gonzalez sons wholesale flowers blooming where...

Quarterly Publication of the Original Los Angeles Flower Market of American Florists Exchange, Ltd. | Fall / October 2016 • Volume 25 - Number 3

Ramiro Gonzalez (Junior), left, with wife Angie and father RamiroGonzalez Senior, at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market.

Embrace a Día De Los Meurtos Color Palette for Fall Designs See Page 8

Gonzalez Sons Wholesale FlowersBlooming Where

PlantedStory begins on page 4

Where Good Ideas are Always in Bloom

Wall St. & San Julian St. Merchants

Street map aboveA See detail (above right)

B Casa Blanca Wholesale Flowers, Inc. . . . . . . 213 488.3321Full Service

C Decor Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 629.6949Floral Supplies

D Mellano & Company . . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796Full Service

E Mellano & Company Wholesale Florist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796

Full Service

F LA Flower District Association (Badge) . . . . . . . . . 213 627.3696

G Floral Supply Syndicate . . . . . 213 624.3982Floral Supplies

H Moskatel’s, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 689.4590Floral Supplies

I Stamis Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.6770Floral Supplies

J Cris Flowers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.1797Floral Supplies

K Jay’s Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 612.0353Greens

L Floral Prop Rental . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.1700Floral Supplies

Vendors in The Original Los Angeles Flower Market of the American Florists Exchange, Ltd.

1 JC Grand Tree Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 213 833.0002Orchids & Cymbidiums

3 Imported Flowers from Paradise, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 626.383.1367Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

4 Dan Stamis, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.6770Greens

5 Blossom Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 891.9320Roses

6 G.M. Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 489.7050Full Service

7 & 7B Dayro’s Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 623.5177Roses & Cut Flowers

7A Flower Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 624.4866Miscellaneous Cut Flowers, Greens

8 Designer Direct Showcase . . . 213 488.9765Floral Supplies

10 Tommy’s Flower & Vase Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.1205Floral Supply

11 Eliseo’s Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.4898Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

12A & 13A Kimura Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.1620Orchids

12B - 13B Beth Madisson Flowers . . . . . 626 512.4085Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

14 Choice America Flower Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 489.8377Miscellaneous & Exotic Flowers

15 - 17 Julia’s Wholesale Flowers . . . 213 891.1514Roses & Cut Flowers

18 Zavala Wholesale Flowers . . . . 213 488.0085 20 Wall Street Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 304.8933

Supermarket Florals, Rose Petals & Roses

23, 33- 34 Mellano & Company. . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796Full Service

24 Valle Wholesale Flowers. . . . . 213 688.8810Full Service

26 Gonzalez & Sons Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.7678Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

27 C & K Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 327.0313Vases & Ceramics

28 - 29B Ted’s Evergreens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 624.1524Greens

29A - 30 Vases by Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818 434.1512Vases

31 Balloons Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 683.8819Balloons

32A Gilbert Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 689.9564Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

32B A Ruiz Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.3695Exotic Cut Flowers

36 - 38 Tropical USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 614.1915Exotic Cut Flowers

39 Tommy’s Flower & Vase Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 688.8810Floral Supply

40 S.O.S Wholesale Flower Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 896.0322Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

41 Growers Direct Flowers, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 688.8855Cut Flowers

44 Paradise Garden Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.5144Full Service

45 Orchids Oasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.3805Orchids

50 Martin Sanchez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 629.4154Fruit, Candy & Stu�ed Animals

Hours:Trade-Only Hours: Mon, Wed & Fri 2am - 8am, Tue & Thurs 5am - 6am, Sat Public, Sun ClosedPublic Hours: ($2 admission weekdays; $1 on Saturday) Mon, Wed & Fri 8am - 12pm, Tue & Thurs 6am - 11am, Sat 6am - 2pm, Sun ClosedFor holiday and special hours, visit OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com.

The Original Los Angeles Flower Market

B

J

I

H

H

C

39

754 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 | Visit us at OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com

FALL 2016 | 3

More Than 90 Years’ of service

www.OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com

A Wonderland of Quality, Freshness, Variety, Selection and Great Pricing

It’s YOUR Flower Market!


754 Wall Street, Los AngelesLAFlowerDistrict.com

Cover Story:Gonzalez Sons Wholesale FlowersBlooming Where Planted 4

People and Places 6

By Design 8 Potpourri 10

Books for You 12

Roundabout 13

Happenings/Calendar 14Got News? Send to our Editor!

(see left column)

ContentsThis newsmagazine is published quarterly (January 1, April 1, July 1, Octo-ber 1) by The Los Angeles Flower Market of The American Florists’ Exchange, Ltd. Location: 754 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 • Internet: www.bloomin-news.com. Subscription and advertising details at BloominNews.com.

