‘That thing has saved me.’ Stamford florist offers 24-hour flower kiosk
Ferraro and his staff aren’t there round-the-clock. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 on Saturday. But the open sign is always on at the kiosk next to the shop. Think of it as a vending machine for fresh flowers.
More Stories
If you need flowers for Valentine’s Day but your schedule is pretty tight, one florist in Stamford has you covered no matter the hour of the day or night.
“That’s what we’re known for—24-hour flowers,” said Jim Ferraro, owner of Stamford Florist on Bedford Street.
Ferraro and his staff aren’t there round-the-clock. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 on Saturday. But the open sign is always on at the kiosk next to the shop. Think of it as a vending machine for fresh flowers.
“It's funny. When I'm out at restaurants and social things, it's, ‘Oh you're the guy with the flower machine,’” Ferraro told News 12.
Ferraro was originally the delivery driver at Stamford Florist. He started working there in 1974 while in high school, then moved up to the design area after graduation.
“Two years later, they offered to sell me the business. Mom and I decided she'd take care of the bookkeeping end of it. I'd take care of the customers. We'd give it a try, and here we are 47 years later,” he said.
Business is still blooming, perhaps, in part, because of the all-hours addition, which has been a long-time feature. Ferraro said the current machine holds 25 bouquets of different sizes and prices. It takes cash or credit card.
“It's good for the people who catch us before we open and after we close, the weekends and definitely around the Valentine's holiday where they don't want to wait in the line here. They'll go use that, and that thing will empty out probably two, three times during the course of the day and the night,” he explained.
Ferraro said the kiosk sees the most traffic from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m., and he's heard from more than a few thankful customers.
“I'm standing out filling it up sometimes, and there's a truck going by, and they're beeping the horns, saying, ‘Oh, you don't know how many times that thing has saved me,’” Ferraro recalled, adding that the kiosk has paid for itself many times over the years.
