Carmichael Flowers opened in its new location at 5907 Fair Oaks Blvd. in late January, moving from its previous location a couple blocks down the street. Ila Destfino, the shop’s owner since 2003, already feels at home in the new location.

“It’s charming, it’s quaint, it has wonderful natural light, heat and AC that actually work, a covered entry and it’s on the shady side of Fair Oaks Boulevard,” she said with a smile. “I know all the customers are going to love it, and my plants already do.”

Ila particularly appreciates the new location’s creative neighbors within the Frontier Village shopping plaza, including Tea Anytime Antiques and Gifts and Sherrie Swass Interior Design.

“It’s a real treat to have the gals to chat with daily,” she said.

Ila considers the spot the ideal location for Carmichael Flowers, which was founded in 1955. She said some of her older customers have told her the shop has come full circle, returning to the spot where it was founded, though she has not been able to confirm this yet. Ila said that she would love to see photographic evidence of the shop’s early history.

As someone who has worked with flowers for more than two decades, Ila has seen the industry change over the years; the locally-owned flower shops that used to be commonplace supplanted largely by what Ila calls “bucket florists,” including online flower-sellers and cut-rate floral departments inside grocery stores.

While the economy has made it challenging at times, Ila has relied on her expertise and her love of the business to keep the shop thriving. She recalled spotting an early sign of the economic crunch a couple years ago.

“Carmichael has lots and lots of convalescent homes and care facilities, and I noticed that when the economy went bad, we pretty much stopped making deliveries to the convalescent homes,” she said. “I think that’s sad for the patients in those facilities.”

As a local florist, Ila said much of her business comes from displays for funerals and weddings. The store’s former location included a wedding reception space, so Ila knows all about weddings and is able to provide brides with suggestions about what flowers will work best for their wedding location and tips on the ceremony and reception.

Ila’s other specialties include creating large floral arrangements for special events such as graduations and receptions, as well as designing altar and foyer arrangements.

“I love making the arrangements, love the beauty of the flowers,” she explained. “I don’t make any arrangement that I wouldn’t want to put in my own house.”

Ila also prides herself on delivering what she calls “old-world” customer service, doing what it takes to satisfy the customer, whether that means special deliveries to Placerville or Lincoln or simply helping out a guy who was dispirited after buying a cheap bouquet at another flower shop.

As for her plans for Carmichael Flowers, Ila intends to stick to her favorites.

“I really like keeping it just flowers, plants, my vast selection of vintage Depression glass, and my oriental garden statues and accents,” she said. “The tranquility of my garden space is essential for peace of mind and relieving stress.”

One change may be coming, space allowing.

“I am trying to figure where to put a fountain in the new shop,” she said. “Fountains certainly add to the ambience. Mostly I love the business, I love the flowers, I love the personalization with the people, and I enjoy knowing my customers.”

Carmichael Flowers is open weekdays from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. (often later, Ila said) at their new location at 5907 Fair Oaks Boulevard, one block south of El Camino Ave. in Carmichael. The shop’s website is www.carmichaelflowers.com.

Philip Rice made a name for himself as a premiere florist at Jaki’s Garden in Colusa, and after 10 years in the industry has recently opened his own shop in Sacramento, East Sac Florist.

“I love Sacramento,” Rice said who was born and raised in Colusa County. “I do miss the people of Colusa County, but am so excited to meet new people from the Sacramento area,” Rice said. “I am finding East Sacramento to feel like a small town. I can already tell the community is very loyal; even after a few weeks in business, I am seeing lots of repeat business.”

Rice arranges everyday floral designs and also provides wedding and event design planning, interior decorating, holiday decorating and floral art. His work has earned him the title of “Designer of the Year” by the California State Floral Association in 2008-2009.

For the last two years, he has shared his floral design abilities with Fiesta Parade Floats, which took first place – the Sweepstakes Trophy – in the Tournament of Roses Parade each year.

Most recently, he was appointed as an advisor for the California Certified Florist Program and has served as vice president of the Northern California/Nevada Teleflora educational unit.

“I work hard to understand the customer and what they want,” Rice said. “I don’t do recipes. Everything I make or design is unique.”

