FLOWER SHOP CHRONICLES - DECEMBER 2021
A Love Story - Nancy and Martin
Meet Sophie and Veronica
Special Promotion - Floral Subscriptions
We will be open Christmas Eve day from 11-6
Closed December 25th & 26th
Happy Holidays!
"All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost."
—J.R.R. Tolkien
Happy Holidays from Bell and Trunk
Happy Holidays from Bell and Trunk! We’re counting down the Twelve Days of Christmas with some fun facts from the flower shop:
Months in business: 161
Flower shop in square feet: 160
Most popular floral arrangement: The Monochromatic closely followed by The Bohemian and The Seasonal.
Years Jennifer Herman has worked at the shop: Four in March
Number of bridal bouquets we made so far this year: 47
Most commonly requested flower: Peonies, hands down, then roses. Tulips and dahlias are tied for third.
Average number of roses sold at Bell and Trunk this year: 10,000
Average number of thorn pricks we get daily: 3-4
Average cups of coffee consumed at the shop daily: too many to count. (Thanks for keeping us going, Farley’s!)
Number of feet of garland we’ve hung this holiday: 200
Top three occasions people order flowers from Bell and Trunk for: birthday, anniversary (love), new baby
Number of newsletter subscribers that actually open the newsletter: 1,200 (Thanks for reading!)
Nancy and Martin
Love is a big part of our work day at Bell and Trunk. In this newsletter we are excited to share Nancy and Martin's love story with you.
Martin, a Brit in between jobs and living with his stepmother, glanced over his shoulder, worried that she might be lurking. Then he started typing his response. It wasn’t easy getting the words down. His hands were shaking.
"The truth is, I have a crush too,” he wrote.
In fact, he’d been dreaming about Nancy for years.
In the summer of 2014, Martin visited the West Coast for the first time to play tourist and visit distant relatives. He and his then-partner booked an Airbnb in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood. It was a classic Victorian on Mississippi Street. The outside was painted mauve with white detailing, and it had a beautiful hydrangea bush blooming in front. It was tricked out with elegant antique furniture, Eastern artwork and — ad alert! – a fresh floral arrangement from Bell and Trunk on the kitchen table.
Nancy was the host. Martin noted that she, too, had “a stylish and classy” aspect, just as lovely in person as she had appeared in her Airbnb profile. Even though she was considerably older than Martin and his then-partner, they all became fast friends.
“The three of us had wonderful heartfelt conversations,” Nancy said. “I felt really listened to.”
When the visit was over the couple wrote a glowing review of their visit on Airbnb and invited Nancy to visit them in the U.K.
Two years later, Nancy booked a trip to London. She had never before had any particular desire to go to England but wanted to take some courses on “How to Live and Thrive in the Real World” at the School of Life in London. She looked up Martin in her Airbnb records, and arranged for a two-hour train ride to have dinner with them in Wiltshire, in West England. In preparation for her arrival, Martin asked Nancy what kind of alcohol she liked to have with dinner.
“What do I tell him?” she thought to herself. But she quickly decided to reveal that she was in recovery and 11 years’ sober. Martin confided in Nancy as well. He told her that alcohol was negatively impacting his relationship with his partner and that she was struggling with addiction. Nancy felt intellectually connected with his partner, and at the same time, moved by the insight Martin showed about his feelings and the relationship.
Nancy ended up having a romance that trip— but not with Martin. She fell in love with the U.K. It was a magical time filled with botanical gardens, plays and beautiful train rides through the green English countryside. As the years went by, she would return to England and visit the couple two more times as she traveled around the country.
Nancy thought often about Martin, a self-described “middle-aged man with a sense of adventure and life-long learning,” as he had put it in his Airbnb profile. She and Martin became real friends, sharing many phone calls and emails about their respective lives.
Then, as these things happen in such tales, Martin and his partner broke up In January 2020.
Things weren’t going well for Martin during that time. After the breakup he had to return to his stepmother’s home while he worked on the website he was designing, following his passion. Nancy’s Airbnb guest room was available and she invited Martin to visit her in California for a change of scene and to give his spirits a boost. He and his step-mother both decided to take a vacation to California, he to visit Nancy, she to visit relatives in the East Bay. Nancy enjoyed playing tour guide and they planned a trip to Calistoga.
“How would you feel about sharing a room with two beds?” she asked him. Martin decided that would be fine with him. For once, it was the American, not the Brit, who kept feelings hidden. Nancy wouldn’t reveal what was in her heart.
Not that night, anyway. When the time was right, she shared the truth about how her feelings had changed. As you saw from the beginning of this story, it worked out pretty well — including fabulous flower elements from you-know-who at the wedding.
They got married at Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line in the Presidio of SF on October 15th, surrounded by their US friends and family (the pandemic prevented UK guests). Two days later they had a garden party at Nancy’s Victorian — still mauve — now with an English-style and lots of anglophone touches all around.
