Concord Flower Shop Blog

Meet My Mom

May 16th, 2012

Since May is the month we celebrate mothers, I thought it was fitting to introduce you to my mother, Daisy. (yes, that really is her name!) At 85 years young, my mother still comes to work once a week to help me out at the flower shop. You’ll find her here on Mondays, greeting customers, sweeping up my messes (something she says she’s been doing since I was a child) watering plants, cleaning the cooler doors, and any number of helpful tasks.

If she had more time, she would probably work at the shop more often, but her schedule is quite full. As a resident of Stow, Ma, she is active in town politics, which currently includes a run for Library Trustee. She is a member of the Stow Historical Commission as well as the Stow Garden Club, where she is a Past President. She was also on the Center Village Planning Committee for designing the Veteran’s Memorial. Daisy is an avid reader as well, although I don’t know when she has time!

I attribute my success as a florist to the fact that our house always had flowers on the table due to Daisy’s green thumb. Sometimes a simple Quince Branch in a favorite vase, or Pine Boughs and Berries in the winter months, but always a bit of nature adorned our home. As children, Daisy taught us all about May Day. We would fill our hand -crafted baskets made from milk cartons and crepe paper, with Violets, Dandy Lions, Lily of the Valley and Lilac, hang them on the door knobs of elderly neighbors, ring the bell and run! I guess those were my very first floral arrangements. Little did I know it would lead to a career in Floristry! Thanks, Mom!

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May Day

April 30th, 2012

Do you remember celebrating May Day when your were a child? I used to love decorating little milk cartons with crepe paper to make my own small baskets. Then I would pick all the flowers I could find in the yard like violets, dandy lions, lily of the valley and lilac, and fill my home -made baskets with them. After the bouquets were made to my satisfaction, I would load up my wagon and deliver the flowers through out the neighborhood. This would entail putting them on front steps, ringing the bell, and then hiding in the bushes to watch the lucky recipients as they discovered their gift! Who knows, maybe that experience is why I’m a florist today!

Even though I seldom make deliveries anymore, I do sometimes take a delivery on my way home for a late order. I have to confess, when I ring the bell, flowers in hand, I still feel that same sense of anticipation I did as a child. There’s something special about seeing the happy surprise on a person’s face when they open the door to see a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers.

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Sweet Peas

April 21st, 2012
Sweet Peas

April's Flower

Sweet Pea is the birth flower of April. In Victorian times people used the meanings of flowers to express themselves. Sweet Peas have many meanings including, Goodbye, departure, blissful pleasure, and thank you for a lovely visit. You can imagine how confusing it must have been trying to decipher what a person was trying to convey when they gave you a bouquet! Today we live in a more casual society and are more apt to communicate by text message or Facebook, but flowers still play an important role in our lives. Whether for a birthday, anniversary or just because, you can order Sweet Peas or select flowers from our large variety always on hand for your convenience.

 

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Administrative Professionals Week

April 19th, 2012

  

Studies have shown that flowers have a positive impact on people’s moods, so it makes sense that flowers around the work place would raise spirits, too. From a simple bud vase on the desk, to lush green plants around the office, you can warm up a space and make your business more welcoming.

 

With Administrative Professionals Week around the corner (April23-27) you might be thinking, “Oh, great, another holiday made up by florists and card shops! “ Actually though, the holiday, then called Secretaries Day, was first created in 1952 by Harry F. Klemfuss. His goal as a business man was to encourage more young women to become secretaries by recognizing the importance and value of the position. 

 

These days, the job entails far more than  typing skills, good grammar, and the ability to make coffee. The title “secretary” has become as out dated as the notion that woman have only 3 career options; Secretary, Teacher, Nurse. The administrative professionals we rely on today are highly trained men and women who are the backbone of many companies. Their responsibilities are as varied and specialized as the companies they work for and often they are the only one in the office that knows everything!

 

So if you are lucky enough to have someone like that working for you, don’t forget to acknowledge him/her during the week of April 23-27

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Shift Your Shopping

November 14th, 2011

With the holidays fast approaching it’s important to make thoughtful choices when buying gifts. Not just what to give, but where to buy your presents. Here in West Concord, where we recently relocated, you can find everything you need for the holidays and all at locally owned independent stores!

From the famous West Concord Five and Ten to popular Debra’s Natural Gourmet  there are choices galore that will support your local economy. When you shop at any  Concord Indie business  you are helping the town of Concord remain the unique and vital town that made you choose to live here.