 

A growing field

Rice found his calling as a floral designer at age four when he competed in the Colusa County Fair and took home a blue ribbon. He was also on the FFA Floriculture team in high school when he landed himself a job at Jaki’s Garden.

After high school, Rice commuted from Shasta College in Redding three days per week to continue working at Jaki’s. Growing up in the rural community, Rice has been inspired by his surroundings – “the abstract beauty of natural refuges, contrasting with the clean, strong lines of agricultural tapestry” – which are influential in his designs.

“My designs are usually natural in flavor with a contemporary twist,” he said. “I enjoy the Northern California landscape, agriculture and colors.”

Though the economy is weak, Rice felt confident enough in his ability to serve people well to start his own business.

“I believe that if you offer a great product at a reasonable price with good service, you can succeed,” he said. “I also know that what I offer is a luxury item. That is why I started small. Luxuries are often cut first in a down economy, but I am finding that brides still want dream weddings, and people still want beautiful spaces in which to reside. My services are still in demand.”

East Sac Florist is located at 5379 H St., Suite B in Sacramento. The store is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call (916) 457-2699 or visit www.eastsacflorist.com.

 

E-mail Elizabeth Kalfsbeek at reporter@valcomnews.com.

It took traveling to Cuba and Kauai, and marveling at what the farmers’ markets there had to offer to make me realize just what I might be missing back home. Sure enough, once I went to the farmers’ market here in Sacramento, I never looked back.

 

The farmers’ market is held every Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon under the freeway at 8th and X streets, and boasts a plentiful array of seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as vendors selling freshly baked bread, eggs, cheese, flowers, tortillas, meats, poultry and seafood, and many other items.

 

With the price of food increasingly going up, and the local economy struggling due to the recession, the Certified Farmers’ Markets of Sacramento County offer a solution to both: pay less for your groceries while supporting your local economy. But it doesn’t stop there: About half of the vendors there offer organic produce, often at a much better price than local stores. And perhaps the most convincing argument of all: eating both locally grown food and what’s in season helps to cut down on carbon emissions. Produce imports and exports add a huge debt to our carbon footprint because of the amount of jet fuel it takes to keep up this endless cycle of international produce shipments. So shopping at the farmers’ market means going green, too, and most people even bring their own reusable shopping bags.

 

At the moment, artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms, all kinds of citrus fruit, kiwis, and rainbow kale are all in season, among several other items. Produce items change by the season, but the cheese, bread, egg, olive oil and organic meat vendors are there year round.

 

Touring the market

On a recent Sunday morning, there with my friend Becca Popham, I asked her what she loved about it. She said, “My trip to the farmers market has become a Sunday ritual. The variety is endless: organically raised meat, seasonal fruits and vegetables, flowers for my table, free-range eggs. My favorites right now are the many varieties of daffodils and mandarin oranges. You can even find locally made tortillas – garlic and butter tortillas are my favorite – and fresh bread. The big bonus – everything is fresh and grown or raised close to home. I love that my money goes directly to the hardworking farmers!”

 

Barbara Kingsolver, prolific writer and gardener extraordinaire, expounded further on this subject in her most recent book, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.” She wrote: “Concentrating on local foods is a strategy that will keep grocery money in the neighborhood, where it gets recycled into your own school system, and local businesses. The green spaces surrounding your town stay green, and farmers who live nearby get to grow more food next year, for you.”

 

But enough about the politics involved in this debate. Chances are, in the fast-paced lives we lead, not everyone can make it to the farmers’ market every week, and most people need to supplement whatever they buy at the local supermarket, which is fine. When asking people why they shopped at the farmers’ market, there was one answer that everyone had in common: the freshness of the fruits and vegetables, often picked that very morning, and the taste. Because this produce didn’t have to travel or stay preserved for a long length of time, it’s just fresher, and tastes better.

 

 

If you’re not convinced yet, taste heirloom tomatoes in the summer time at the farmers’ market, and compare it to a hothouse tomato. The hothouse tomato is mealy and flavorless. The heirloom tomato at the farmers’ market tastes like sunshine. Have I convinced you yet? If not, go and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

 

E-mail Jeneka Sanford at jeneka@valcomnews.com.