Boston Floral Family Shares The Secrets To Their 90-Year Success

For Rick Canale, flowers have been the focal point of his family for generations. Since the early 1900s, his family has been involved in the Boston floral scene, and Canale is eager to continue the legacy.

“My father's been here for over 60 years, but our family's been doing it for over 90,” says Canale, whose grandparents independently worked for family-owned flower businesses and merged them to form Exotic Flowers in 1957.

Growing up in the floral industry meant everyone in the family lent a hand, and they still do today, says Canale.

“It’s a family affair,” he adds. “It’s a lot of hard work, but [it’s] definitely rewarding, making people happy.”

Finding Purpose In Serving The Boston Community

As a generations-old local business, the Canale family has planted its roots deep in the Boston community (no pun intended). From serving as the official florist for Boston sports teams to working closely with area organizations like Fisher House Boston, The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and The Women's LockerRoom Foundation, Exotic Flowers has always valued its strong connection to its local roots.

“We appreciate people from here,” says Canale. “Like, ‘You grew up here, we grew up here’ ... people that aren't from here don't always get that.”

As organizations come and go in the bustling city of Boston, Exotic Flowers takes pride in the reliable steadfastness of its business.

“People really care about permanence now because businesses don't stick around anymore,” says Canale. “[People] walk in and thank us for being there. That's wild; it's the best thing you can hear. It's great to hear you do a good job at what you do, but when somebody just sincerely stops us and thanks us ... it hits home because we know what they mean.”

Canale and his family care so deeply for Boston residents that they want to be there for them up to the very end. One-third of Exotic Flowers’ business is funerals — a responsibility it doesn’t take lightly.

“People come in for funeral flowers every day,” he says. “They're bereaved; they don't really know how to handle that, and we do it for them. The last thing you can give somebody is a funeral — a nice tribute send-off.”

Beyond funerals, Exotic Flowers’ specialties include European or dish gardens, high-style floral arrangements, gourmet baskets and more. This wide range of services ensures customers return for all their floral needs.

“I tell people all the time that I don't need you here once,” says Canale. “I need you to come back 10, 11, 12 times.”

And they do: Canale noted that many customers come back over the years, and even over the generations.

“It's nice to be part of a community that, even though you might live a little further away than you used to, you're still [part of] the fabric,” he adds. “We love that. We're part of an institution, [and] that matters a lot.”

Federal And Corporate Support Helped Exotic Flowers Survive The Pandemic

Like businesses across the globe, Exotic Flowers endured many difficult challenges as the pandemic shut down its city. Thankfully, Canale and his family were able to survive with the help of federal loans and a little unexpected boost from corporate partners like FTD.

“Access to PPP money, EIDL loans [and] things like that were indispensable, [but] you wouldn't think there'd be national players that would look out for [small businesses],” says Canale. “American Express, ADP, FTD — they stepped up and were like, ‘Listen, you're going to be around when this is over and we want to be going forward with you.’”

Canale expressed his gratitude for companies like FTD, with which Exotic Flowers has now been a partner for 50 years. Not only did the company waive its membership fees for businesses that shut down during the early months of the pandemic, but FTD also organized free webinars to provide valuable continuing education for its network of florists.

“In those webinars, there were a lot of things I picked up and use now … that have made my business stronger,” Canale explains.

Success As A Florist Is About Resilience Through Seasonal Highs And Lows

Canale’s biggest piece of advice for entrepreneurs itching to get into the floral business is to work for a florist for at least one year to experience the industry’s seasonal highs and lows.

“January and July are really low, and a lot of people can't deal with the lows,” says Canale. “They love the rush [and] the busy time, and they just don't know how to handle the slow time.”

Canale also shared some key advice he learned from his father: Don't ever hire anybody who won’t sweep the floor.

“This is a huge reflection of character,” says Canale. “You do what has to be done because you can't call somebody to fix everything. You have to figure out stuff on your own — you have to be willing to get dirty and you have to be willing to go home tired a lot.”

Learn more about Exotic Flowers and its partnership with FTD Flowers.