PublisherOriginal Los Angeles Flower Market of the American Florists’ Exchange

www.originalLAflowermarket.comLook for us on Facebook!

Special Holiday Hours, maps, tenants, seasonal flowersand more available at www.originalLAflowermarket.com

Market Information: 213 622-1966Market Manager/Mellano: 213 622-0796

Board of DirectorsAmerican Florists’ Exchange, Ltd., Los Angeles Flower Market

Christine Duke, Lizbeth A. Ecke, Jim Mellano, Jon Prechtl, John Williams, Paul Ecke III

Editorial and AdvertisingPeggi Ridgway, Wordpix Editorial Solutions

5146 East 23rd Street, Tulsa, OK 74114Email: [email protected] • www.bloominnews.com

Art DirectorMichael Wheary, Calypso Concepts

LAFD Association Member Badge ProgramFrank Reyes

766 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014www.LAFlowerDistrict.com • Mon.-Sat., 6 am to 2 pm • (213) 627-3696

SubscribeThose working in the California floral and horticultural industries may join our mailing list at no cost. Subscribe at BloominNews.com to the print and/or email editions. Get the digital version at http://bit.ly/laflower or text FLOWER to 42828.

DisclaimerNeither the Bloomin’ News nor the Original Los Angeles Flower Market rec-ommends or endorses any products or advertisements displayed in this publication but presents them as a service to our readers.

Advertise in Bloomin’ NewsVisit Bloominnews.com or contact our editor for advertising rates, dimensions and details. Advertise in color. We’ll design your first ad for free!

Index to AdvertisersBottomLine Brokers, Sean Edelstein . . . . . . . Page 11California State Floral Association . . . . . . . . Page 16Floral Supply Syndicate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9GM Floral Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13Mayesh Wholesale Florist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10Mellano & Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7Original Los Angeles Flower Market . . . . . . . . Page 3Teleflora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15

Wall St. & San Julian St. Merchants

Street map aboveA See detail (above right)

B Casa Blanca Wholesale Flowers, Inc. . . . . . . 213 488.3321Full Service

C Decor Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 629.6949Floral Supplies

D Mellano & Company . . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796Full Service

E Mellano & Company Wholesale Florist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796

Full Service

F LA Flower District Association (Badge) . . . . . . . . . 213 627.3696

G Floral Supply Syndicate . . . . . 213 624.3982Floral Supplies

H Moskatel’s, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 689.4590Floral Supplies

I Stamis Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.6770Floral Supplies

J Cris Flowers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.1797Floral Supplies

K Jay’s Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 612.0353Greens

L Floral Prop Rental . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.1700Floral Supplies

Vendors in The Original Los Angeles Flower Market of the American Florists Exchange, Ltd.

1 JC Grand Tree Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 213 833.0002Orchids & Cymbidiums

3 Imported Flowers from Paradise, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 626.383.1367Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

4 Dan Stamis, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.6770Greens

5 Blossom Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 891.9320Roses

6 G.M. Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 489.7050Full Service

7 & 7B Dayro’s Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 623.5177Roses & Cut Flowers

7A Flower Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 624.4866Miscellaneous Cut Flowers, Greens

8 Designer Direct Showcase . . . 213 488.9765Floral Supplies

10 Tommy’s Flower & Vase Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.1205Floral Supply

11 Eliseo’s Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.4898Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

12A & 13A Kimura Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.1620Orchids

12B - 13B Beth Madisson Flowers . . . . . 626 512.4085Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

14 Choice America Flower Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . 213 489.8377Miscellaneous & Exotic Flowers

15 - 17 Julia’s Wholesale Flowers . . . 213 891.1514Roses & Cut Flowers

18 Zavala Wholesale Flowers . . . . 213 488.0085 20 Wall Street Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 304.8933

Supermarket Florals, Rose Petals & Roses

23, 33- 34 Mellano & Company. . . . . . . . . 213 622.0796Full Service

24 Valle Wholesale Flowers. . . . . 213 688.8810Full Service

26 Gonzalez & Sons Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.7678Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

27 C & K Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 327.0313Vases & Ceramics

28 - 29B Ted’s Evergreens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 624.1524Greens

29A - 30 Vases by Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818 434.1512Vases

31 Balloons Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 683.8819Balloons

32A Gilbert Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 689.9564Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

32B A Ruiz Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 622.3695Exotic Cut Flowers

36 - 38 Tropical USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 614.1915Exotic Cut Flowers

39 Tommy’s Flower & Vase Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 688.8810Floral Supply

40 S.O.S Wholesale Flower Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 896.0322Miscellaneous Cut Flowers

41 Growers Direct Flowers, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 688.8855Cut Flowers

44 Paradise Garden Wholesale Flowers . . . . . . . . . . 213 488.5144Full Service

45 Orchids Oasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 627.3805Orchids

50 Martin Sanchez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 629.4154Fruit, Candy & Stu�ed Animals

Hours:Trade-Only Hours: Mon, Wed & Fri 2am - 8am, Tue & Thurs 5am - 6am, Sat Public, Sun ClosedPublic Hours: ($2 admission weekdays; $1 on Saturday) Mon, Wed & Fri 8am - 12pm, Tue & Thurs 6am - 11am, Sat 6am - 2pm, Sun ClosedFor holiday and special hours, visit OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com.


