Nery Perez felt there was a need for an additional flower shop in Royal Palm Beach, and many of her friends and neighbors agreed.
“It took six months to find just the right place,” Perez said.
The right place for Flowers & More Inc. turned out to be in the Village Plaza shopping center, right next door to Ruby Tuesday off State Road 7, just south of the intersection with Okeechobee Blvd.
“I’ve always liked working with flowers, using my hands in scrapbooking, and I especially enjoy the creative aspect of floral arranging,” she explained.
When she told her friend Cathy Kyrkostas that she was thinking of opening a flower shop, Kyrkostas encouraged her.
“She is my right hand. She’s the go-to person whenever I’m not in the flower shop,” Perez said of Kyrkostas, who is one of three part-time employees.
Perez said she hopes the business grows so she can hire more help, and is always looking for reliable and motivated employees.
The flower shop has been open since August, and Perez said customers are constantly commenting on the affordability of her arrangements.
“However, we don’t sacrifice quality for the sake of price,” she emphasized.
Another reason Perez opened Flowers & More was that she noticed people were not giving or getting flowers as much as they used to.
“Not as many people give flowers anymore because of the price. It puts a smile on somebody’s face and brightens up a room. I want to allow people to give flowers again because of my affordable prices,” Perez said.
Her broker buys exotic flowers directly from farms in South America and Central America, as well as Europe, and she also works with wholesalers who work with local farms and growers.
“The order is placed on Thursday, the flowers are cut on Friday, shipped on Saturday, delivered on Sunday and arranged for the customer on Monday,” Perez explained.
A resident of Loxahatchee, she chose Royal Palm Beach as the location for her flower shop because it’s central to many communities and is a great place to do business.
“Our delivery area stretches up to Palm Beach Gardens, over to Congress Avenue and down to Greenacres,” Perez said.
Flowers & More assembles arrangements for weddings, funerals, birthdays, any special occasion, or “just because,” she added.
The shop embraces customers with a warm feeling as soon as they step inside, and there is plenty of light to highlight the many beautiful arrangements on display.
“I want to create an inviting and welcoming experience for my customers — something that is comfortable and homey,” Perez said.
For the upcoming holidays, she is featuring a number of table centerpieces and other arrangements to add to the festive décor of the season. Customers can select from a number of floral designs or work with Perez, and her staff, to personally customize an arrangement.
The shop will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, but will be open until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The regular hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shop is closed on Sundays.
While Perez was growing up in Miami, her grandmother owned a number of small businesses — including a flower shop — which is where she first experienced her passion for flowers while helping out there. It is her hope that she will be able to provide the same experiences and opportunities to her grandchildren.
“I am hoping this will become a multi-generational family business,” Perez added.
Flowers & More Inc. is located at 1241 N. State Road 7, Suite 12, in Royal Palm Beach. Call (561) 619-5811, e-mail 123flowers@att.net or visit www.flowersandmoreinc.com for more info.
