If you’re like us, traveling always includes a stop (or several) at a floral market or local floral retailer. Sometimes we spot our products or visit customers and other times we just want to see what’s out there. Yes, even on vacation you can find some of us making an excuse to visit anywhere that sells flowers. We can’t help it, we love what we do and we always want to do “research”.
We walk around and check out what wholesalers are offering. We ask questions, get to know people and sometimes we even buy a bunch or two! We want to share these experiences with you, give you tips and tricks if you happen to visit and continue to grow this amazing floral community. That is why after countless trips (both work and vacation) and hundreds of floral pictures, we decided to share these experiences.
For our first stop on this floral adventure, we visited the New York City Flower District. (A huge thanks to @nyc_flowermarket for all the help—go follow this account on Instagram, you’ll love it!) This market is located in the heart of Chelsea, on 28th street and stretches from 6th to 7th avenue. The Flower District has been around since the late 1800s, and although, once a lot bigger, it is home to many longtime wholesalers that have been around for two or three generations.
Whether you’re looking for traditional, staple floral products or want something a little more different and modern, the Flower District has everything to suit your needs. We met Troy and his team at J Rose Wholesale, a modern floral wholesaler with a beautiful selection of all things novelty and gorgeous roses. Even though it was a busy morning, they answered questions about availability, vase-life, their history and were extremely friendly, joking and making people laugh.
We visited our customer, Fleurametz, talked a little bit about the rush surrounding Mother’s Day and then spent some time at Dutch Flower Line. We were particularly impressed by the wide array of colors we saw and how the store was beautifully set up. We couldn’t help but notice how popular the tinted two-toned carnations are right now, we saw them everywhere! Roland, from J Rose, mentioned how these flowers started popping up two years ago and are now extremely popular.
We then passed by Pany Floral to check out their beautiful and realistic silk flowers and finally ended our small visit at Associated Cut Flowers, one of the oldest shops in the area.
If you’re planning a visit to the Flower District, here are some tips for you:
- Go early. The market opens after 5AM. If you’re looking for something specific, the earlier you go, the better. If you want to stroll at a leisurely pace and enjoy the different selections, you can probably get there a bit later. All in all, if you’re looking to see more of the action, go between 7AM and 9AM. (The market is closed on Sundays!)
- Take Cash. Some places don’t accept credit cards. It breaks our heart to think of you falling in love with a particular variety only to find out you won’t be able to take it home. So, stop by an ATM beforehand!
- Make conversation. Whether you’re just learning about flowers for fun or you’re a seasoned floral professional, having conversations and asking questions may spark a connection or create better understanding of what you’re looking for. Maybe we’re biased, but we think that people that are in a business that helps others express positive emotions, usually have pretty great stories to tell!
- Enjoy your time. If you’re on the job or on vacation, going to a floral market and exploring what it has to offer should be fun.
Always, make it an adventure; you never know what you’ll find!