phalaenopsis varieties to large, luxurious planters,” he says. Transitioning the studio from


Valentine’s Day into spring and Easter involves, for Varvarigos, ramping up the color with yellows, oranges, hot pinks, and lavenders. No matter the impend- ing holiday, he and his team dream up a life-size display to impress custom- ers upon entry. One spring display, for example, involved a meadow of over 100 tulip plants and pavers encircling a faux wisteria tree. “My goal is to model our shop as a


floral destination,” asserts Varvarigos. “We want people to visit.” The business maintains a staff of 35, with 10 designers working at any given time, to ensure that customers are waited on and the front of the store looks good. Varvarigos believes that maintaining


an aesthetically pleasing retail space has many benefits, both tangible and intangible. “It’s good for attracting top employees — applicants walk in and want to be a part of what we do,” he says. “And when clients enter, their eyes get wide and they say, ‘I never thought it was this beautiful.’ They are just blown away.”


The magazine of the Society of American Florists (SAF) 11


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