The proving ground for nyc florists
Located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, FlowerSchool New York is where students are trained by skilled floral masters in every aspect of the floral design industry – including how to run a flower shop in NYC. The FlowerSchool FlowerShop, located on 14th Street, just west of Seventh Avenue, is run by students who are responsible for working with clients, selling flowers and plants, managing weekly accounts and much more. All are paid a stipend and are limited to the designs and processes taught within the Flower-School Floral Design Program.
Flower School Executive Director Calvert Crary says the program, which is licensed by the New York State Education Department, is rooted in the flower shop experience, where florists are challenged to use all of their skills, from face-to-face sales and processing flowers to keeping the shop fresh and clean.
As a result, “our interns are highly prized in the fast-paced world of floristry here in New York City,” Crary says. “They work for Tin Can Studios, L’Atelier Rouge,Winston Flowers, Emily Thompson Flowers, Bastille Flowers & Events and many more NYC greats.”
The idea for Flower School New York took root in 2003, when Flower School Founder Eileen Johnson came up with the idea of hosting one-time classes for floral enthusiasts to “Make a Masterpiece with a Master Florist,” such as Michael George (Michael George Flowers), Remco Van Vliet (Van Vliet & Trap) and Chris Giftos (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
By 2010, Johnson passed the torch to Crary, who was not only a Flower School alumnus but had much success with his own Brooklyn-based Opalia Flowers. He brought on more contemporary New York City talent, among the likes of Lewis Miller (Lewis Miller Design), Emily Thompson (Emily Thompson Flowers) and Ariella Chezar (Ariella Chezar Design), which added more depth to the program, today known as the Flower School Floral Design Program.
“We use our education platform to recognize this world-class talent in the floral world as ‘Flower School Master Florists,’ to thank them for their work and dedication, as well as to provide a platform for them to show the skills they use to be successful in business,” says Crary, adding that all of the Flower School Master Florists are currently working in the industry and tend to manage large clients in both New York City and Los Angeles.
In addition to operating FlowerSchool New York , Crary opened Flower School Los Angeles in 2017 to expand his vision and reach more florists close to another thriving floral hub in downtown LA. His latest project, a book titled Flower School: A Practical Guide to the Art of Flower Arranging, is set to hit booksellers in November.
DETAILS
FlowerSchool New York
flowerschoolny.com
@flowerschoolny
FlowerSchool Los Angeles
flowerschoolla.com
@flowerschool_la