B

J

I

H

H

C

39

754 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 | Visit us at OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com

4 | THE BLOOMIN’ NEWS

From left, Angie, Ramiro Gonzalez Sr. and Kira (in front), sonKirk Kirkpatrick and Ramiro Gonzalez Jr (Junior) at the Market.

If you ask Ramiro Gonza-lez Jr. (“Junior”) how his business at the Origi-nal Los Angeles Flower Market began, he won’t hesi-tate to credit his father, Ramiro Gon-zalez Sr., for building a foundation upon which the business grew and prospered, even in tough times. “My father started this business in 1991,” Junior says. “He was a driver for Coastline Wholesale Flowers in Fullerton, drove flowers from the L.A. Market back to the Fullerton distribution center. When offered a chance to own and manage the busi-ness, he took it.” The desire to be a business owner and the foresight necessary to grow the business motivated Ramiro Sr. Those traits inherently carried over to Junior

and his siblings, most all of whom worked with their dad in the business in their youth and now are immersed in flower endeavors throughout the metro area. Dad’s entrepreneurial ven-ture benefited the entire family. “I grew up in the business,” says Junior, “so working here (in the Market) feels normal, not like a job.” Even on the days that stretch long into eleven or twelve hours, Junior says you just “make it ‘hap-py’ by visiting with other owners and employees in the Market. It’s like family.” In 2007, Ramiro Gonzalez Sr. retired, and, after years of experience

working with him, Junior and his wife Angie moved c o m f o r t a b l y into the own-

ership and management with hopes for continuing Dad’s success. Then the Great Recession of 2008 hit the entire country, dashing the hopes, plans and dreams of thousands. “We struggled, but then we real-ized: the problem wasn’t us; it was the economy.” With that, the couple began cutting back on all non-essen-tial expenses. While a lot of other floral businesses closed their doors, Gonzalez Sons survived. Over these past eight years, as the economy has revived in fits and starts but steadily, so has their business. The dream for entrepreneurial success has material-ized once again, as Gonzalez Sons

Gonzalez SonsWholesale Flowers

Blooming Where PlantedBy Peggi Ridgway

FALL 2016 | 5

Ramiro Gonzalez Sr., Ramiro Gonzalez (Junior) and Angie Gonzalez at the Market.

Gonzales Sons Wholesale has fulfilled custo-mers' needs in the Flower Market for 25 years

Kira prepares flowers for Kira’s Bouquets.

Wholesale Flowers serves its many customers who shop at the Market. Junior recognizes trends, and one of those is the growing preference of consumers to buy fresh flowers from the supermarket or specialty store, where convenience trumps all. The flower business “was a lot busier be-fore you could buy flowers at Trader Joe’s,” he says. A strong customer base is gold to a growing business, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by this entrepreneur. “How lucky we are to have a busi-ness in the downtown L.A. market,” Junior observes, ever grateful for loyal customers and those who rely upon his knowledge of floral prod-ucts. Studying customer requests and

market trends, he changed his prod-uct line from a few specialty items to a large, wide variety of fresh flowers. From the standard roses, lilies and fillers, he expanded his line of fillers and greens, ferns, stock, California in-season hydrangeas and sometimes unusual, hard to get blooms. “Sometimes I buy something that looks kind of crazy and wonder if it will sell. And customers go crazy over it. Some customers bring me a

sample of an unusual flower that’s not in the Market. We get it and ev-erybody wants it. Sometimes we get in a colorful grass, like a wheat grass or a grass with an orange color, and people are attracted to it.” Junior plans ahead for seasons and events, having flowers, greens and colors especially for fall, Chi-nese New Year and other occa-sions. There’s a bit of adventure in his spirit, as well, and he likes try-ing new things. Junior’s ten-year-old daughter Kira loves to make bouquets “because she likes getting paid.” Kira sold fifteen of her “Kira’s Bouquets.” The fifth grader was very happy and the experimental venture was successful.

