund said. “It seems to depend on whether they say they’re a flower shop or agriculture.” “If you can do a food delivery, you can just as easily do a floral delivery,” he said. Can yacht and pleasure boat dealers fit into the transportation category — as “marine consultants”? Harry Walp, president and CEO of Northwest Yacht Brokers Association, said it’s not yet clear if boat sellers are essential businesses. Essential marine industry jobs include consultants, naval architects and surveyors, but the state order doesn’t specify whether that applies to recreational or commercial segments of the industry, Walp said. “Several of my associates are taking a liberal interpretation of ‘consultants’ and make the argument that yacht brokers fit that description,” Walp said. “If so, yacht sales could be deemed essential. My concern is that a yacht broker potentially places himself, his family and his associates in harm’s way if he resumes sales activities. The yacht brokerage industry is taking the COVID-19 pandemic very seriously and the vast majority of our members would prefer to err on the side of caution.” About that Funko order … Meanwhile, hundreds of U.S. retailers are now focused on e-commerce delivery because retail outlets are shuttered. To fill orders, warehouses and distribution centers are open for business. Are those essential? Clothes, handbags, outdoor gear, bedding and toys are all available online from the likes of Washington-based Nordstrom, REI and Amazon, as well as retailers in othe... https://www.heraldnet.com/business/essential-businesses-florists-boat-sellers-and-toy-makers/
Florist Starts ‘Flowers for Black Men' After George Floyd's Death, Sharing Random Kindness - NBC Southern California
Sunday, January 17, 2021S. Capitol in shock, many couldn’t help but wonder why the underwhelming police response to President Trump’s rioting supporters was so different from the massive show of force seen this summer at a Washington D.C. Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd. NBCLX’s Fernando Hurtado talked to Frank Straub, an expert in critical incident responses at the National Police Foundation, for a breakdown of the police reaction to both events. "Guys really do like flowers and they even blush when they get them which is kind of cool," Brown said. "'Flowers for Black men' were a way to show that, hey I love you, I see you, I understand this is a traumatic experience you’re going through, so here’s flowers to show you that," she said. Mallory With The Flowers has more than 11,000 followers on Instagram. And if there’s proof that her approach works, it’s now on her finger. Her boyfriend proposed on new year’s day. But she says for her wedding, someone else will handle the flowers. Ted chen nbc 4 news view park. ... https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/view-park-mallory-with-the-flowers/2504159/
A devoted florist gives each 9/11 victim a white birthday rose - The Gazette
Sunday, January 17, 2021On Friday, six names will be adorned with white roses.Amelia Fields, 46, had been working at the Pentagon for only two days when Flight 77 crashed into the imposing military fortress outside Washington.Ivhan Luis Carpio Bautista, 24, a cook for Windows on the World, was supposed to take the day off but subbed in for a co-worker.AnnMarie Riccobini, 58, a billings supervisor at a law firm, had just beaten breast cancer.Michael Berkeley, 38, had just founded his own brokerage.Michael LaForte, 39, a broker, never met his third child, born two months after 9/11.FDNY Lieutenant Vincent Francis Giammona, 40, last spoke to his wife while en route to the burning towers.Family members often reach out to Collarone or to the memorial’s staff, touched and surprised by the ritual. “It is with tears of gratitude that I write this,” said Jennifer Glick in an email to the memorial. Her brother Jeremy was among those who rushed the hijackers on Flight 93, which crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. “With all the insecurity and chaos that we face right now, knowing that our loved ones are remembered gives me great comfort.”Kerry Irvine, an artist, used to visit the memorial often to think about her sister, Kristy Irvine-Ryan, a 30 year-old equities trader who had been married for just three months when she died. But in March, she told The Washington Post, “It was all chained off, and one of my first thoughts was, ‘Oh, God, her birthday,’ which was May 22nd.” Then she got a photo of her sister’s name decorated with a white rose. “To know they’re taking care of all of them, and giving them the respect they deserve,” she said, “it takes the load off the families a little bit.”The memorial grounds reopened July 4. The museum will begin allowing visitors inside again this weekend - first, family members only on Friday and then the public on Saturday, with drastically limited capacity.Collarone didn’t come up with the idea for the birthday flowers; that was a volunteer in the museum. But he’s the one who’s made it happen all these years, carefully selecting roses - he wants them to be a perfect white - from the city’s flower market and cleaning them and nursing them at his