Cookes Little Shoppe of Flowers

Cookes Little Shoppe of Flowers is conveniently located off Rte. 9/9A in Croton-on-Hudson.

At the end of the 19th century, my great grandfather set out to create a florist that would be both talented and creative in floral design, as well as long lasting and customer friendly. Cooke's Flowers was incorporated in 1898 in Tarrytown, before settling on a plot of farmland in White Plains in the 1930's. (I know it's hard to believe that anything in White Plains was once farmland!) The business transformed and grew under the successful guidance of my Great Uncle, Grandfather and Father throughout the 20th century. By the end of the century, a change was in order, and the property was sold in 2002. Over the next 4 years, we spent our time perfecting certain design techniques, creating new ones, and re-analyzing the industry. The byproduct was Cooke's Little Shoppe of Flowers, LLC. Our "Little Shoppe" combines the services and professionalism of a traditional florist, along with the services and selections that we have come to feel necessary for any florist in the 21st century. Whether you feel like bringing home a decorative arrangement for the middle of your table or a new bouquet every week for that empty vase sitting in your cabinet, we strive to accommodate your every want and need. Our goal is to always be able to provide you with the highest quality flowers and plants in a relaxed and comfortable environment.

Despite the confidence we have in our new business plan, it is by no means complete or set in stone. We always welcome suggestions and will continue to re-mold our business to better serve you for the next hundred years!

From my family to yours,

Sincerely,

Andrew Cooke

WE SERVE

Croton on Hudson, Montrose, Cortlandt Manor, Buchanan, Verplanck, Peekskill, Briarcliff Manor,  Pleasantville, Ossining , Hawthorne, Sleepy Hollow and Putnam Valley & Garrison in Putnam County.

We can also send orders out to florists around the US and Internationally. While we do charge a $9.95 service charge for out of town orders we do not charge you a service charge just to place an order with us like the Web Based Florist do!  Please call for more information.

TIPS

Many people have made it a point to come back to our store after purchasing flowers to ask us how we get them to last so long. We have previously been hesitant to divulge our secret . . . until now. Just kidding, but here it goes anyway.

With advancements in modern technology, the flower market has undergone tremendous changes over the last 25 years. Rose color options have gone from a traditional color wheel, to over 200 different varieties. Instead of offering arrangements with pink and red roses, we can now offer you over 15 different varieties of pink roses, each with a different red tint. To long standing industry professionals, the improvements are amazing & well-needed, particularly when it comes to manipulating the longevity of flowers. Roses have gone from a flower that would blow open & start to die in a matter of days (at room temperature), to a flower that can last anywhere from 10 days to two & a half weeks.

In addition to these advancements, every florist has their own 'tricks of the trade' that they use to address the short life span of flowers. These tricks can vary from the temperature of bucket water, to the cutting of flowers underwater, to the amount of Floralife (flower food / bacteriacide additive) in the water. These techniques can be very effective in prolonging the life of flowers, but only to a certain extent.

Industry professionals knew that barring any new advancements, there was only one other place to turn: Shipping & handling by the middle men.

With today's overnight shipping capabilities it is possible (and very common among florists and floral wholesalers) to get flowers from anywhere in the world within 2 days of them being cut at the farm! This has spawned a secondary market made up of professional sales people who buy flowers from South American farms & ship them overnight, stressing only the speed with which they are delivered. However, when flowers are shipped via overnight service they are not kept under constant temperature control & are often subjected to drastic temperature fluctuations. These temperature changes cause stress on the individual flowers, causing them to become dehydrated. The resulting effects are wilted flowers that will last for a significantly shorter period of time than if they had been kept cold throughout their journey. By ensuring a 'cold chain' is maintained during shipping, from the time a flower is cut until the time it is delivered to our door, we can prevent flowers from enduring these stresses.

We are professionals & we only want to deal with professionals. That is why we have worked hard to identify suppliers who can not only supply us with the freshest product available, but also practice proper care & handling procedures when it comes to flower management. Particularly, we look for suppliers that practice this "Cold Chain" form of shipping. And believe us when we tell you, after 100 years in the business, it really does make a difference in the quality & longevity of the flowers.

In summary, the proper management of our suppliers, modern advancements, & our own personal techniques is how we are able to continuously bring you fresh & stress-free flowers that can bring enjoyment to you & your loved ones for weeks on end.