Other children, Coby, age fif-teen, and Andrew, a college student, help Junior and wife Angie occasion-ally. Andrew helped on weekends so often that he learned the basics of the business and is comfortable with customer relations. Angie’s eagle eyes watch over the records and accounting and identify trends through customers’ purchases. She helps in the Market during busy seasons. Junior’s siblings carry on the family tradition as well. Bertha Rios and husband Gustavo have operated Rios Wholesale Flowers, Inc., in the Southern California Flower Market

for nearly 20 years. Their oldest son assists them. Marricela Acosta and husband Jose own Flowers by Lexy in Monterrey Park. Junior, like other owner-opera-tors of floral businesses at the Origi-nal Los Angeles Flower Market, is passionate about attracting more people to the historic Market, a veri-table smorgasbord of floral and floral related products. He is excited to see a large influx of newcomers, includ-ing new florists and designers, visit-ing the Market, and he generously

shares his knowledge with them. “They are starving for information and common names,” he says. He’d love to see an information booth or kiosk, perhaps at the Farmers Market that occurs every Saturday on Wall Street, to assist people in finding precisely the blooms they seek and in learning the flowers’ common names. “We love helping people,” Junior says. Although he expects nothing in return, customers and the people he helps often come back to visit and say Thanks. Ramiro Senior, with his children happily following in his footsteps, is very proud.


PEOPLE & PLACES

Congrats, New California AIFD Inductees The American Institute of Floral Designers proud-ly inducted several dozen accomplished floral design-ers at its annual Symposium, held in Anaheim in July. We extend our congratulations to these new AIFD inductees from our state: Svetlana Chernyavsky AIFD CFD, Alameda; Manuel Cuate Velazquez AIFD CFD, Anaheim; Tonya Mitchell AIFD CFD, Fair Oaks; Jan Wilder AIFD CFD, Costa Mesa; Karyn Wloczewski AIFD CFD, Vista; and Reginald Merritt AIFD CFD, Modesto.

Rene Van Rems Recognized The American Institute of Floral Designers has awarded its coveted Award of Design Influence to Southern California’s Rene van Rems AIFD of Rene van Rems International in Carlsbad. The presentation was made at AIFD’s National Symposium, held in Anaheim in July. Rene is only the eighth person to receive the award in its 25-year history and was unanimously chosen by the Awards Committee.

AIFD Greets New Director Kristen Philips CAE IOM is the incoming execu-tive director of the American Institute of Floral Design-ers, announced at the association’s annual symposium in July. Philips has worked with AIFD for eleven years. She obtained the Certified Association Executive and is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Baltimore. She replaces executive Tom Shaner.

BID Director Retires After seventeen years, Los Angeles Fashion District Business Improvement District (BID) director Kent Smith has retired. When Smith arrived in 1999, the BID covered 56 blocks and offered little to attract the public. Today, BID covers 100 blocks and collects $4.2 million annually in property assessments, used

for cleaning, safety and other improvements. In the future, he envisions more focus on living and working in the same city area, with closer connections between neighborhoods and more economic activity. We wish Kent Smith a great retirement.

Vigliotta Takes AIFD Helm Anthony J. Vigliotta AIFD CFD of Anthose De-sign in Los Angeles, was installed as President of the American Institute of Floral Designers at AIFD’s Na-tional Symposium in July. Succeeding Joyce Mason-Monheim AIFD PFCI CFD, Vigliotta is joined by other Californians in leading the organization: Tom Simmons AIFD CFD of Three Bunch Palms is trea-surer; Rachelle Nyswonger AIFD CFD of Flowers by Rachelle in Chico and Katie McCormick AIFD CFD are directors-at-large; and Wil Gonzalez AIFD CFD of W/E Flowers in Ukiah is Regional Chapter Representative for the Northwest Chapter.

San Diego Honors Horticulturist Alissa Adams-Simmons, sales manager at Briggs Nursery and Tree Co. in Vista, was recently presented the prestigious 2016 Person of the Year award by the San Diego County Flower & Plant Association. Designer Rene van Rems observed that Alissa “is a ‘doer.’ Her ‘let’s get it done’ personality, energy, care and enthusiasm have moved mountains, personally and professionally. She connects the dots and finds solutions.”

Californians Elected to SAF Council Joost Bongaerts of Florabundance, Inc. in Carpin-teria was among those newly elected to the Wholesal-ers Council of the Society of American Florists recent-ly; and Mark Wilson of Syngenta Flowers in Gilroy joined SAF’s Growers Council.

FPFC Honors Two Californians Harry Higaki of Bay City Flower Co. Inc. in Half Moon Bay was honored in July with the 2016 FPFC Floral Achievement Award by Fresh Produce & Floral Council, for a lifetime of service to the floral industry. The award was presented by his son Harrison. Also honored was Rich Van Valkenburg of Van Valkenburg & Associates in Capistrano Beach, who received the Norman H. (Buz) Bolstad Produce Achievement Award.