shop Floratech, in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. “I’m not looking for the cheapest roses,” he says. “I look for the best.”When the pandemic forced New York to shut down, halting inbound flights bearing hard-to-get white roses from global suppliers in the Netherlands and South America, Collarone knew instantly “that I had to take care of it,” he says. “I went into an immediate rescue mode for the 9/11 memorial.”Whereas roses had been coming in on 10 flights a day, there was now one flight a week from Europe. He worked connections (“My Holland guys helped me out.”), paid large markups as freight pricessoared, and sent drivers to the airport to pick up loads of roses directly from the source, circumventing wholesalers, because, he says, the city’s flower market, then and now, “is operating on life support.”His own shop, which used to supply flowers for Madison Square Garden and high-end hotels like the Mandarin Oriental, has hit dire straits. “We’re lucky if we make enough money to keep our electricity on,” Collarone says. He’s had to close all three of his retail flower shops, and lay off all of his employees, some of whom had been working with him for 20 to 30 years.Still, he wouldn’t dream of stopping the birthday-rose ritual, or asking for payment.He “grew up poor,” he says, in the firemen-and-cops enclave of Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, and worked in a flower shop before becoming an insurance salesman.It was a chance meeting with Andy Warhol at the legendary Limelight nightclub, he says, that got him to turn back toward his love of flowers. Warhol co... https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/a-devoted-florist-gives-each-911-victim-a-white-birthday-rose-20200911
A devoted florist gives each 9/11 victim a white birthday rose - Anchorage Daily News
Wednesday, December 02, 2020On Friday, six names will be adorned with white roses. Amelia Fields, 46, had been working at the Pentagon for only two days when Flight 77 crashed into the imposing military fortress outside Washington. Ivhan Luis Carpio Bautista, 24, a cook for Windows on the World, was supposed to take the day off but subbed in for a co-worker. AnnMarie Riccobini, 58, a billings supervisor at a law firm, had just beaten breast cancer. Michael Berkeley, 38, had just founded his own brokerage. Michael LaForte, 39, a broker, never met his third child, born two months after 9/11. FDNY Lieutenant Vincent Francis Giammona, 40, last spoke to his wife while en route to the burning towers. Family members often reach out to Collarone or to the memorial’s staff, touched and surprised by the ritual. “It is with tears of gratitude that I write this,” said Jennifer Glick in an email to the memorial. Her brother Jeremy was among those who rushed the hijackers on Flight 93, which crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. “With all the insecurity and chaos that we face right now, knowing that our loved ones are remembered gives me great comfort.” Kerry Irvine, an artist, used to visit the memorial often to think about her sister, Kristy Irvine-Ryan, a 30 year-old equities trader who had been married for just three months when she died. But in March, she told The Washington Post, “It was all chained off, and one of my first thoughts was, ‘Oh, God, her birthday,’ which was May 22nd.” Then she got a photo of her sister’s name decorated with a white rose. “To know they’re taking care of all of them, and giving them the respect they deserve,” she said, “it takes the load off the families a little bit.” The memorial grounds reopened July 4. The museum will begin allowing visitors inside again this weekend - first, family members only on Friday and then the public on Saturday, with drastically limited capacity. Collarone didn’t come up with the idea for the birthday flowers; that was a volunteer in the museum. But he’s the one who’s made it happen all these years, carefully selecting roses — he wants them to be a perfect white — from the city’s flower market and cleaning them and nursing them at his shop Floratech, in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. “I’m not looking for the cheapest roses,” he says. “I look for the best.” When the pandemic forced New York to shut down, halting inbound flights bearing hard-to-get white roses from global suppliers in the Netherlands and South America, Collarone knew instantly “that I had to take care of it,” he says. “I went into an immediate rescue mode for the 9/11 memorial.” Whereas roses had been coming in on 10 flights a day, there was now one flight a week from Europe. He worked connections (“My Holland guys helped me out.”), paid large markups as freight pricessoared, and sent drivers to the airport to pick up loads of roses directly from the source, circumventing wholesalers, because, he says, the city’s flower market, then and now, “is operating on life support.” His own shop, which used to supply flowers for Madison Square Garden and high-end hotels like the Mandarin Oriental, has hit di... https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2020/09/10/a-devoted-florist-gives-each-911-victim-a-white-birthday-rose/