September Newsletter
FLOWER SHOP CHRONICLES
Introducing "The Flower Farm"
Ash Scattering Ceremony
Micro Weddings are BIG!
"The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway."
—Michael Pollan
Introducing "The Flower Farm"
Radical Family Farms dropped off a delivery a few weeks ago at Aurora, the Italian deli next door to Bell & Trunk on 18th Street.
The van was stuffed with shiny vegetables and even more radiant flowers. Naturally, we noticed. We got in touch with Sarah Deragon, head of Radical Family, to see if we could collaborate. She was only too happy to start bringing us buckets of stunning cosmos, bold zinnias and soft celosia. These are show stoppers — already customer favorites.
A flower among flowers. Photo by Sarah Deragon
We’ve created a new floral arrangement called the “Flower Farm” made exclusively with sustainably harvested blooms from small local flower farms. Our new friends at Radical Family Farms, as well as Boxcar Flower Farm, Cypress Farm and Gather Flora are bringing us some of the freshest flowers available, including many you may have never heard of.
A typical arrangement might include rudbeckia, phlox, and scabiosa paired with unconventional greens like geranium, apple of Peru and sweet basil. The selection changes as quickly as the weather so we cannot guarantee any specific blooms but we can promise super fresh flowers that you can feel good about.
These Radical Family beauties went fast! Photo by Sarah Deragon.
Thanks again to Sarah at Radical Family Farms for brightening our day with your flower deliveries!
Order 'The Flower Farm" Here
Ash Scattering Ceremony for a Dear Friend
Photo by Alison Saylor
My friend Elizabeth Glass showed up at the flower shop one evening in 2009 with gardener’s gloves in hand. It had been a long day already and the work was far from over. With Mother’s Day around the corner I couldn’t afford to take a break. And since we were in a recession, I couldn’t afford to pay for help either. I had been a business owner for less than a year. I was also bartending on the side in North Beach in order to pay the bills. I was stressed out, exhausted and broke. Elizabeth sensed what needed to be done. She stripped hundreds of roses, made dozens of bouquets, swept the floor and took out the trash. She made the work fun and didn’t expect a thing in return. This was just Elizabeth being Elizabeth.
Elizabeth and I got to know each other at the South End Rowing Club in San Francisco’s Aquatic Park. We rowed on a women’s crew team called the Hurley Girls. We show up at 6 am to row an 800 lb. wooden boat called a “barge” in the chilly and unpredictable San Francisco Bay. Things come up—our struggles, our heartbreaks, our triumphs and all the little life stuff in between. To say we grew close would be an understatement.
A year ago, Elizabeth died at age 54. She was not only a Hurley Girl and novice florist, she was also an amazing photographer, a personal assistant to a local family and incredible athlete. She was the rare participant who was active in all the sports—rowing, swimming, handball and running. She was also a prolific volunteer who would just as gladly wash dishes as serve on the Board of Directors.
On Saturday I said goodbye to Elizabeth along with my fellow Hurley Girls, nearly a hundred rowing club members and dozens of her family members in an ash scattering ceremony on the bay. Several wooden row boats, kayaks and even a swimmer joined her family who were in a fishing boat called the “Hyperfish.” The barge crews did the traditional “Viking Salute” with oars raised high in the air as we had a moment of silence. Elizabeth was the Queen of the South End Rowing Club. She got a suitably royal sendoff.
We scattered her ashes and tossed red carnations, watching them drift away as we held her image close.
"A world of grief and pain flowers bloom - even then."
—Kobayashi Issa
Hurley Girls from left to right: Katrina Lundstedt, Catherine Howard Lovazzano, Kim Peinado Howard, Allison Frederike Kalhammer O'Maley Daly, Jessica Gammell, Kim Pross, Andrea Kellogg and Christine Corral. Photo by Alison Saylor.
The Viking Salute. Photo by Allen Leong
Self-portrait of Elizabeth Glass Oct. 14, 1965–May 11, 2020. Donations can be made in her memory to http://www.baykeeper.org
Click Here for Inquiries
Micro Weddings are BIG!
A micro wedding isn’t exactly “small.” It is a carefully crafted affair with attention to the finest details. At Bell and Trunk we are happy to take on a few jumbo weddings every year. But in these pandemic times, our sweet spot isn’t about grandiose shindigs. It’s about cultivating cherished family and friends. It’s about finding a location that speaks to the heart whether it’s a backyard oak tree, an iconic beach spot, or vintage hotel. It’s an event where the charcuterie and wine list is considered just as carefully as the guest list. And it’s where lush dahlias and hydrangea speak volumes about the couple without saying a word. I hope the concept of the micro wedding and the values that come with it are here to stay.
Photos by Elise Marlin. Model is Valencia Scott on location at Hunter's Post Naval Shipyard
Order Bridal Bouquets and Boutonnieres Here
One last note: Frank's Flowers
The unimaginable happed last week to Frank’s Flowers, a little shop in the Sunset. Someone broke in with a crow bar and set it on fire! It’s a total loss and the owner, Sona Pehlivanian, is devastated. She told a reporter that she took care of the flower shop like she would her own child. I can relate. Through good times and bad, we try to nurture our flower shops into the best businesses they can be. You can read about it here in the
San Francisco Chronicle:
Consider donating to the Frank's Flowers GoFundMe if you can. Florists are generally heart driven rather than financially motivated and I’m sure whatever you can give will help this very deserving person.
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