Pricing and Floral Trends

Like most everything in the design and art world, price is determined by a variety of factors, not just elemental things like weather, size, and supply and demand. There are other factors that coalesce to determine the price of a premium floral gift arrangement.

First of all, you will probably notice that on our website, there is no point and click system that specifically tells you what you are going to get. Since all of our flowers are custom and the horticultural world is so big, such a goal would entail countless photos to capture all the possible variations and combinations, and that would be further diluted by locale and season, and frankly - who has the time! Our photos only serve as a guide of style and feel and price.

What follows, is a general discussion to help you make an informed decision and also guide us in interpreting and fulfilling your floral order.

The Flowers

To draw an analogy to clothing, there are couture fabrics that are more expensive than others. For example, 3 ply cashmere is more expensive than broadcloth. Similarly in flowerland, some flowers just cost more than others. A peony will always be more expensive than a daisy. (I know, "never say never" nor proclaim, always!) However, there are occasions where I would rather send an inexpensive, joyful, simple Shasta daisy plant in terra cotta than an expensive, elegantly arranged cube of gorgeous peonies.

Price does not necessarily dictate taste nor does it dictate size. In this example, the $60-$75 Shasta daisy plant would likely be tall while the $100-$150 peony arrangement would be suitable for a large coffee table or a small centerpiece. My point here is depending on your budget or the occasion, feel free to veer away from couture flowers or if you would rather have more size and thus use less expensive flowers. It can all be done in good taste, but it is important for you to know the difference so you understand you have choices!

That said, there are some parts of the country that do not traffic in couture flowers on a daily basis for the simple reason that their socio-economic demographic prohibits an ongoing inventory of flowers that command $8 and up a stem! So in these areas, we would need a weeks notice to get in the more couture flowers, otherwise roses, gerberas, Dutch tulips, etc. will be the norm. We have member florists in these areas that do wonderful work. As always, we will let you know if we do not think we can get an order filled to our satisfaction.

The Florist

Again, like in the fashion world's couture designers (i.e. Armani, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta), there are also 'labels' in the floral world. While every major metropolitan area in the U.S. has a couture floral designer(s), most of whom form the backbone of the bbrooks network, there are some names that enjoy celebrity status.

Over the years, names like Ronaldo Maia, Renny Reynolds, Maderlake, London's Kenneth Turner, Georgia's Ryan Gainey & the late Leonard Tharpe from Texas, to name a few, have adorned floral history. Today, names such as Preston Bailey & Robert Isabel in New York or Stanlee Gatti of San Francisco star like reputations that command prices way beyond the cost of goods and labor production. They have exceptional style and talent, but also, the good fortune to design star studded events for celebrities with lavish budgets followed by amazing PR.

There are lots of other florists who do equally beautiful work for equally beautiful clients, but have not been promoted similarly. As the saying goes, each to his own! And like apparel, there is a broad range of label-driven prices and more often than not, the expensive reputation is well deserved by that florist who can consistently and reliably send out great flowers with excellent customer service.

What is Important to You?

They say that "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder," but I believe there is a taste level that separates us from them, whoever they are. And while our florists reside in the premium end, even that spectrum has become fragmented over the last 10 years as a result of the staggering price of truly premium flowers in the face of a failing economy. Consequently, many of our finest florists accommodate either spectrum to satisfy their individual customers' needs and budget restrictions.

I believe that the premium floral industry is going through a transformation that mirrors that of the NYC restaurant scene during the 1980's when Danny Meyer opened Union Square Cafe, the first of his innovative restaurants.

His fundamental belief was that great food need not be exorbitantly expensive and confined to the best cuts of meat and most precious caviars. Instead he designed great restaurants that served iconic food with exceptional customer service.

So let us know what is important to you. Do you want really couture flowers? Or would you rather have more size at a lower budget? It is Spring now, and I cannot get enough Daffodils... Over the years I have become less of a flower snob, I truly enjoy almost everything horticultural and organic - whether it be cut flowers, green or blooming plants or heaps of vegetables or fruits, branches or potted landscape specimens. Whatever the product, it must be handled respectfully with style and taste. We are at an exciting crossroads in floristry and the art of gifting. I suspect there will be fun alternatives for us to choose from in the next little while, but in the meantime I enjoy the gorgeous flowers crafted by our member artisan florists and hope you do too.

______________________________________________________________