By JENNIKA INGRAM | Reporter
Where flowers bloom, so does hope: Community members came together to purchase flowers from Diego Ramirez, a longtime Los Angeles-based grower whose business was impacted when the coronavirus warning bell was alarmed weeks ago and social distancing went into effect.
Native Los Angeles couple Andrea and Adam Slutske posted on Instagram and Facebook that a flower grower was discarding hundreds of roses and flowers due to canceled business. The two shared that they would be delivering the flowers for wholesale purchase to help out the company, Flowerlink, which is run by Ramirez’s wife, Natalia Diez.
United In Harmony, a nonprofit dedicated to providing children in need an opportunity to go to sleepaway camp where Adam is director, loaned its van for the deliveries.
After the Slutskes’ single night of delivery, Ramirez was able to park his refrigerated truck at their home for two days for a few hours each day to sell more flowers—all while respecting social distancing.
“We sold 15 or 16 hundred dozen flowers in a period of three days—800 bunches of two dozen each,” Ramirez said to the Palisadian-Post. “People were incredible.”
Roses were sold for $15 for two dozen, or 50 cents per rose.
“The Slutskes are the nicest family,” Palisadian Traci Chorna said, “and we all want to come out and help if they ask.”
Highlands resident Piper Cochrane, who purchased several dozen wholesale roses, added that it was “wonderful to see the community come together and see how many people purchased flowers to support the little flower company.”
Adam and Andrea delivered flowers for three and a half hours the evening of March 18.
“We probably delivered almost 200 dozen roses the first night,” Andrea shared with the Post. “Every cent earned went back to the grower. People kept texting me and reposting, ‘Can you still do another delivery?’”
Chorna, who co-owns 90272 Dance and Fitness Wear on Via De La Paz with Terry Ross, explained that when she heard about the flowers, she sent out a message to others in the community.
“Adam Slutske owns Century Shower Door,” Chorna explained. “It’s a shower door company, and he does a lot of work for people in the Palisades.”
Adam’s office is located near Ramirez’s warehouse, so when Adam saw him tossing perfectly good flowers into a dumpster, he wanted to help.
“[Ramirez] was supposed to do a lot of events,” Chorna explained. “They all got canceled—weddings, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, parties—so he had hundreds, probably thousands of dollars, worth of flowers.”
After putting the word out to members of the community, Chorna shared that she bought 14 bunches of flowers.
“We as a community sent it out to people that we thought would benefit,” Huntington resident Tracey Steinfeld, wife of former Honorary Mayor of the Palisades Jake Steinfeld, shared with the Post.
Tracey said that she reached out to her various clubs and groups—90% of which are comprised of Palisadian parents—and it spread like wildfire. Wanting to share the beauty of fresh flowers during a time of such uncertainty, Tracey brought several packages to friends and neighbors.
“I sat in my garage for half a day to make arrangements to put them all over my house,” Tracey continued.
Palisadians continue to share and post images of the flowers on social media.
“People got the sense they were helping someone and doing the right thing in a time when everyone is feeling really insecure,” Andrea said. “Everyone wanted to support this grower.”
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