For decades, Love Lane has been among the most popular streets on the North Fork. Christmastime means glowing mini trees light up downtown storefronts, giving them an even bigger glow.
Perhaps the first sight you’ll see transforming into Love Lane this holiday season is Mattituck Florist, located in a cheery red building at the south end of the building. At this time of year, giant candy canes stand tall at the building’s main entrance and pine swags are carefully placed up front for sale.
But this isn’t just an old shop holiday season. This year marks Mattituck Florist’s 50th place in business.
Current store owner Danielle La Scala says she feels lucky to be part of the store’s five-decade journey.
‘This place, North Fork,’ she said, ‘and how nice the people were – it was great.’
Mattituck Florist first opened its doors on March 5, 1971. It was located on the main road, where the Eastern Front Brewing Co. stands. right Now. Harry and Arlene Jacquillard, longtime members of the East End Lions Club, started working soon after they moved from Nassau County to Matetok.
“Every day I’ve been driving past this location and thinking, ‘This is where we need to be. “
Daniel La Scala
31 years after it opened, Ms. La Scala walked into the store to ask for a job. By that time, ownership of the store had already been transferred once before. She applied for a job as a floral designer, but was offered a job working at a garden center instead. There, she maintained the center, helped customers find what they were looking for, and helped the store’s other owners, Donna and Jack Hamilton, purchase items such as fertilizer and pond supplies.
“I had absolutely no design experience,” she said.
Ms. La Scala first discovered her attraction to working with flowers after planting gardens in her backyard.
“I’ve been going through some tough times in my life and installing gardens has been bringing me peace and happiness,” she said. “I knew then that this was the path I needed to turn.”
In 2005, when Ms. La Scala found out that Mattituck Florist was for sale, she took a “significant risk” and bought the company with the encouragement and financial support of her father.
“There were so many aspects of this business that I had no idea I should be a part of,” she said. Marketing, social media and retail design were just a few of the tasks that quickly became a part of her daily life.
With each order, she became more experienced in floral design – discovering how to adapt the unique demands of her clients while working within their budget. Some of her favorite designs came from requests from clients without a budget; That’s when she says she can let her creativity run wild.
“Isn’t that elegant?” She said, holding a picture on her phone of a large vase filled with white orchids and curly willows. “I love working with orchids – they are probably my favourite.”
Once Ms. La Scala became more familiar with running a business, she began to reimagine the store.
She dreamed of moving the store to a better location – a location that would get the foot traffic and community presence on Love Lane.
“Every day I would drive past this location and think, ‘This is where we need to be,'” she said.
One day, she saw that the building at the entrance to Love Lane was for sale online. After competing with others for the spot, she said she was shocked to learn that her show had won. In 2010, Mattituck Florist moved to its current location, just 400 feet from the original store.
In the new store, Ms. La Scala ditched the garden center and began redirecting her energy to gift-giving. She says the gifts have become a major source of revenue for the store.
Today, the in-store is filled with lush plants and gifts at every turn. Customers can find items such as wind chimes, jewelry, and wooden signs with sayings such as “Be you” and “Don’t grow up; it’s a trap” drawn on them.
“I put a lot of effort into what I buy and where I buy,” Ms. La Scala explained. “I try to be as conscious as possible and buy locally made or fair trade gifts.”
At the back of the store is a small greenhouse, where customers are likely to find Mrs. La Scala and the manager Pamela Reimer laughing and placing orders together.
Mrs. Reimer is an old friend of Mrs. La Scala, as the two worked together at the original store, long before Mrs. La Scala planned to take over the business.
“A big part of our job here is laughter,” said Mrs. Reimer, as she glued the cradle together to a uniformed employee.
“People will come in and say it feels really calm here and really zen,” added Ms. La Scala.
It’s this positive energy, or “vitality,” as Ms. Reimer calls it, that she says has contributed to the store’s success after all these years. This, and the store’s rescue package—two cats and a pitbull named Leo wander the store seeking affection from customers, while a cockatiel named Louis keeps the staff company in the greenhouse.
Thinking of the future, Ms. La Scala hopes that one day someone will take over and build upon the company in the same way she did. For now, she will continue to grow her business and make her father proud.
“We’re really happy here,” she said. “I don’t want it to end yet.”