FLOWER SHOP CHRONICLES
Time to Order Thanksgiving Centerpieces
Florists Supporting Flower Farms
Halloween on the Hill
November Hours:
We will be closed Thanksgiving Nov. 28th through December 1st to spend time with our families. We expect a lot of orders for centerpieces the Wednesday before Thanksgiving so get yours in early!
Finding Community Connection at the Flower Shop
What I love the most about my flower shop is that it keeps me connected to my community in a meaningful way. My team of designers, my customers, my neighbors and my friends are the ones who have kept Bell and Trunk afloat all these years. More often than not, our designers and our customers are also neighbors, and everyone in one way or another becomes a friend.
We have a group of young, creative, smart students from the California College of the Arts down the hill on our team of floral designers. When Audrey, Sophie, Davo, Jiwon and Luisa aren't focusing on school subjects like industrial design. writing, graphic design, soft arts and jewelry making they are using flowers as their medium and creating incredible works of art for our customers. Over time, these designers have become an integral part of our daily operations.
Friends from different areas of life are also a big part of the Bell and Trunk network. On a normal day, I'll see an order pop up from a friend of 25-years, U.S. Representative elect Lateefah Simon. She often sends flowers as a way to say thanks. Or I'll see an order from a friend at The South End Rowing Club, like Diane Davis, who recently sent flowers to a friend fighting breast cancer. Just today I got a wedding inquiry from more friends at the South End Rowing Club, Dominica Donovan and Brian Ip, who are getting married at the City Club next year.
We see a lot of new faces too. Just a few weeks ago Kyle Anderson aka "Slo Mo" from the Warriors stopped by to grab a bouquet for his wife. With Chase Center just a few minutes down the hill we get a few ball players and managers stopping in before getting on 280 to head home. As the newest Warrior, Mr. Anderson said he is thrilled he landed in this beautiful city and is excited to explore more of San Francisco. We hope we see him again soon.
Since it is gratitude month, there really isn't a better time to say thank you to our diverse community of Bell and Trunk supporters. We really appreciate you!
Warmly,
Vanessa Marlin
Thanksgiving Centerpieces
Time for some Thanksgiving centerpieces! These low and lush florals are the crown jewels of the dining table. We have been so inspired by November's spectacular sunsets that we decided to work in pops yellow, coral and peach with traditional autumn tones like burgundy, gold and rust. The result is refreshingly modern. All of our designs are balanced with textured elements like pistachio, rosehips, and ilex berries along with with soft petalled flowers like garden roses, hydrangea and mums. Seasonal greenery like maple, agonis, and plum elevate the look. The arrangements are low enough for your guests to see over them and look beautiful from all angles.
This year we've introduced long and low glass vases as well as small cocktail cylinders in our online selection. We also have ceramic and glass vessels in unique shapes and colors like terra cotta, amber and forest green available in our flower shop.
Florists Supporting Local Flower Growers
Behind the scenes, florists like myself and my friend Eleanor Gerber-Siff from Wallflower take notice when small local growers do the extraordinary: they take plots of land in urban areas and turn them into fertile grounds for growing flowers. A few weeks ago I took my friend Marissa Viray, a flower grower in the Richmond District, to meet event planning veteran Jane Hammond and Linh Becker, owners of Boxcar Flower Farm in Oakland. I was most excited by all the unique blooms I don't see everyday while the flower growers Marissa, Linh and Jane talked enthusiastically about caring for earthworms in special worm gardens.
On Saturday mornings Eleanor and I like to head over to the Flower Press in the Dogpatch for uncommon blooms grown locally on small farms. Our friend Maia has a sweet little flower stand right in front of Piccino.
Halloween on the Hill
Halloween is a big deal in Potrero Hill. My fellow merchants and I stay open for trick-or-treaters and go through countless Costco bags of candy a year. The sour gummy worms were a hit. I personally prefer an old-fashioned Twix. This year we ran into two familiar faces: Caroline and Andrew! Caroline's watermelon is in fact baby bump. Congratulations parents-to-be!
We last saw Caroline and Andrew two years on their wedding day in Sausalito. It was a perfect Northern California Indian summer day. Flowers by Bell and Trunk. Photo by Helena and Laurent Photography. We've done quite a few weddings with these photographers and they are at the top of their game. helenaandlaurent.com
More Halloween highlights: Darth Vader defended the flower shop from rebels. Jiwon joined the dark side for a night.
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