|
|
|
An ancient Chinese proverb advises, “If you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one and a lily with the other.”
This is a sentiment Joe Cosentino understands completely: he’s a fourth-generation provider of beautiful arrangements for a variety of occasions. His shop at 41 South Main Street employs nine people and fills more than 300 orders each week. A member of the Teleflora network, they can deliver anywhere in the country and even internationally.
One of the top 500 Teleflora locations, the Pittsford Florist shop has a “sister” store in Seneca Falls, New York. That one is a destination shop, selling gifts and decorations for the home, in addition to floral arrangements.
Cosentino came to flower sales via sales of golf equipment. (The family owned an 18-hole course in Waterloo.) In time, he took over the Pittsford location from his father, who purchased the store in 1995 from Tina Carpenter.
In addition to individual customers who order for the usual occasions—parties, weddings, anniversaries, funeral work--the shop has corporate clients. For them, the shop provides flowers for major events.
Cosentino enjoys the homogenized blend of different work, different requests, different customers. And, while he likes all flowers, he acknowledges that every flower has “its own little niche.” Depending on his mood, he leans toward one or another. In particular, though, he likes the unusual look of orchids, which he describes as more “plant than cut flower.”
He’s not alone in this leaning: it’s been said that a woman loves orchids because they make her feel as if she is floating on a sea of possibility.
For Joe Cosentino and his staff at Pittsford Florist, all flowers have the capacity to set us sailing on that sea.
