It’s hard to miss. The little white Flowers by Sal sign at the corner of Cambridge Street and Cardinal Medeiros Avenue is part of the neighborhood’s mosaic, holding court in East Cambridge for the past 50 years. Sal and Marie DiDomenico, who will also celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in the new year, have been working for the past century to ensure people have the perfect floral arrangements for any occasion, all while raising a family above their shop. For the couple, time has been passing quickly. “I feel as if it was like 50 minutes,” Sal said. The couple opened Flowers By Sal at 716 Cambridge St. in November 1969. The shop was two streets away from the home where Sal grew up at 52 Porter St. As a young man, Sal said he knew he wanted to be a florist, despite his mother encouraging him to become an engineer. After high school, he enrolled in a two-year growing course at the Massachusetts Agricultural College, now UMass-Amherst, before attending the Rittners School of Floral Design. After graduating in 1959, Sal bounced around several florist shops and spent time in the Army before opening Flowers By Sal 10 years later. “It was a drug store,” Sal said of the shop. “It had been closed for 20 years.” Sal said it was especially convenient because they were able to move into the apartment above it, where the couple remains today. “My commute is vicious,” Sal said with a laugh. A year after opening the shop, Sal and Marie were married. They raised three daughters and a son in their home about the shop. They now have nine grandchildren. He said his family is his greatest achievement. He added the shop wouldn’t have succeeded without his wife. Their relationship is “50/50,” […]