Bow Street Flowers To Move

Bow Street Flowers, a small flower boutique which has been located at the corner of Bow Street and Plympton Street since 1993, will move to a larger space on Beacon Street in Somerville at the end of this year.

A “Space for Lease” sign has been up in its window for the past three weeks, piquing curiosity among students as to why the flower shop would vacate its long-standing address.

“We needed a lot more storage space and the lease was up,” said Shelly White, the owner of the shop. “This is a move towards more convenience for the customers who want to drive to see us and for the amount of storage space we’re requiring.”

The new location offers more space for storing merchandise as well as extensive parking along Beacon Street and in a nearby driveway.

Although Bow Street Flowers has been located amidst college houses for the past twelve years, its primary customers have been people who place orders over the phone.

“Many of our customers have never even visited the shop,” said White.

It also has a second location on Washington Street in Brookline.

However, its most common walk-in customers have always been Harvard students, said Kate Tucker, a full time employee at the store.

“Students come in to buy flowers for all sorts of occasions, or just to visit the bunnies,” Tucker said.

The two bunnies, ZuZu and Petals, often run free in the store, and are popular among students who pass the store on their way to and from class.

“Students who come in to buy the flowers are all so nice and polite, nowhere else can you expect to find better customers,” White said.

Quincy House resident Gretchen J. Guo ’08 said she drops by the store whenever she passes by.

“Sometimes they have very fresh flowers. It is a little overpriced compared to Brattle Street Flowers, but people there [Bow Street Flowers] have really good designing skills,” Guo said. “In other flower shops, flowers are made for everyone. But here, they make it for you.”

Looking back over her years in the Plympton Street location, White said that she will most miss the view out the windows.

“It looks like you’re in France,” White said, referring to the aesthetic beauty of the surrounding architecture—Adams House, Hurst Gallery, the Lampoon building.

“We’ll also miss student customers and church bells on Sunday afternoons,” White said.

White added that she did not know what would replace Bow Street Flowers next year, and the property’s landlord declined to comment for this article.