A Dinosaur Perseveres Rather Well

 Yes, these are challenging times.  Our supportive clientele is forever asking how we are doing.  The good news is, “tolerably well,” as they used to say back in Mississippi.  While most florists are off 35 to 40%, our backslide has been less than 10%.  We are tightening our belt, so to speak, cutting expenses to keep the business going.

 As mentioned before, the Godsend has been our website, www.harkinsneworleans.com, which Peggy developed during the Katrina hiatus.  If you haven’t checked it out, we encourage you to do so.  We are so proud of it, and, with additions being made all the time, it just gets better and better.

Who would ever have guessed that Jawn the Dinosaur would be doing business over the internet in his senior years?  He may be quite dependent on others, and unable to do much beyond sending and receiving e-mails, but the internet is working beautifully and is propping up the business during these challenging times.

 So many people across the country have had their fill of FTD, Teleflora and the Order Gatherers.  Even Jawn would be able to Google “Flowers New Orleans” and be led to our website.  Orders have come in from as far away as Australia and Finland.

Perhaps the greatest growth area for the business in the past year, thanks in large part to the website, is doing flowers for destination weddings.  There are so many couples who are choosing New Orleans not just as a neat destination but also as a means of aiding the city’s recovery.

 The times have changed, and harkins, the florist is changing and surviving if not prospering in the process.  No longer need we try to describe in subjective terms what we offer.  With a few clicks we lead customers in the shop or over the phone to actually see a myriad of choices.

  The Mom and Pop shop may be encountering challenges, but by working smarter rather than harder, success is still possible.  Thanks to all our customers for continuing, loyal patronage.

More Notes from the Past:

Da Queen a’ Magazine

 Lower Magazine Street in the late 1970s was chock full of genuine characters.  It was somewhat like starting the business as part of an on-going Bunny Matthews cartoon.  It was not by accident that Bunny was contacted during the first year to do cartoons to promote harkins, the florist.

 Last month Mr. Sal was the subject of this writer’s nostalgic ramblings.  There was only one character who could hold a candle to him.  That was his sister, Giovanina Salvaggio Link, a.k.a. “Miss Jenny” or “The Queen of Magazine.” She was truly a lovable, if outrageous, character.  There are many entertaining stories starring Miss Jenny.  Here are some choice ones:

Jenny’s Quality Store in the front parlor of her Greek Revival townhouse in the first 1300 block of Magazine had already closed when harkins, the florist arrived in the second 1300 block.  Somehow Miss Jenny was hired by Catholic Charities to be the purchasing agent for St. Elizabeth’s (still functioning at that time) Home for Girls at Napoleon and Prytania.  She loved the job and took it seriously.  Too seriously, it turned out.  Under the family tendency to horde, she came upon what she considered a rare opportunity.  The government was offering surplus prunes, and she promptly filled the storage area with same.  The administrator chastised her for this, but Miss Jennie stuck to her guns that “dese goils need dem prunes!”  The battle raged on till ultimately she was fired, and Holy Mother Church even fought Miss Jenny’s attempt to get unemployment.  A lawyer friend fought the battle for months pro bono to vindicate “The Queen.”

 Center of Miss Jenny’s life, aside from hanging out at the flower shop, was St. Theresa of Avila Choich.  She was forever scheming to have Fawda leave the priesthood and marry her.  He, on the other hand, spent his energies trying to convince her to sell her house and give him the proceeds.  Neither of them was successful.  Major players on the St. Theresa’s scene were the Good Deacon and the Dirty Deacon, as Miss Jenny referred to them.  The good deacon was a saintly man, Francis Fleischer, who recently died.  The DD, however, was dirty indeed.  This writer dare not put in print the indecent proposal our heroine received from him.

 One day Miss Jenny rushed over to the shop on a mission. “Jawn, you knows about all dem exotic places.  Have you ever heard of a place called ‘Can-coon’?”  Assured that indeed this writer had heard of such a place, the question naturally followed why she wanted to know.  “Cause ova by the choich I won da big raffle, and that’s where I gonna go!”  She did indeed make the trip, no doubt the highlight of her life, and, perhaps, the only time she ever left the city.  She brought back treasured souvenirs: Bikini swimsuits, a blue one for this writer and a black one (naturally) for Fawda, and a picture of herself and her daughter in the Cancun surf in 1920s vintage swim dresses.

 And, finally, there was the day she called the flower shop after a mysterious absence of several weeks.  “Why, Miss Jenny, where have you been?  We’ve been worried about you!” She responds, “Well, Jawn, you won’t believe it.  St. Ant’ny tried to burn my house down! You see I went by Schwagman’s and bought me a St. Ant’ny candle.  I brought it home and lit it and put it on my alta.  I lays down and close my eyes just for a minute or two, and when I wake up St. Ant’ny done exploded and started a fire.”

 This episode allowed this writer his only glimpse inside 1330 Magazine.  Wow!  It was quickly apparent why no one was ever allowed inside.  The chief who handled the fire said hers was second only to her brother’s house in terms of the amount of “stuff” inside.

A mountain of about 30 garbage bags brought out on the banquette only created a narrow path through the front parlors.

 A perfect example of the gentrification of Magazine Street today is Miss Jenny’s house.  A young couple came into the neighborhood a couple of years ago and restored 1330 Magazine to mint condition.  Equally remarkable was the restoration of the building next door housing Shannon’s Bar, an unbelievable den of iniquity.  Anyone who has Volume 1 of the Friends of the Cabildo series on The Lower Garden District will be amazed at the transformation of the two buildings.

 Next month a number of other “naturally New Orleans” characters will appear, beginning with Miss Jenny’s running mate, Marvene Ambrosia.  “For true, dahlin, that was her name.  I swear to Gawd!”

The Care and Handling of.......

Roses

Rose colors and their meanings....

We are quite often asked the meanings of the different colors of roses. It is fabled that during the Victorian era it was not uncommon for secret lovers to communicate in code. One of the many ways this was accomplished was by sending nosegays in which the individual types of flowers had a special meaning to the couple. It is also said that the different colors of roses had a special meaning. In my research for the perfect list of meanings, I find that there are as many different lists of meanings as there are types of flowers in the world. I've collected a good number of lists, and find that through the years the meanings have sifted down to the colors and corresponding sentiments listed below.

Communicating like this can be a fun thing to do with your special someone, just make sure you both referencing the same list!

Another month gone by, the end of summer's in sight, and it actually got -dare I say- cool last night. Stop by if you're in the neighborhood, we'll have lots of colors in roses, so you can pick one for your sweetie.

Our recycling campaign is going great guns. Let's keep it going! Our thanks to all who have participated the past few weeks.

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  07/01/2010