Business Profile: Putnam Valley Florist, Putnam Valley
Flowers have been a lifelong passion for Tara Scozzafava-Baisley, owner of Putnam Valley Florist. She worked for her cousin’s flower shop during high school, went to SUNY Cobleskill for horticulture and floral design, then returned to Putnam Valley, eventually taking over her cousin’s shop. And though her product may be ephemeral, according to Scozzafava-Baisley, next November her shop will be celebrating ten years in business.
“I’ve very careful with what I buy,” Scozzafava-Baisley said. “I buy fresh constantly. I get fresh flowers almost every day. In the grocery store they just sit there in the same dirty box whereas we’re changing the water. These things have a shelf life and I won’t let them just sit there. I buy what we need and I buy it fresh.”
Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year, but Valentine’s Day is a close second.
“Valentine’s Day is the one super busy week,” Scozzafava-Baisley said. “Those two days, the thirteenth and the fourteenth, are just crazy. You’ve got to have stuff and you have to be ready for people to be able to just walk in and grab something.”
Scozzafava-Baisley is quick to point out the benefits of owning a shop in Putnam Valley.
“Putnam Valley is a really nice, small, tight knit community,” Scozzafava-Baisley said. “The firefighters use me, as does the school. All the businesses on the street are super friendly and super helpful. Everyone helps each other out.”
Everyone knowing everyone can also be of benefit to her customers.
“I’ve gotten people out of the doghouse,” Scozzafava-Baisley said. “I’ve definitely gotten people out of trouble. I run into people in town and I’m like, ‘Did you forget today? And they’re like, ‘Hey, you just saved my life.’
“I have regular customers that I haven’t seen yet and I know they’re going to come in so you try to set aside something for someone you know hasn’t yet called.”
The shop also handles events, such as weddings, throughout the region.
“We do a lot of weddings,” Scozzafava-Baisley said. “I cover New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and down into Pennsylvania. I have a lot of brides give me a year’s notice, which is super helpful. Usually with weddings you want anywhere from six months to a year’s notice.”
For regular customers with specific requests, the night before is sufficient.
“We can do same day delivery unless it’s something really specific,” Scozzafava-Baisley said. “Let’s say someone wanted three dozen purple roses. I don’t have that every day. But if you tell me the day before, even the night before, I can get it because I stop by the flower market almost every morning.
“I can get anything anybody wants if they give me at least a day’s notice.”
One type of event that often requires last-minute preparations is funerals.
“Funerals are always a last minute thing,” Scozzafava-Baisley said. “We have a funeral home right next door. I’ll get a last minute call from Heritage Funeral home; they can reach me anytime. I may have already closed up Saturday but there will be a funeral Sunday so I better figure out how to get flowers ready. When something like that happens you’ve got to figure it out.”
For this Valentine’s Day, Scozzafava-Baisley’s gift from her husband will be the same as last year.
“My husband takes Valentine’s Day off every year and comes in to work for me,” Scozzafava-Baisley said. “That is my Valentine’s gift. He spends the whole day delivering flowers for me.”
Putnam Valley Florist is located at 15-A Morrissey Drive, Putnam Valley, and can be reached at (845) 526-2500 or www.putnamvalleyflorist.com.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.