For a full list of our Holiday product line that includes beautiful strands of garland, a variety of decorative pieces and bulk goods (such as cones), call us today at 1-800-635-5266

or visit www.mellano.com for these, and other fine, fresh, featured flowers and foliage.

LARGE SWAGHOLLY BUNCHES

CLASSIC W

REATH — 12" CENTER CANDLE RIN

G — 6” CENTER

CONTACT INFO:LOS ANGELES 888-635-5266 mellano.com

WE’RE GOING BACK TO OUR HUMBLE BEGINNINGS... FINE EVERGREENS! JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.


A skull ceramic vase makes a perfect container for a Día De Los Meurtos party with complementary flowers including yel-low gerbera daisies, pink roses, yellow marigolds, celosia, camellia leaves and dried chili peppers.

Cotinus and broom corn pair up to highlight orange marigolds and red gerbera daisies in a vase made from a carved out fresh pumpkin.

This fall, let the vibrancy of a Día De Los Meurtos (Day of the Dead) celebration drive the color pal-ette for autumnal floral designs from Halloween through Thanksgiving. The Day of the Dead cel-ebration is a holiday celebrated throughout Mex-ico and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places, especially in the United States. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help sup-port their spiritual journey.

Increasingly, this holiday is being embraced by more cultures around the world and its holiday decorations continue to focus on colorful skulls

which can be in the form of ceramic pots or masks. Where painted flowers appear on the faces of celebrants of this popular holiday on November 1st, fresh flowers often adorn the heads of celebrants.

All colors are popular in this holiday from yellow and orange to purple and blue…so the sky is the limit. Use this vibrant theme to bring your fall florals alive from floral arrangements in metal-lic containers, to large floral crowns, to vibrant centerpieces featuring California grown protea, gerbera daisies and spray roses.

Dahlias combined with late season marigolds can also make guest appearances to add more texture and interest to fall celebrations.

This year, embrace lively hues and tradition to help clients celebrate all of their fall festivities in exquisite vivid color.

Kit Wertz is a professional floral designer, photojournal-ist, marketing expert, graphic designer, certified Project Management Professional, Flower District tour guide and television personality. She co-owns Flower Duet, Torrance, Ca, with her sister, Casey Schwartz.

Embrace a Día De Los Meurtos Color Palette

for Fall DesignsArticle and photos by Kit Wertz


POTPOURRI

Australia Spotlights L.A. Market Shane Holborn, Executive Officer of Flower As-sociation of Queensland, Inc. and a long-time friend of The Bloomin’ News, visited the Original Los An-geles Flower Market several months ago, then wrote about his visit in the Australian Flower Industry magazine. In the full page two-part story, Holborn shared information about the U.S. floral industry and the Market shared by manager Jim Mellano. “The take-home message from Jim was that there is always room for excellent quality product,” Holborn said.

SAF Enters New Partnership A new partnership between the Society of American Florists and Cornerstone Government Affairs will put “experienced voices on Capitol Hill to protect flower growers’ interests,” says Peter Moran, SAF CEO. Cornerstone is a public affairs firm specializing in government relations, strategic consulting and advocacy, with a team of more than 50 senior professionals. Shawn McBurney, SAF’s senior

director of government relations, will continue to represent the floral industry at the Capitol on issues impacting the broader SAF membership.

Flower Therapy Nights Debut Carly Cylinder, author of The Flower Chef, has start-ed a fun night-out concept with flower arranging and a little vino for inspiration. Based on the popular paint-ing-and-wine gatherings (see: Pinotspallette.com), Cyl-inder’s relaxing, social times for arranging florals while enjoying an alcoholic beverage can already be found in several major cities. For details or to book a group, visit http://www.Flowertherapynite.com.

“CaliFlora” at the Flower Market The “CaliFlora” statewide design competitions, trade show and hands-on workshops will be held November 5 and 6 at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market. Sponsored by California State Floral Association, it may be in northern or central California next year, so reserve now: See our back cover.

AIFD Offers Evaluator/Judge Program Any American Institute of Floral Designers Ac-credited member can become an AIFD Certified Floral Evaluator/Judge. The certification process is at no cost to the member and is directly connected to the PFDE program. For details, contact Jackie Lacey at [email protected].

AFE Awards Scholarships The American Floral Endowment recently awarded seventeen students with scholarships totaling more than $35,000. Dwight Larimer, AFE Chairman-Elect and Education Committee Chair, thanked the “generosity of donors” for AFE’s ability to distribute more than 20 scholarships each year. The scholarship made possible by the American Florists’ Exchange (Original Los An-geles Flower Market) of $2,400 was awarded to Erin Hsu, University of California, Davis. Hsu is studying environmental horticulture with a focus on floriculture and wants to work in the floral design industry. A Vo-cational (Bettinger, Holden and Perry) Scholarship of $1,500 was awarded to Caitlin Redpath, City College of San Francisco. Redpath is a senior pursing an associ-ate’s degree in commercial cut flower and greenhouse production with a minor in floral design.

