Find Your 
Floral design day takes place each year on February 28th. It is a day dedicated to floral design as an art form. To celebrate this year, we are bringing you some tips to help create your own floral artwork! [Read more…]
Why Gamble? Order Local!
February 10, 2017 by Leave a Comment
“I can’t thank Poplarville Floral enough for the beautiful flowers my brother and sister-in-law received. I tried to go through [online floral retailer] but had to do a $100 order to get them delivered. So, I took a chance and ordered local. I will be ordering Christmas arrangements from this shop in the future.” – Dorothy Tasker
“So, I took a chance and ordered local…” [Read more…]
Florists are Planning to Spread Smiles Nationwide!
September 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
“Paying it forward” is a movement that has swept across the United States. Receiving something unexpected brings smiles, joy and sometimes even tears. This year local florists are taking part in the movement to spread happiness nationwide.
Flowers Are the Environment
August 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
As Olympians were awarded their medals on the prestigious Olympic podium, many people noticed that they were not receiving flowers as usual but a small statue instead. A Rio 2016 spokesperson stated that the change was a part of the committee’s bigger mission to limit the environmental damage from the 2016 games, claiming that flowers are not environmentally responsible. This statement angered many organic flower farmers and florists around the world who strive to always sell environmentally friendly flowers.
Many people were confused by this decision and turned to social media to voice their opinion. [Read more…]
Fall Flower Shows and Festivals 2016
July 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Are you a flower enthusiast? If you are, here are three flower events in the fall that you should know about! Grab some of your friends and plan a trip to see some beautiful flower displays.
Phipps PlayGardens – Pittsburg, PA
This garden show is perfect for families! The Phipps’ Summer Flower Show: Playgardens comes alive with the colors of summer with each room offering interactive features.
“From the brilliant red hibiscus to the eccentric Amaranthus tricolor, each plant has its own personality – and they all come together in awe-inspiring displays that offer something for everyone. A bronze statue of Mercury will stand prominently in Palm Court, where you can record memories of their visit in shared journals. Children will interact with the gardens like never before with Rube Goldberg-inspired machines in our winding Serpentine Room.”
The Summer Flower Show runs through October 2. Admission is $15 for adults, $14 for seniors and students, and $11 for children (2 – 18). Members and kids under 2 enter free.
Visit Phipps PlayGardens website to learn more about their Summer Flower Show and how to plan your visit!
[Read more…]
Giving Flowers a Second Life
July 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Flowers are a wonderful thing. They add beauty to any situation and are an integral part of weddings and many other occasions. But what happens after the “I do’s” and events?
Flower donation is a growing phenomenon. There are several organizations now who “recycle” gently used flowers from weddings and large events. They use every part of the designs including the ribbons and vases. New arrangements are crafted from deconstructing the bouquets and centerpieces. These new arrangements are then delivered to hospitals, assisted living facilities, hospice houses, and nursing homes. Many times they are also tax deductible depending on what organization you work with.
Random Acts of Flowers is a privately-funded organization that has a vision to improve the emotional health of the community with flowers.
In July 2007, Random Acts of Flowers’ founder, Larsen Jay, was in a near-fatal accident. While confined to his hospital room, the outpouring of support that Larsen received in the form of daily visitors and dozens of floral arrangements immediately aided in his long recovery.
When Larsen was capable of leaving his room he noticed how many of his fellow patients did not have visitors or flowers – the very thing that helped him so much in those early and difficult days. Within moments the first “random act of flowers” delivery was made, repurposing his flowers and delivering them to patients in nearby hospital rooms. The memories of how a simple gesture touched his fellow patients compelled Larsen to form Random Acts of Flowers in 2008.
Random Acts of Flowers recycles and repurposes flowers by engaging dedicated volunteer teams to deliver beautiful bouquets and moments of kindness to individuals in healthcare facilities across the country.
As a recycling “green” nonprofit organization run almost entirely by volunteers, Random Acts of Flowers is committed to nourishing the health of the environment, individuals, and the community.
Are you interested in donating? If there aren’t any organizations in your region, work with your florist or wedding planner to find a local facility in your area that would be interested in taking the flowers. We all know flowers have a positive effect on mood, so why not share the joy? Visit your florist today to talk to them about flower donation!
Local Florists Do It Better
June 22, 2016 by 1 Comment
Take a second to think about what the most important thing to you is as a customer? LinkedIn conducted an interesting study investigating the top five things customers see as important. Out of the survey respondents, 48 percent cited value for money, cost, price or competitiveness as one of their three most important things.
The LinkedIn article states that, “47 percent of survey respondents stated that customer service was one of their three most important things. The ability of organizations to help consumers at every stage of the journey is critical here, including the ability and willingness to sort out issues as they arise.”
Real local florists are experts in these two categories and blow online wire services out of the water.
What is an online wire service?