To learn more about the importance of shopping locally, check out   www.shiftyourshopping.org

 

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We’ve Moved!

September 22nd, 2011
135 Commonwealth Ave.

After more than 20 years on Thoreau Street in Concord Center, we’ve moved to 135 Commonwealth Ave, West Concord. Our new space is awesome and so welcoming! Our customers can pull up a stool at the bar and watch through the window to the design room as we create their beautiful arrangements while they wait (read the Concord Journal’s cover story). For those in a hurry, our brand new energy efficient display cooler is always full of ready made arrangements as well as a great variety of loose cut flowers.

We have a great new neighborhood to work in, full of like minded artisans, unique Indie owned shops, and delicious places to eat! You can check all these things out by joing us at the event, Discover The New West Concord, on Sat. Oct. 15 from 10-4. Stop by for our Free Mini Hands on Workshops and make your own little pumpkin bouquet to take home!

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My State House Testimony

May 24th, 2011

The State House

Today I took time out of my busy day to do something completely foreign to me as a florist. I went to the State House to testify on behalf of a bill that is very important to me as a small business owner. For years I have been complaining about fake florists who advertise on line and in phone books as, Florist in Your Town. They have local phone numbers but are in fact call centers in other states who mislead unsuspecting consumers by pretending to be a real local business.

 

A while back Rep. Kate Hogan heard about this from my mother who helps out at the shop and is active in politics. Kate started researching the subject and authored the bill for which I gave testimony today. Having never been politically active before, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was prepared for anything thanks to florists in Vermont and Texas who gave me some tips. Both those states recently passed similar bills to prohibit such false advertising.

I arrived around 12:45 with just enough time to meet Rep. Hogan in her office, before heading to the Hearing room at 1:00. There were several other bills being heard today and naturally, I was last. Most of the bills they were considering would have an impact on me as a small business and/or consumer so I managed to stay awake in spite of some very long winded speakers. A few times I really wanted to say something about the other bills but I bit my tongue. (If you know me at all, you can appreciate the effort that took!)

Finally it was my turn and I kept it short and sweet which by then should’ve earned me more than a few brownie points with the legislators. I explained the situation, presented letters from other florists, showed them some yellow pages with the fictitious Florist in Concord listings and answered their questions. They seemed receptive, understood the issue, and promised to consider the bill carefully and read the written testimony. One of the men even admitted to ordering flowers recently and was worried he had ordered from a fake florist!

So that was my day at the State House, for what it’s worth. Now we just have to wait and see what happens. Mean while, I will continue to educate the public one person at a time about the importance of shopping locally and how to spot a fake florist.(More on that in my next post)

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A Colorful Funeral Tribute

March 24th, 2011

One of the best things about being a florist is helping people express their feelings.  People sometimes ask me if it’s sad dealing with grieving families when they’re ordering flowers for a loved one’s passing. Sometimes it can be very sad, but what makes it rewarding is customizing a floral tribute to match the personality of the deceased.

Although I’m a fan of all white flowers for a funeral, there’s something to be said for a colorful funeral tribute also. This casket spray we created for a funeral  in Concord, Ma. recently, perfectly represented the life of the man it honored. The cheerful colors were just right for a vibrant man who lived life to the fullest.

A Fitting Tribute

Casket Spray

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A Year of Flowers

March 13th, 2011

Congratulations to Mariellen Perugini of Carlisle, Ma., winner of Concord Flower Shop’s Year of Flowers contest. We first began our contest as a weekly drawing for free flowers to introduce  our web sites clubs.  We selected winners each week to receive one of our weekly web specials and all entries were also eligible to win the Grand Prize!

As soon as Mariellen heard the news, she asked us if she could donate her prize to charity. Of course, we were very happy to say yes to her generous request and now you can bid on 6 Months of Flowers at the Minuteman Career and Technical School’s, Comedy Night Auction on March 18th or online now!

The other recipient of Mariellen’s  Year of Flowers is the Gleason Public Library in Carlisle, Ma. They, too, will receive 6 months of flowers to display on the front desk! So poor Mariellen gave away all her flowers and now all she has is the warm feeling that comes from giving. Well, we at Concord Flower Shop would like to have that warm feeling, too, so we decided to award another 6 months of flowers to Mariellen, with the promise that this time, she keeps them for herself!

Contest Winners

Margaret, Mariellen and Helen

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Daffodil Special Today!$3.99 B…

February 25th, 2011

Daffodil Special Today!$3.99 Bunch!

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