We take the extra step to ensure you with the highest quality floral products

along with impeccable service.

MAYESHE S T . 1 9 7 8

MAYESH

[email protected]

VISIT OUR SOUTHERN CA LOCATIONS

CARLSBAD | LA MART | LAX | OC | RIVERSIDE | VALLEY

FALL 2016 | 11

CCFC Ambassadors at the 2016 Rose Parade.

POTPOURRI

Be a CCFC Rose Parade Ambassador

California Cut Flower Commission, would love your help as a volunteer ambassador to meet and greet the public during “Deco Week” (December 27-January 1) of the Rose Parade (slated for January 2). Need a place to stay while in Pasadena? Rooms are available at the special rate of $100, thanks to CCFC. Contact [email protected] or phone 916 441-1701 or 925 905-4489.

AFE Videos Tout Successes Five new videos released by the American Floral Endowment tout floriculture successes through col-laboration, support and participation. Each shares “real stories of industry members on career develop-ment through scholarships and internships,” says Lau-ra Shinali, president of Syndicate Sales, Inc., and AFE Public Relations and Development Chair. Watch the videos at Endowment.org/videos.

It’s 50-50, Then and Now According to a study commissioned by the Society of American Florists and updated in 2016 by SAF and the American Floral Endowment, with funding from Floral Marketing Research Fund, local florists and supermarkets continue to enjoy nearly equal shares for everyday flower purchases. There’s also been a noticeable rise in floral sales at farmers’ markets.

Fiesta Parade Floats Honored Fiesta Parade Floats, based in Irwindale, was recog-nized by the American Institute of Floral Designers for its support of the floral industry, at AIFD’s annual Symposium, held in Anaheim in July 2016. Consid-ered the leading float builder for the Rose Parade, the company received the 2016 Award of Merit Industry, one of the highest honors given by the AIFD. FPF’s

promotion of outstanding flower use and creative floral displays on the floats, as well as their promotion of AIFD design members and ongoing contributions to AIFD symposiums made it the likely candidate for the award. Tim Estes received the award for Fiesta Parade Floats, which has the highest award win rate in Rose Parade history and has won the prestigious Sweepstakes Trophy multiple times.

Take Bloomin’ News Along We can provide complimentary copies of The Bloomin’ News for your shop, event or design class. It’s always popular among florists, designers and students. Just email [email protected] for details.

CCFC Sports New Address California Cut Flower Commission now residesin downtown Sacramento in a space leased from the Strawberry Commission in the Meridian Plaza Building. The address is 1415 L Street, Suite 460, Sacramento.

Continued on page 12

Selling Flower Shops Since 1997

Flower Shop BrokerDRE#01926680

Flower ShopAvailable!

• Riverside County• Corner Location • Low Rent• Same Owner 25 years• Great Hospital Account• Lots of Upside to This Shop• Owner Will Stay On if Needed

Buy or Sell With Confidence

Sean Edelstein [email protected] Orange, Riverside, San Bernar-dino & Los Angeles Counties


POTPOURRI

CA Grown Floral Shop Popular at Fair

The California State Floral Association exhibit at the California State Fair took the form of a floral shop with California-grown flowers arranged by CSFA member florists. Crowds were attracted by the flowers overflowing from the shop and learned the value of visiting local florists and buying locally grown products. CSFA members gave away ar-rangements to other exhibits to promote the Flow-er Shop. July 17 was declared “Flower Day” at the Fair and kicked off with a Student Design Qualify-ing Competition. On the final day, designers per-sonalized bouquets for those who stopped by.

Cal State Floral Representing Us Well In recent months, the California State Floral As-sociation and the California Cut Flower Commis-sion partnered to co-sponsor Legislative Action Day and joined with California Department of Food and Agricultural and legislative and agriculture leaders for

California Agriculture Day. The California Associa-tion of Nurseries and Garden Centers and California Seed Association also joined CSFA in these events. In the weeks before LAD, deliveries of wildflower and tomato seeds and floral bouquets were made to the legislators. On Ag Day, 37 booths were set up on the west side of the Capitol showcasing the diversity of California’s agriculture. Among all the food booths was the CSFA booth with distribution of floral bou-quets, the most popular booth of all.

Want to See the AIFD Symposium? Order the 2016 Symposium “Inspiration” recap video from American Institute of Floral Designers. Call 410 752-3318 or email [email protected].