Today Nancy gets to continue her love affair with both England and Martin while they await his US immigration approval, living together in Bristol (a city much like San Francisco, just a little smaller).
Welcome Veronica and Sophie
This is Veronica. She's a really big deal in the skateboard world. She also brings a lot of positive energy and a strong work ethic to the Bell and Trunk.
Sophie was just a few weeks into her school year at the California College of the Arts when she suddenly started to feel unwell. Her best friend, Veronica, also a student, took her to San Francisco General. Sophia was treated for appendicitis and kept in the hospital for two weeks.
Both students were relatively far from home—Sophia is from Red Lodge, Montana, and Veronica is from Seattle. The friendship has only grown stronger since.
In September the two stopped into Bell and Trunk after Veronica picked up a novel she had ordered at Christopher’s books. The pair seemed to light up around all the flowers we had in the shop that day. Veronica mentioned that she had some experience working in a flower shop back home. So a seed was planted. I mentioned that we were looking for help processing flowers and keeping the shop tidy and organized. It only took a couple days for Veronica —and then Sophie—to call. They wanted to work at the shop.
They started only a little more than a month ago but already they have become a core part of the operation. Sophie, a jewelry major, helped us rearrange the merchandise to get ready for the holidays. She has the instincts of a pro. It was her idea to order Bell and Trunk matches to give out to candle buyers. And she has been creating “staff picks” of favorite candles.
Veronica, an industrial design major, is a natural with flowers—she whips together gorgeous bouquets and engages with customers naturally with her friendly and outgoing personality.
“I love the people I work with everyday,” she said. “The community is so lovely.” Veronica even sold some of her mom’s handmade stone bracelets at Collage Gallery one block over. Definitely worth checking out!
These two were a package deal. They support, encourage and admire each other. Sophie is an “amazing jewelry maker. A super sweet and thoughtful friend,” says Veronica. Sophie appreciates how Veronica is “super goal-oriented and has so many talents.”
Among these talents: skateboarding. Veronica is reluctant to revel in her newfound fame but we have no such reservations. For starters, Vans “off the Wall” has begun sponsoring her. That’s making it in the skateboard scene. She truly defies gravity. And she has an impressive number of Instagram followers.
Sophie finds it thrilling to explore the city in her free time and likes to crochet everything from airplant hangers and French market bag to fruits and vegetables and coin purses. We hope to sell some of the work she creates at home after she comes back from winter break in January.
One thing is for sure. We at Bell and Trunk really appreciate the help, energy, positivity and creativity of our new team members. They keep things moving and make it fun for everyone.
Happy Holidays!!
This is Sophie. She's studying to be a jewelry maker at the California College of the arts. Her creativity at Bell and Trunk has no bounds--she transformed our store window into a work of art this holiday.
Subscriptions Promotion
Flowers have been an especially popular holiday gift this year. Not only is it the perfect gift for the person who has everything, it's also a great gift for people in small spaces or who like to keep things minimal. Besides, who doesn't like flowers? Between now and the end of the year for every new subscription, we will send you a beautiful Bell and Trunk gift certificate to spend on yourself or give to someone else. Just tell us who it's for and where to send it when you sign up! The photos below are some examples of subscription flowers we've done recently. We pick the hardiest flowers to make the arrangements especially long lasting. It's such a sweet way to appreciate the subtle changes in the seasons. Right now we're particularly excited about chrysanthemums, ilex berries and amaranth.
No, this isn't our newest floral designer, but she should be! Leah Graves is home on winter break from UCLA where she is a math and philosophy major. She grew up in the city and is the daughter of our very talented designer, Molly Graves. She spends time with her mom in the shop when she can, sweeping, processing flowers and coming up with the most amazing floral designs! Leah definitely has her mother's eye for beauty. How fortunate for these two to have such a loving mother/daughter relationship. Thank you Leah for inspiring us with your creativity and helping out your busy mom. We love having you around. You fit right in.
"...summer friends will melt away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever."
—George R.R. Martin
Holiday Centerpieces
It's not too late! Order your holiday centerpieces today to reserve the best flowers available. There's no bettter way to bring in the holiday sprit than with fresh flowers mixed with fragrant winter greens.
One last note: Flower Shortage
The flower industry is experiencing an unprecedented shortage of flowers and the greatest supply and demand imbalances in decades. Flower prices are up and the flower selection is down. According to Mayesh Wholesale this is due to Covid-19 forcing farmers to shut down their farms, extreme weather all over the world, skyrocketing demand now that two years worth of weddings are happening at once, and rising costs in transportation.
And speaking of extreme weather, fires in the Pacific Northwest have created a shortage of holiday greens this year although it's too soon to tell just how short we'll be. Like everyone else, we've had to raise our prices accordingly and remain flexible when it comes to our options at the Flower Mart. We hope this situation will end soon but we're expecting things to stay the same until the end of the year at least. We'll keep you posted!
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