Moving to our new location...

Carlson Wildwood Florist was the only retail business in the town of Belleair for many years. Recently that changed when shop owner Cheryl Pacheco moved her business to 1775 Clearwater-Largo Rd.

The building they had long occupied was in need of repair, the rent was going up and the owner wasn’t interested in selling. Ms. Pacheco felt she had no choice but to move.

We loved being in Belleair. We are very close to our customers. We know when babies are born and when children go off to college. We are often involved in the good times and the bad. The Florist participated in many community events, donating flowers from everything from Garden Club meetings, to the opening of the local community center, to Rotary and the Clearwater Free Clinic.

According to Ms. Pacheco, nothing has changed but the location, and that too is not final. Last January, the Pacheco’s closed on a building at the corner of Clearwater-Largo Road and 15th St. Their hope was to have it ready to move in to last April when her lease expired. For a full year now they have been working with an architect and the city of Largo to develop the property. Plans for the building have been painfully slow, no one in a particular hurry, but the business owner.

In the meantime, Wildwood’s customers and friends have found them at the new, albeit temporary location and have been a source of constant support. The new location, on a main artery, has also brought in new business and new friends. Plans for the building on Wildwood Way are, as yet, unknown.

On-line Flower Shopping

Shopping for flowers on line is confusing these days. To begin with, there are so many advertisers that appear to be local, but aren't. If there is no local telephone or address, you can be pretty sure they are not a local flower shop.

Once you choose a florist there may be hidden charges. FTD.com, for instance, charges a $13.99 handling fee. Teleflora, 800Flowers, and Proflowers all have significant service charges. Of course, unless your order is going to a local florist, there are also overnight charges associated with your purchase.

This Holiday Season, and always, be sure to compare, not only the price of the product, but all the added costs. You may be surprised at how competitive your local florist actually is.

October 30, 2007

Welcome to my newly created Blog! What a wonderful age we live in, where we can reach out to the world with such ease.

I hope to provide a forum where we can share knowledge and the enjoyment of one of life's simple pleasures, the gift of flowers. With the Holiday season approaching, it is particularly important to know who you are buying from, how the flowers are handled before you take them home, how much you are being charged for shipping, handling, etc.

Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year. No pressure, just good food, family and beautiful Autumn weather. I love that most of my family's traditional Thanksgiving favorites come out of a can! Those green bean casseroles for instance, store bought cranberry sauce and jello molds. Years when I really need a treat there is always ham instead of turkey.

Since moving to the South (and discovering Martha Stewart), I have learned that no table is complete without a centerpiece. I did not grow up in a home where flowers were an integral part of the holiday table. I can no longer imagine entertaining without flowers. If you haven't tried it, you really should. Flowers are not just for birthdays and Mother's Day.

At our store we strive to provide fresh flowers, beautifully designed and guaranteed to last. When we send flowers across the country, we stand behind the product as if it came from our store. For those of you who live locally, our cash and carry prices are absolutely competitive with any flower market around, including your local grocers.

Next posting I hope you will tune in for tips on caring for your fresh flower arrangment.

Thank you so much for visiting!

Best wishes,

Cheryl