0223 flower power

Last night, I had a dream about the Flower Mart. I haven’t been there in ten years. I wonder what it’s like. The Flower Mart is a great place to go and shop, as long as you know how to get around.

One thing to keep in mind: always look from the point-of-view of the commercial flower grower in Central California.

The commercial flower grower begins his day in the early morning. During the day, he plants, waters, feeds, and cultivates. In the late afternoon, after the heat of the day has passed, he picks the flowers to sell. In the evening, he sorts, bundles, and packages his flowers. Then he ships them, which usually means that he loads them in a truck and drives to Los Angeles and/or San Francisco. I’ll use Los Angeles in my example, because I know how it works there.

Decades ago, growers used to congregate in an empty lot in the early morning (when it’s still cool and the cut flowers don’t require added refrigeration) and sold the flowers to local florists. Then, they bought an empty warehouse and rented space. That was the beginning of what the Flower Mart is today.

The Los Angeles Flower Mart is located near 6th and Wall, in downtown Los Angeles. The Mart is wholesale only from 2am to 6am. Why then? Because that’s the best time to show/sell cut flowers without paying for refrigeration. The commercial flower grower plans to sell his crop before 6am, in order to leave L.A. before traffic gets heavy, so that he can get back to the “farm” and start the day.

The business is primarily cash, so don’t expect a lot of places to accept credit cards. It’s an added expense. Every time you use a credit card, the vendor pays a fee to process the transaction. And don’t be surprised if a seller asks for your resale number (issued by the state board of equalization). You’ll find that sellers are sticklers for the law, especially if they’ve been stung by undercover investigators. I hear the fines are very high.

Besides, if there’s a choice between cash or credit card, you’ll see a BIG difference in prices. Some sellers will accept business checks but I can’t remember any taking personal checks.

The retail period starts at 6am, but the sellers diminish in quantity. So does the selection. Growers/sellers will stay until they sell whatever they have. They will leave as soon as they can. Don’t expect them to hang around.

For one-time buyers, the selection is amazing. A bunch of 25 red roses was usually about $10. Why do they cost so much at the florists? Remember, it’s a perishable product. Whatever is cut and doesn’t sell will not be in a sellable condition in three days, no matter if it’s continually refrigerated and watered. It will still be viable, but in terms of retail, there will always be something better looking for the same price. Add on transportation, convenience, labor, and other overhead, and you’ll see why it costs so much.

Want roses cheap? Then be prepared to wake up at 3am on a weekday. Would you pay the extra $$ if you could sleep and just pick them up on the way home from work? Convenience can have a high price.

The Flower Mart is a great place to find anything that you need related to florists. I used to spend hours meandering the many aisles of shelves at the Moskatel’s because that location had the largest regular inventory and I was helping friends with weddings and parties.

During the Christmas season, Ecke’s had an outlet there and all types of poinsettias could be found there. At Easter, many of the live plant vendors had potted Easter lilies, where a box of 12 could be bought for $22, but that was over 10 years ago.

If you ever go, don’t expect the building to be heated, as it defeats the refrigeration and the cut flowers wilt faster. So dress warmly and be prepared to see others wearing sweaters and jackets.