SPRING 2021 in New York City - the Flower District Is Getting Its Groove Back

a little bit about New York's 
FLOWER DISTRICT

Fun Fact: Although it was originally located on 34th street, since1890 the Flower District has been in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City (on 28th Street between 6th and 7th avenues).  It's known simply as the Flower District and it's a year-round group of individually owned flower markets all crowded together with their flowers spilling out onto the sidewalk. Marked on the corner by a McDonald's restaurant, at first it doesn't seem to be a very spectacular area of the city, but turn the corner heading west onto 28th street and you're enveloped by a sea of greenery, budding plants and fresh cut flowers from all over the globe.  

How I found it:  Many years ago when I first moved to New York City (in 1990) I visited the infamous street with a friend who owned a flower shop on the Upper East Side. It was the wee hours of the morning and I was blown away by the the hustle and bustle on this two-block neighborhood while gawking in amazement at the crowd of people "in the know" hailing from the publishing, floral and design industries.  It was a sea of  shoppers wheeling and dealing over flowers.  They all seemed to be experts in the field.  These were gorgeous stems flown in from Holland, and fresh as can be varieties of all botanicals under the sun.  There were magazine editors scouring the markets for their next photo shoot.  At that time, I was in the most stylish of shops the infamous Fischer & Paige (which has closed a few years back).  That day, I was bitten by the flower bug, and the rest is history.  While studying interior design at Parsons School of Design, I fantasized about yet a third career change as a flower shop owner- I imagined myself entrenched in flowers with my gaggle of standard poodles wagging their tails at my neighborhood customers picking up their daily bouquets.  Since then, any opportunity that arises to head down to purchase flowers, I jump.  

The Flower District has changed considerably since when I first visited in 1990.  Back in the day, one needed to be an insider, and only those with a resale number were privy.  Over the years, the flower district has grown smaller and to keep up with the changing times, it's now open to the public.  

Over the years, as I've participated in dozens of design industry, charity  table top events, my favorite part of the design process is hitting the Flower District.   I'm guessing, it was hit hard by the last year's pandemic. Today, I went back for the very fist time in almost a year and a half, and I was happy to see some of the shops back in business.  Many have closed and the side streets that used to spill over with extra shops are quiet but the main drag on 28th street looks to be back in business.  

What I created: I ducked into a couple of my favorite places and picked up almost out of season Anemones (white with black centers), and spring Ranunculus, Hellebores, and garden-style Roses all in a faded white and pink, lettuce-green colors.  I put together a very pretty but delicate arrangement for my daughter's birthday- these are all her favorite!

XO Tamara

Happy Nesting