Thursday, January 9, 2020

Victoria's Mobile Flower Shop is always in bloom with a new brick-and-mortar store - Tribune-Review

Written by Diajakin Konser on 10:33 AM in Flower with No comments

Victoria Smith delivers happiness.

First, she drives a 1992 Daihatsu Hijet — an adorable mini-truck that looks like a big toy. More to the point, the Hijet is heaped with flowers. When she pulls up to a local home or business, she’s met with smiles and, sometimes, tears of joy.

“Kind people buy bouquets for their friends and family and I get to hand them out,” she says. “Then people see the truck and it’s just like a present within a present.”

Victoria’s Mobile Flower Shop hit the road in June 2018, bringing fresh flowers to neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh. In addition to special orders, the mini-truck hauls 14 varieties of mix-and-match flowers, all priced by stem, so folks at weekend pop-up events can create arrangements based on their own style and budget.

During the spring and summer, Smith stocks the vehicle with blooms from local growers such as Cherry Valley Organics in Burgettstown. In the winter, she relies on Strip District-based wholesalers, who can supply her with exotic plants from around the world.

The Grove City native grew up on a farm and always felt a deep connection to Mother Nature. Further inspired to flex her green thumb by the Southern flower trucks she saw on Instagram, she searched Craigslist for a mode of transportation that could easily navigate Pittsburgh’s hilly terrain and narrow streets. The Daihatsu, a Japanese vehicle that is slightly larger than a golf cart, is packed with plant life, including peonies, snapdragons, blue thistle and eucalyptus.

Up until recently, Smith was running the business out of her Brookline basement, where she lives with her husband Josh and their dog Harris.

Victoria’s Mobile Flower Shop now has a brick-and-mortar store in Avalon.

It’s a bright and sunny space located at 643 California Ave. Years ago, the building housed a barber. When he retired from the hairstyling business, his wife transformed it into a flower shop.

The shelves are relatively bare — lined with a few locally made products, including soaps, T-shirts and candles — but that will change after the holiday season when Smith has time to make the place blossom.

Since opening in early December, she’s hosted classes on everything from block-printing and hand-lettering to wreath-making and cocktail mixology. The studio also is available to rent for private parties. There’s a large white table in the center of the store where people can work and mingle. Harris, a friendly pup who looks like a Muppet come to life, greets customers at the door.

“More than anything, I want this to be a community space,” Smith says. “I even had a sign out front last week that said, ‘Don’t come in here for flowers. Come for conversation and a cup of coffee.’ ”

Giving back to the community is important to Smith, which is why she launched an online Pay It Forward campaign. People can donate money through PayPal and, once the pot reaches $25, Victoria’s Mobile Flower Shop will deliver a bouquet to someone who could use a morale boost. Smith has already compiled a list of nursing homes and hospitals in the area.

Aside from making deliveries, the truck will be parked for the winter. Smith is taking requests from individuals and businesses who want to book it for events when the warm weather rolls in.

She hopes the Daihatsu – which boasts the license plate FLOWERS – is a welcome sight in every Pittsburgh neighborhood and inspires people to pick a bouquet.

“A lot of times people think flowers are a luxury they can’t get for themselves,” Smith says. “But, when you make them accessible and it’s something you can grab one or 40 of, it makes your day.”

Ber Seleb Ria

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Victoria's Mobile Flower Shop is always in bloom with a new brick-and-mortar store - Tribune-Review

0 Comments:

Post a Comment