For today’s Q&A with a local business, we interviewed Kyle Riccoboni of Earth Garden on Elm Street. Earth Garden is supplying many New Canaan families with flowers and arrangements for Easter, and is offering pickup and delivery though the physical store is closed to the public.
Kyle Riccoboni of Earth Garden on Elm Street. Credit: Michael Dinan
Here’s our exchange.
New Canaanite: Tell me about how you’re operating now.
Kyle Riccoboni: We are doing deliveries. We can if somebody calls us and places an order we can deliver it. We will have things outside on the sidewalk ready-made for pickup over the weekend. We are also going to people’s houses and planting their containers. Usually one person by themselves is going so that we are not in a group. Many of our regular customers are having their pots done for the spring.
Plants and arrangements at Earth Garden on Elm Street. Credit: Michael Dinan
How are you faring right now?
We are doing OK. The problem is the cut flower market is very volatile, because of shipping. Most of our flowers come from Holland, South America, all over the world. So that has been tenuous. Plants, spring flowering plants such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, they are pretty available from local growers, so we can still get that.
What is your sense of the ability of Earth Garden to outlast these restrictions?
Plants and arrangements at Earth Garden on Elm Street. Credit: Michael Dinan
Because we are in a service industry and we can deliver flowers, we really don’t have to come into contact with people. The shop itself is not open, per se. We are here working. But people need flowers so we have been able to supply them with flowers. Since the beginning of this, we have been pretty steady, I will say.
What is your message to customers?
Hang in there. We need flowers to make us happy through a sad time. We will try our best to get you what you need and keep the beauty coming.