A withering bouquet in a florist window is a bad sign, but with Creative Blossoms (370 Lewis Avenue, between Macon and Halsey Streets) there’s a reason why. According to their website which appears to have been redesigned, they’re in the process of moving to another location in Bed-Stuy. Some have wondered if Creative Blossoms were going to close for good because the shop was closed for a couple of months.
Stay tuned as to where and when they will relocate. You can e-mail them about special events or requests at creativeblossoms@nycreativeblossoms.com. Have you bought an arrangement from them? What did you think of their service?
I wish them luck – but I will tell you that they didn’t run a very nice plant and flower store in their current location. I would have thought that with a backyard, they would have a better selection of plants, etc. They had very few and they looked terrible. There’s always a much better selection at streetside farmers markets. I am not confident in their long-term viability in any location unless they fundamentally change how they do business. Hopefully, the will give up the storefront and something better will move in. Don’t mean to be unkind, but good riddance.
Every time I went to Creative Blossoms, Estelle and her staff were friendly and professional. I always love fresh flowers around my home and I was excited to have this lovely little shop in our neighborhood. My husband and I would purchase fresh floral arrangements for dinner parties, I recommended Estelle to a bride that got married at Akwaba (sp?) Mansion ( the bride was happy with their services) and I also hired Estelle for an event I sponsored in Bedford Stuyvesant. I did inquire about the limited selection of plants and flowers and the slippery slope I saw taking place. What I learned was: 1) The location was not as ideal as one would think. Also customers didn’t have the budget to purchase the more untraditional plants and flowers. Therefore they kept it a little basic and did a mix if the less “church” flowers for those who requested a more modern bouquet and they did special orders. As the business expanded,they were going to provide more of a variety 2) Most residents and churches in the area are creatures of habit and no matter what, they stick to Barbara’s on Nostrand Avenue. 3) C.B. unfortunately opened during the economic downturn and we know what that means for older and newer residents in the community and our personal budgets. 4) After they opened. there were also issues with the landlord.
I say all this to say, I wish Estelle all the best. Based on taking the time to speak to her about the challenges of opening a small business during a recession, (in a neighborhood in transition),I understand why she maybe pressing the reset button in another neighborhood location. I also suspect she will have a stronger knowledge base and we will see she has the vision for long term viability in the next location. Now, we unfortunately have another empty storefront on Lewis Avenue…….
Don’t know if this has anything to do with the shop closing, but the building’s been on the market for quite some time.