Even as spring approaches, business is not “blooming” at Carolina Flower Shop Too in West Harlem.
This Valentine’s Day, owner Phil Young said he will have to work without phone orders, as he cannot continue to pay his phone bills.
“The phone is off,” Young said. “We need money to pay the rent. We need money to keep buying flowers.”
On Feb. 4, local politicians and residents celebrated the first annual Carolina Flower Shop Day at the store’s location on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard between 117th and 118th streets.
Despite recognition from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, business has not been picking up.
“I’ve held on,” he said. “I’ve done everything I possibly can do to get this business to the forefront.”
Carolina Flower Shop Too, which has been in business since 1939, has been recognized as New York’s oldest African-American owned and operated flower shop. For decades, business boomed, and Young’s clientele included Duke Ellington, Lucille Ball, and Malcolm X. The store even outfitted the trademark gardenias jazz singer Billie Holiday wore in her hair throughout the 1940s.
In recent years, the flower shop has suffered amid economic recession.
“What’s the first thing you’d let go of if you can’t afford to live comfortably? You’re certainly not going to buy flowers. You’re going to put food on the tables,” Young said.
Residents said that even though bouquets have become luxury items, Carolina Flower Shop Too still has an important place in the community.
“I haven’t been able to buy flowers because I’m on a strict budget, but this is the place I think of when I think of flowers in Harlem,” resident Angela Dews said.
Not wanting to disappoint his customers and force locals to shop outside of Harlem, Young says he is keeping the shop fully stocked and has been lenient with prices for locals struggling to pay for flowers for funerals or other events.
Young said being kind always pays off—though not financially.
“It may not have paid off, but you did it because you knew it was right. It may not bring you a lot of money, but it’s right,” Young said.
Philip Knowlton, a local filmmaker, has been helping Young make short videos for fundraising.
“I used my skills to get the word out about his shop,” Knowlton said. “To me, the first thing before anything is that he really is a great guy and does so much for the community. It’s really sad to see that the shop’s not doing so well.”
Deborah Yarchun got to know Young when she lived in Harlem. She has since moved to Iowa, but continues to maintain a Facebook group for Carolina Flowers.
“I feel like with the shifting composition of the neighborhood, I think it’s important that homegrown businesses have the opportunity to stay alive,” she said.
John Brown, a Harlem, resident said he ordered his wedding flowers from Young’s shop, and other locals should do their part to help the business stay afloat.
“They [locals] need to keep them alive because they’re the only place with reasonable prices,” Brown said.
Young said he has been trying to put together fundraisers to save his business.
“The community can save us,” Young said. “New York City can save Carolina Flowers.”
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