When someone orders flowers from an online wire service they order a stock photo of a bouquet and then the order gets sent to a real florist. The problem though is that the wire service will take a large percentage of the order to profit for themselves, some even up to 50 percent. This leaves florists with a hard time making any money. There are also third parties, known as order gatherers, that have set up websites to look like flower shops but are not. Order gatherers set up gateway pages and use Google keywords to make them appear to be local. Order gatherers also take a large chunk of the profits again leaving florist at a loss.
It is impossible for these middle men to provide the same type of value and service that a local florist can provide, which is why at FSN we always send orders directly to real local florists without taking a percentage of the total. Only at a local florist can you trust that your money is going directly towards a high-quality arrangement. Here is a short list of the important qualities that you can only find in a local florist.
-Customized designs
-Personal attention and connection
-On-time delivery
– Years of experience
-High-quality arrangements
-Exceptional customer service from start to finish
Spread the word
Many people are unaware of these wire services and order gatherers that are hurting the floral industry. Take a stand with us and encourage your family and friends to always buy from a trusted local florist.
At Flower Shop Network we are a community committed to supporting local florists. We connect customers to florists in our network directly and NEVER take a percentage of the order. We also ensure that each florist in our network is a true, local business.
Don’t let order gatherers and wire services take chunks of your money.
Support local florists. Spread the word.
Visit My Local Florist
New Study Shows a Growing Appreciation For Flowers
June 10, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Perceptions of Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers are being challenged with a new study that was recently conducted about flower appreciation. The study published by Floral Management provides groundbreaking research that shows a growing appreciation across generations for flowers and florists.
The study found that the over the past seven years, the potential market for florists has grown significantly across three generations of consumers. From Millennials entering the workforce, to Baby Boomers basking in or entering retirement, Americans today have an enhanced appreciation for flowers, fewer perceptions of cost barriers in flower purchasing and a growing awareness of the expertise of local florists.
The 2016 Generations of Flowers Study was conducted by the Society of American Florists and the American Floral Endowment with funding provided by the Floral Marketing Research Fund. The study consisted of 1,557 participants evenly distributed throughout the three generations:
- Generation Y (Ages 22-39): 522 interviews
- Generation X (Ages 40-51): 510 interviews
- Baby Boomers (Ages 52-70): 525 interviews
FSN Shop Earns High Acclaim
May 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Launched in the fall of 2008 out of Gwyneth Paltrow’s kitchen, Goop was originally conceived as a weekly e-mail newsletter. Now it has transformed into a popular website where readers can find suggestions about where to shop, eat, and stay from a trusted friend—not from an anonymous, crowd-sourced recommendation engine.
Goop publishes articles about the best florists across the country and even overseas. Lotus Designs, a FSN member, made their list of the top six florists in Boston, MA. Goop praised this flower shop for their inherent talent in floral design.
Visit Goop’s website to see the full article.
Lotus Designs is a neighborhood shop located in Boston’s South End. They welcome walk-ins and deliver all over town (about a 20-mile radius from the store) provided your flower order is a minimum of $60-plus. And you can place orders online, too. Their cut-off for same-day delivery is 3pm. Lotus Designs carries a little bit of everything but they specialize in fresh cut flowers and orchids. They also do weddings and events.
David, a dedicated and loyal Lotus Designs customer spoke highly about his experiences saying, “I always order my flowers from your shop. My wife is always completely thrilled with the beauty of your arrangements and she is a pretty avid gardener. The quality of the arrangements is outstanding.”
At Flower Shop Network we love to see our florists recognized for their dedication to superior design and quality. Congratulations and keep up the hard work!
Petal It Forward!
October 9, 2015 by Leave a Comment
On Wednesday, October 9th, 2015, SAF held a wonderful event promoting flowers and making people smile in the streets of Time Square. Here are the results of this event coming from SAF’s blog, aboutflowersblog.com.
Petal It Forward! Spreading Smiles, Warming Hearts
by Jennifer SparksIt’s all the rage – those positive acts of kindness where people “pay it forward” to make someone’s day shine just a little brighter. Because flowers are the perfect way to do just that, we — the Society of American Florists — hit the busy streets of New York City today, handing out thousands of flower bouquets (4,000 to be exact) to busy morning commuters to help brighten up their mid-week slumps. Our way of paying it forward? To PETAL IT FORWARD!
We have university research that shows that a gift of flowers creates instant delight and increases enjoyment and life satisfaction. We also know from a recent survey that while 80 percent of people feel happy when they receive flowers, even more – 88 percent – report that givingflowers makes them happy. So, not only did we pay it forward and make peoples’ day, but we gave recipients a chance to do the same, in a big way. They received two bouquets, one to keep (big smiles!) and one to share with a loved one, coworker, or even a stranger who needed a lift (off-the-chart smiles!).
The best part: In addition to New York, florists across the country are making the effort to petal it forward in their local communities this week, from New Hampshire to New Jersey to South Carolina to Illinois to Minnesota to Colorado to California to Alaska! More than 30 events are taking place nationwide.
To read the full article about the #PetalItForward NYC event, click the link below!