Pokemon Appears in Our Favorite Spots

Disneyland, Union Depot, Dodger Sta-dium and dozens of other public places in the metro area are great PokemonGo stops for fans trying to “catch” Pokemon characters as part of the game. Those who played golf in Maui during the 25th Annual Society of American Florists’ an-nual convention were in good company with Poke-mon peeps on the Bay Course.

In the Gardens of ImpressionismClare A.P. Willsdon’s pictorial, souvenir book is an awe-inspiring historical view of the peak of impressionistic fine art and the peak of gardening and flower cultivation. Each came to prominence at the turn of the twentieth century, spreading from France to Britain, the U.S. and the world. The best known (Manet, Renoir, Pissaro, Monet and Degas) and lesser known (Caillebotte, Guillaumin and Bazille) impressionist art-ists’ works are displayed in this book viv-

idly, picturing gardens and flowers at the height of bloom, floral scenes frequently arranged, demonstrating order and elab-orate design. The book covers painting styles, private and social gardens, pleinair-ism, flowers of tradition and more. Award-winning author Willsdon is Professor of the History of Western Art at University of Glasgow; and a Fellow the Royal Historical Society and Royal Society of Arts. Available for $38.95 from your favorite bookseller.B

OOKS

FO

R

YO

U

FALL 2016 | 13

ROUNDABOUT

So much happened over the summer months, we hardly know where to begin. Kudos to Rene van Rems AIFD upon his receiving the Award of Design Influence from AIFD. Fiesta Parade Floats, too, for its Award of Merit – Industry from AIFD. Anthony Vigliotta AIFD PFCI is the new president of AIFD. See our “People” section for more AIFD news.

Fred Gibbons, designer to the stars, is gearing up for the October 8 Carousel of Hope Ball at the Beverly Hilton, an event that has featured his exquisite floral designs for nearly 30 years. Fred’s de-signs feature carousel horses

with floral banners and is attended by celebrities and stars. It benefits The Barbara Davis Center for Diabe-tes and Children’s Diabetes Foundation.

Teleflora’s ‘Make Someone Smile’ Week got a boost when Nita Robertson of Santa Cruz Floral

got Girl Scouts to assemble 100+ bouquets, which were delivered to a senior facility. The September Florists Review published arrangements by Suzanne M. Smith, Temeculah; Gina S. Weaver, Ukiah; Melinda Lynch AIFD, San Luis Obispo; Kelly Bishop, El Centro; Jenny McNiece AIFD, Arroyo Grande; and Carrie Thengvall, Chico.

The Dalai Lama got a taste of California flowers when he visited the state Capitol on June 20. He was pre-sented with a stunning arrangement of Stargazer lilies, iris, carnations and gladiolus, all grown in California. American Flowers Week enjoyed great success with 1.3 million impressions on Instagram and Twitter, not counting Facebook, with great support from the Slow Flowers community.

The American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour was recently featured in Sunset Magazine’s “Best of the West” section, with a focus on flowers grown by Kendall Farms in Fallbrook and designed by Christina Stembel of Farmgirl Flowers.

Even in sunnySoCal you canexperience a

Winter Wonderland.

Our displayswill bring out the

Artist in you!

Come and see our wide selection of Holiday Décor.

In The Southern California Flower MarketEnter at 740 Maple Ave, 2nd Floor or 755 Wall St, 2nd FloorLos Angeles 90014 • Call 213 489-7055 • Fax 213 489-7706

GMFLORAL CO

Find Us On The Second Floor!convenient, secure parking

C A L E N D A R

14

OCTOBERBreast Cancer

Awareness Month

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 The Wall Farmers Market at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market, Wall Street from Sev-enth to Eighth streets, 9 am to 2 pm each Saturday.

3 – 4 Rosh Hashanah

“Advanced Wedding Designer” class with Phil Rul-loda AIFD PFCI, Southern Cali-fornia School of Floral Design, Anaheim. Call 714 776-7445 or see philrulloda.com.

5 – 7 Agriflor, Quito, Ecua-dor. See Agriflor.com or call 011-31-20-662-2482.

8 “Succulent Pumpkins” design workshop with Flower Duet. Call 310 792-4968 or reg-ister at Flowerduet.com.

9 – 12 “SMART Everyday Design” with Joyce Mason Monheim AIFD PFCI, Teleflora Education Center, Oklahoma City, OK. Call 800 456-7890, x. 6234.

10 Columbus Day

12 Yom Kippur

15 Sweetest Day

Los Angeles FlowerMarket tour with Flower Duet, 7-9 a.m. $20. Call 310 792-4968 or register at Flowerduet.com.

