On a beautiful spring day, I walk into a building, and am awestruck by the burst of color covering every inch of the room. Flower petals decorate the floor and tables, and when I turn, I see an employee working on a new bouquet. She snips away at the stems, studying the flower buds, determined to make the arrangement as beautiful as it can possibly be. 

This was my welcome to Flower Girl. I had decided to investigate this unique shop during my spring break, and was floored by it. Located on Eldridge street in Lower Manhattan, the flower shop welcomes every visitor with its whimsical logo dangling from a sign just outside the door. The inside is as charming as the outside. The walls are made out of stone and wood and there are many flower pots hanging from support on top. The place itself smelt so fresh and clean, truly living up to its store name. As soon as I walked in, it felt as though I was entering a serene cottage in the middle of the forest. 

This small, yet extremely successful shop was founded in 2004 by Denise Porcaro and has since become one of the most well-known bouquet sellers in all of New York City. The arrangements presented are described as “unique and vibrant,” with an emphasis on wedding decorations. As mentioned on their website, the flower shop prides itself on being able to create a perfect, beautiful embodiment of what their clients envision. 

Flower Girl also has special opportunities for aspiring florists, gardeners, furnishers and graphic designers. Each season, the shop holds workshops to teach up and comers the expectations and experiences that come with designing bouquets and arrangements. Every seasonal class covers something new, and makes the experience worthwhile. The workshop classes cost $300 in total and last for about two hours each day. 

The founder of the fantastical store, Denise Porcaro, is a New York City native; she grew up in Queens and attended college in Brooklyn. According to an interview linked here, Porcaro studied communications at St. Francis College. 

The successful flower shop owner had stated that her life has turned out unexpectedly for her. She did not imagine she would have become a business owner, especially at a young age. “The long and short of it is that I started to do flowers for some of the restaurants I worked for,” she said. “Had I known I was going to have my own business I would have gone to business school.” Ironically, Porcaro also said, “What’s even crazier is that I wanted to be a journalist. I thought I was going to do reporting but then I fell in love with the film part of it and now I have a flower business!”

Porcaro has been featured in various articles and has done countless interviews. She’s been seen on the covers of Vougue, The Onomist, Marie Claire, and many others. She even collaborated with Farm Candy and Blackbird to create irresistible chocolate and incense respectively. In every project, Porcaro and her flower girls use their creativity and expertise to create a remarkable end product.  

What makes Flower Girl’s specific bouquets so special is the amount of care and thought put into each arrangement. Every bud, every petal, and every vase is taken into consideration in order to not only astounds the receiver, but beautifully match each given event, whether it may be a wedding or simple home décor. I myself saw the love and dedication employees utilize and witnessed the making of an arrangement that took my breath away. Porcaro says in another interview, “I do pull inspiration from the effervescence of NYC, from art to people-watching to food, etc.” 

The secret to the store’s wonderful arrangements is certainly the use of seasonal flowers to add in bursts of colors that function harmoniously with one another. Porcaro states that those “highlighted elements,” can be anything that is fresh in season, whether that may be peonies, ranunculus, or narcissus. To top it all off, the arrangements usually go into a mercury glass vessel to highlight the store’s modern, yet fresh and seasonal, aura. 

“Our tone is lush, beautiful, seasonally-driven, and then there’s always some sort of pop,” said Porcaro. 

I’m no flower expert, that’s for sure. But Flower Girl has indeed left a great impression on me, and I hope it does the same for you. Its expert procedure and superb knowledge on what makes a perfect bouquet is no joke. I encourage everyone to visit the city’s best flower shop and be awestruck, just like I was. 

As of May 2nd, 2022, the shop has also been looking for new workers to join their board. More information and updates can be found on Flower Girl’s Instagram page here. 

To learn more about the shop itself, information can be found on the official website here. 

As mentioned on their website, the flower shop prides itself on being able to create a perfect, beautiful embodiment of what their clients envision.