Blogging from home is probably a better idea than blogging at the greenhouse. Edgewood is like the Mecca of interruptions. I actually put off going to the bathroom for like 3 hours this morning because every time I tried to go, I got sidetracked. It's all good, though; sidetracked means busy, busy means business and business means money.
Speaking of which, Passover is ten days away. Yesterday I was interviewed by Maxine Mendelssohn of the Gazette and she kind of raised her eyebrows when I mentioned that our two busiest holidays were Passover and Rosh Hashanah. "But what about Valentine's Day? Or Mother's Day?" she asked.
Okay, you have to understand something.
Yes, February 14th and the second Sunday in May are all very well and nice and provide us a lot of much-appreciated business, but nothing in the whole world compares to the utter madness of the Jewish holidays. Maybe it's because we're in Cote St. Luc and seem to be the florist of choice for a good chunk of the Montreal Jewish community, but Rosh Hashanah or Passover bring with them a fortnight-long tidal wave of phone calls, order-taking, running, writing, typing, sorting, filling, emptying, driving... et cetera, et cetera. The revenue generated by these two holidays alone contribute greatly to keeping us going during the leaner times of the year.
Inexplicably - to me, at least - it's a phenomenon that the floral community at large doesn't seem to address all that much. We get these trade publications in the mail from FTD and Teleflora, and they provide full coverage on how to prepare for Valentine's, Mother's Day, Easter, Christmas... but they very seldom touch on the Jewish holidays. The florist serves an immense purpose at these times of year; centerpieces, cut flowers, plants and gift baskets are extremely popular gifts. Most of our customers come in with lists of at least a half-dozen families that they want to send flowers or plants to. This makes us happy, of course, and it's lovely to be entrusted with so many people's orders, but the pace is exhausting and absolutely non-stop until 6:00 the night of the holiday. Last fall, after we closed on Rosh Hashanah, I bought the latest Rolling Stone, went to Rockaberry's and just ate a salad in complete silence. It was so amazing.
So floral networks of the world, let's not forget the Jewish holidays. There's no other time of year where I feel the need to assemble a selection guide for the customers. The selection guide, by the way, is something I'm very proud of. It's like an eight-page menu full of arrangements and plants we've decide to offer for Passover, and we compiled it in order to streamline order-taking and production. As a result, we hope to save time and be able to accept more orders. Which makes everyone happy. Pretty neat, huh?
But I digress. As I was saying, even though it may not apply to all regions of the US and Canada, the floral community shouldn't overlook the Jewish holidays. For some, like us, it's vital to their well-being as a business. For others, it's the gateway to a possibly untapped demographic.
Alright, enough of this. It's hockey time.
Since 1956, Edgewood has provided fresh flowers and plants to delighted clients across Montreal. The Edgewood blog is a glimpse into our day-to-day: our activities, dreams, and schemes.