15 – 16 Japanese Garden Festival, featuring Ikebana, Garden exhibition, garden walk and more, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Descanso Gardens, La Canada Flintridge. Details: 818 949-4200 or descansogardens.org.

17 Boss’s Day

19 “Petal It Forward” day, sponsored by Society of American Florists. Conduct special events to give away two bouquets to each stranger, asking them to give one away. Make someone’s day special.

19 – 22 Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association 2016 Floral Distribution Con-ference, Miami, FL. Call 888 289-3372 or see Wffsa.org.

23 SAF Profit Blast, spon-sored by DWF Wholesale Flo-rist, in Denver. See SAFnow.org.

28 – 30 Los Angeles Christmas Cash & Carry Gift Show. Call 678 285-3976 or see Urban-expo.com.

31 Halloween

31 – Nov. 11 “Floral Designer” classes with Phil Rulloda AIFD PFCI, Southern California School of Floral Design, Anaheim. Call 714 776-7445 or see philrulloda.com

NOVEMBER

5, 12, 19, 26 The Wall Farmers Market at the Origi-nal Los Angeles Flower Mar-ket, Wall Street from Seventh to Eighth streets, 9 am to 2 pm each Saturday.

1 All Saints Day

2 All Souls Day

5 – 6 “CaliFlora,” floral design demonstrations, workshops, trade show, new flower varieties and more, sponsored by California State Floral Association at the Origi-nal Los Angeles Flower Market, 754 Wall Street, Los Angeles. Call 916 448-5266 or email [email protected]. Come on down!

6 Daylight Saving Time ends

8 Election Day

11 Veterans Day

14 – 16 “Advanced Floral Designer” class with Phil Rul-loda AIFD PFCI, Southern Cali-fornia School of Floral Design, Anaheim. Call 714 776-7445 or see philrulloda.com

15 Get in the Holiday Spirit at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market!

19 Los Angeles Flower Mar-ket tour with Flower Duet, 7-9 a.m. $20. Call 310 792-4968 or register at Flowerduet.com.

“Fall Harvest Flowers” workshop with Flower Duet in Torrance. Call 310 792-4968 or register at Flowerduet.com.

24 Thanksgiving Day

25 Black Friday – Consumer Holiday Shopping Day

26 Small Business Saturday

25 – Jan. 8 “Enchanted: Forest of Light” celebra-tion at Descanso Gardens features two light houses and illumination of Descanso’s fa-vored locations. 5-10 pm, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge, $9 adults, $6 seniors and students with ID. Call 818 949-4200 or see Descansogar-dens.org.

29 Giving Tuesday – Give to kick off the giving season.

DECEMBER

3, 10, 17, 24, 31 The Wall Farmers Market at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market, Wall Street from Seventh to Eighth streets, 9 am

to 2 pm each Saturday unless otherwise announced due to holidays.

5 Cyber Monday – stem the tide of online (cyber) shopping by offering specials in your shop!

7 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

10 “Holiday” design class with Phil Rulloda AIFD PFCI, Southern California Schoolof Floral Design, Anaheim. Call 714 776-7445 or seephilrulloda.com

12 National Poinsettia Day

17 Los Angeles Flower Mar-ket tour with Flower Duet, 7-9 a.m. $20. Call 310 792-4968 or register at Flowerduet.com.

“Evergreens and Flowers” workshop with Flower Duet in Torrance. Call 310 792-4968 or register at Flowerduet.com.

21 Winter Solstice

24 Christmas Eve

25 Christmas Day Hanukkah (through January 1)

26 Christmas observed by business community

26 – Jan. 1 Kwanzaa

31 New Year’s Eve

ON THE HORIZON

July 1 – 5, 2017: AIFD National Symposium, Seattle, Washington

August 9 – 12, 2017: “Fun ‘n Sun” biennual event, Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Carls-bad. See CAFGS.org.

Check our website OriginalLAflowermarket.comfor Flower Market shopping hours, parking info and more.

Our calendar listings help you tie your business promotions to special events and observances.

Original Los Angeles Flower Market754 Wall Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014

PRST STANDARDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT #519

SANTA ANA, CA

SundayNovember 6

“Top Ten” FloralDesign Competition

Afternoon Design Show

Trade Show, New Varieties, Silent Auction, CCF Pinning,

CSFA Annual Meeting

SaturdayNovember 5

California Certified Florist Exam

Hands-on Design Classes

Student Design Competition

Enjoy the programs and camaraderie of floral industry colleagues.Sponsored by California State Floral Association

Get More Details/Register: Call CSFA: 916.448.5266 • Email: [email protected]

Original Los Angeles Flower Market • 754 Wall Street, Los Angeles 90014OriginalLAFlowerMarket.com

CALIF FLORA2016

gonzalez sons wholesale flowers blooming where...

Documents