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It wasn't exactly Jim Ferraro's intention to be a florist. But that's what the Stamford Catholic High graduate ended up doing. And he even figured out a way to offer customers a way to buy flowers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He does through a machine that dispenses floral arrangements at his Bedford Street shop. "We've had it about 20 years," says Jim, the owner of Stamford Florist. "We saw that they had it at hospitals and airports, so we said, 'Let's try it.'" Operating partly like a vending machine, partly like an ATM, the outdoor dispenser allows patrons to choose from a selection of arrangements, insert their credit card for payment, and walk away with their selection on the spot, any time of day. About three or four people utilize the machine each evening, says Jim.
He also sells flowers the traditional way, with the help of his full- and part-time staff of eight. Jim started out delivering flowers for the company while in Stamford Catholic (now Trinity). He became employed there full time after graduation. A couple of years later the owner decided to sell the business and asked Jim if he were interested in buying it. With encouragement from his mom, Mary, Jim accepted.
"She did bookkeeping for a local pharmacist," says Jim about his mom, now deceased. "I said if you keep the books, I'll keep the customers." It was just the two of them, along with a third employee, when he acquired the shop in 1977.
Jim, whose favorite flower is the rose he likes the different varieties is busiest during the November-December holiday season. High activity continues through the spring, then slows down a bit during the summertime, he says. It gives the staff a chance to relax a bit, and enjoy flowers for their own, somewhat overdue, celebrations. "We just had a party Friday night," Jim says. For more information, visit www.stamfordflorist.com.
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