Nielsen’s Florist & Garden Shop in Darien, Connecticut, a two-time winner of Floral Management’s Marketer of the Year award, celebrated 75 years in business with an open house party.
A milestone anniversary is helping one Society of American Florists member shop engage with its community and stay top-of-mind with customers leading into the busy holiday season.
Nielsen’s Florist & Garden Shop in Darien, Connecticut, a two-time winner of Floral Management’s Marketer of the Year award, celebrated 75 years in business this past September with an open house party that featured flower arranging and container design workshops, demonstrations, entertainment for children (including a piñata), refreshments and a 50 percent off storewide sale.
Prior to the festivities, general manager Raya Ward sent a press release, inviting local journalists to the event and sharing tidbits from the shop’s history. That effort resulted in a front-page story in The Darien Times — a powerful free advertisement. The article teased some of the open house highlights (such as a flower crown workshop and “pin the apple on the apple tree” game), while also touting the shop’s high level of service.
“When you come in, any of our staff can spend time with you, finding something unique,” Ward said in the article. “We can make anything from scratch, whether it’s a garden dish or flower arrangement. We send designers to people’s homes and help them figure out where they want to place decor items, how to decorate a mantlepiece and how to accent their home.”
It also included a quote from co-owner Jerry Nielsen about his pride and joy of running a family business. “I get to know all the wonderful people of Darien,” he said. “The flower business is always a happy one. It’s something that will be uplifting to whomever the recipient is of the flowers — to make their home a little bit happier.”
In addition to local press, Ward marketed the event with a Facebook event, Instagram posts and email blasts.
Nielsen’s also changed its Facebook cover photo and Instagram profile picture to read, “celebrating 75 years in business!”
The community reaction to the anniversary has been great, Ward said. “There have been lots of congratulatory messages,” she said. “People really appreciate having a local family-run business here in Darien.”
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing editor for the Society of American Florists.
