Being in the retail flower business for over fourteen years (and on the wholesale side for nearly twenty), we've seen first hand just how much the industry has changed. What was once an industry dominated by local mom-and-pop shops who gave personal service to consumers has grown into a multi-billion dollar a year business, dominated primarily by large corporations such as ProFlowers, TeleFlora and the like. And the options for purchasing flowers are endless: online, at your local grocery store, farmer's markets, a retail florist, convenience stores such as 7-11, the list goes on.
There are many instances in which your local neighborhood florist will be the higher priced option, especially as compared to a grocery store or direct-from-grower bouquet. Namely because our labor and materials costs are higher. We can't buy in large enough bulk to obtain substantial discounts that we can pass along to the end consumer.
But there are two primary areas in which a local artisan florist outshines a big corporate shipper (like ProFlowers) or a cheap grocery store every time:
SERVICE AND VALUE.
This is a great article about a local florist who ordered a ProFlowers bouquet to do a little competitive comparison. The results are hilarious, but also quite sad. If you're spending $75.00 for an online bouquet, it arrives unarranged, in a box, dehydrated, and unattractive. One of the most important parts of the experience of receiving flowers is the first impression! You've already blown it.
If the recipient is not home, the "fresh" flowers will be left on the doorstep in their box, and neither you or the recipient will be notified the gift has arrived. And what if you need to change the card message, or correct an address? Once the "fresh" bouquet has left the warehouse, you're out of luck. It's on a truck, headed to its destination.
"But I can get a dozen roses for $30.00!" you might protest. "My local florist charges $100.00!"
Here are the problems: First, that thirty bucks doesn't even get you a vase. Second, those aren't long stem roses she'll receive. They'll be about twelve inches tall, in comparison to our premium Equadorian roses which stand about thirty inches tall. Third, those cheap roses haven't been properly processed. They arrive dehydrated, with the guard petals still attached (the ugly, bruised petals that a professional florist plucks off), with thorns and excess foliage that will have to be stripped off. (Leaves left inside a vase filled with water will turn the water into a bacteria-infested mess very quickly.) Then she'll have to find a proper vase, arrange the bouquet herself, and clean up all the mess.
Which do you think your sweetheart would rather receive: the bouquet on the top, or the bouquet on the bottom?
The long stem red roses on top are ours. The dead mess on the bottom is what the florist in Pennsylvania who did a little competitive shopping with ProFlowers received. Not exactly the impression you're going for, right??
We're not bragging (okay, not much) but we have a five star Yelp review rating for a good reason. Our customers are our livelihood. Making you happy means we get a paycheck; it's as simple as that. With so many other options available to consumers for flower purchasing today, we MUST provide excellent service, and superior value, or we'll simply cease to exist. There's too much competition.
We can't be all things to all people, nor should we try. Our core customers who've stayed with us over many years have done so because they know if they order a $75.00 bouquet from us, it will leave the recipient breathless. We never use a recipe to design a bouquet; we use our artistic eye, and the freshest seasonal flowers available. If a bouquet doesn't look good enough, no matter how much the customer paid, we add more flowers or tweak the design until it does. We strive for perfection in every design that leaves our shop, because we're control freaks who take tremendous pride in what we do for a living.
Our roses are so tall poor Ana sometimes has to use a step-ladder to arrange.
In the studio, designing a party. If it looks like we're having fun, it's because we are.
Each bouquet is individually crafted by hand.
At the flower market, where we shop for the freshest available product every day of the week.
Making chair accents for a wedding. Each calla lily was wired, bound with ribbon, attached to two different colored satin ribbons, then a real shell was glued to the base.
Jay and Ana in action designing a gown with fresh rose petals for a fashion show.
