Reading: Why Save Flowers for Special Occasions?

Valentine’s Day is the most important sales day for florists across the US. This year, Americans will drop $23.9 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts, and 37% of consumers are planning to buy flowers, according to the National Retail Federation. Instead of waiting for a holiday or special day, spread the wealth throughout the year and treat your loved ones or yourself to colorful, joyous flowers all the time!

There are scores of local and national florists to choose from, many with online shopping available, and most do a great job of showing their work through photos — even giants like FTD, which relies on a large network of florists to fulfill standard design orders. If you’re in a pinch, look for florists that offer same-day delivery. Want a steady flow of flowers? Subscriptions are the way to go, and offer a great way to have a surprise design at the cadence you choose. 

Innovative online floral companies have been sprouting up over the last decade, including Floom, an online marketplace like Etsy but for florists, which features unique bouquets from independent businesses. I love the elegant, dense, French-styled bouquets from Ode à la Rose; but I’m biased, since I lived in France for years. The company was founded, bien sur, by two former French bankers, Olivier Plusquellec and Louis Brunet, who landed in New York and were unimpressed with flowers in the Big Apple. Covey has a penchant for Farmgirl Flowers and their colorful bouquets wrapped in signature burlap. Like Floom, Farmgirl is female-founded. 

But you should also stroll around your neighborhood. You’re bound to find special independent, often family-owned, stores that would love your business including Caseys Flower Studio on Greenwich Avenue in New York City or Brattle Square Florist on Harvard Square, in Cambridge, MA. Brattle Square, in business since 1917, was about to close at the end of January due to rising costs, supply chain issues, and staffing shortages. But the manager, a member of the family that had started Brattle over a century ago, and which sold the business nine years ago, bought the business back and is relocating to a shop down the street.

Here, we highlight three independent florists among thousands you could consider for your floral fantasies!

FORTUITOUS FLOWERS

The Amor bouquet from Lucky You Flowers

Lucky You Flowers, out of Simsbury, CT, was founded by Amy Schuster, a floral industry veteran who earned her Master’s degree from Harvard’s Landscape Institute and Boston Architectural College. I met Amy on the tennis court last summer, and she told me about her delightful company offering bouquets, including a fortune cookie with your personalized message, packed in take-out boxes. There’s a variety of arrangements in different color boxes and all for $37.99, including shipping. The compact nature of these bouquets make them perfect for small spaces, and will brighten any dorm room or starter studio for the young adults in your life. 

CALIFORNIA CREATIVES

Dried floral arrangement from Flowerboy Project

With such a great choice of florists around the country, I somehow stumbled upon Flowerboy Project. This cafe, boutique, and florist on Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, CA, was founded by life partners Stella Shirinda, former production coordinator, and Sean Knibb, the lead creative of Knibb Design, a company focused on landscape, architectural, and interior design projects. Knibb’s passion for flowers was largely fueled by the time he spent at his grandmother’s Knibb’s Flowers in Montego Bay, Jamaica. I hesitated to include a business that delivers only its dried floral arrangements nationally, but the concept and designs are so interesting that I could not not include it. Moreover, the dried flower groupings, starting at $75, are both eclectic and stunning. 

BURSTING BLOOMS

The Amour Bouquet for Valentine’s Day from Popup Florist

We are smitten with the bright blasts of color and unexpectedly styled bouquets from Popup Florist, from former fashion designer Kelsie Hayes. What started off as a pop-up floral retail location is now an online and brick-and-mortar business with a shop on 7th street in New York City’s East Village, as well as a boutique inside Neiman Marcus’ Manhattan flagship. Hayes offers everything from tiny bouquets of delicate dried flowers ($20) or giant, oversized arrangements ($250). Some come with luxe gifts, such as the Cozy Gift Set, $100, which includes the Popup candle and hazelnut Morito chocolates. The latter will surely get us through the rest of winter.