Never change your doctor, butcher or barber. ~Ital Florist

In the old days, people used to say, "Never change your doctor, your butcher or your barber". Maybe this advice was referring to the fact that these people over the years of serving you , know you very well. They know all there is to know about you and to change would be disastrous for you in some way. Times have certainly changed since then.

Today, in our business of  providing flowers however, we have the unique opportunity to really get to know our clients well. Through the special occasions in their lives, their tastes, dislikes and styles,characters and personalities unfold. Our clients trust us with sometimes very personal information. And of course we take this confidence extremely seriously. If you've ever sat through a bridal consultation for wedding flowers or assisted a grieving mother choose flowers for the death of her child, or if you've ever tied an engagement ring onto a bouquet of flowers for a nervous, young man, you'll understand what I mean when I say we can feel like family planning experts, grief counselors, and psychologists at times.

In this business, we know a lot about you. When you're getting married, had a baby, your anniversary, a death in the family, if you're in the doghouse..again and we even know if you're being shall we say, not so faithful to your significant other. Lots of interesting stories come to mind but there is this one that I will never forget.

One year on Valentines Day, my father took an order of one dozen roses from a  very good customer to send to his wife.
The customer asked him not to sign the card message. "She'll know who they're from" was his reply. Dutifully my father asked, "If she calls to find out who sent them, may I tell her it was you?"
"No", was his answer, "That won't be necessary. She won't call. She'll know."

Later that day, one of our team members surprisingly receives a call from the gentleman's wife explaining she received a beautiful dozen roses without a card message. She wanted to know who sent them. Of course, as per our client's instructions, we could not tell her. The wife became frantic. She asked to speak to the owner.
When my father picked up the phone, she insisted he tell her who sent her the flowers. So as not to betray his long time client's trust, he did not reveal the information.

Just before closing, the chime of the entrance door rings and in walks the wife with the box of roses clutched tightly under her arm.
Furious and frantic she demands to speak with the owner in person. Sensing the urgency of the matter, my father accompanies the woman to his office and makes this suggestion. "Signora,  I would recommend you do this.Thank your husband for the roses. You cannot go wrong if you do that" She replies in a panic, "But what of he didn't send them?"
My father looks at her and gently offers this advise "Thank your husband anyway. If he was not the one to send them what will you have to lose? You will be as surprised and flabbergasted as your husband will be". He continues, "And if in fact your husband did send them, then you thanked the right man".

The woman left, with the roses, and thanked my father for his good advise. I was just a kid then, but I couldn't help but wonder if her husband sent the roses without a message on purpose. Suspicious of his wife's infidelity and testing her. ?? Probably.

We will never know the outcome of that night, but the experience remains forever in my top memorable moments. And it just goes to show that not only do your doctor, butcher or barber know a lot about you... but your florist does too.


~Happy Valentine's Day!