Nestled in the heart of New York’s historic flower district, Starbright Floral Design has been delivering arrangements of the highest quality for over twenty years. We celebrated our anniversary last week in the shop with lots of arrangements, delicious food from Niles NYC, and birthday cakes for the shop and for “the man that makes it happen”, Costas!
And while the team took a break to chow down on some delicious treats and talked shop. Starbright has a unique studio layout – over 75% of the floor space in the suite is devoted to designing and producing floral arrangements. If you enter the shop and look to the left, all the way down in the back of the shop you’ll see a row of desks – this is where the office staff work, manning the phones. One of the first things you’ll notice is that there isn’t a wall or door or glass window or blind or anything between these two sides of the business. The design and shop staff and the business operations personnel share one space, and one mission – that makes it real easy to come together and let loose, like a big family.
“Starbright is the perfect Manhattan florist because, like the city itself, its staff is made up of all kinds. Everyone here works hard, likes to laugh, and brings their own area of expertise to the table. We can learn from each other as well as challenge each other, and altogether have staff hail from all five boroughs, as well as boasting international members. There is no other florist more cosmopolitan than Starbright, and hence none better to service and represent the great city of New York!”
– Barbara
Wondering who’s been at the Starbright Floral Design table longest? Eddie has been with Starbright for well over a decade! With a quick wit and a ready laugh, Eddy brings life to arrangements through color and texture. It’s been a pretty awesome year here for Eddie – the Society of American Florists featured Starbright Floral Design and published a photo of this guy on the cover!
Ana has also been with Starbright for over a decade! And even though her favorite flower is the anthurium and tropical arrangements are her jam, Ana is also our “queen of roses”. Whether it’s one dozen or three, she knows exactly what to do with those long stems.
Happy 20 anniversary Nic and Family!
I thank God for letting me know you guys for so many years and giving me this opportunity to be part of your team – which is like a family. After many years in the flower business, I am still learning new things day after day. From the bottom of my heart, I wish Starbright many more years to continue growing. Long live Starbright.
With love” –
Ana
And this is Barbara! With over a decade of floral design experience and about six years in this shop, Barbara is another Starbright veteran and a huge part of the team.
Have you attended a party with Starbright flowers recently? Or a wedding? If you have, there’s a big chance Barbara is responsible for the pieces. Barbara’s style can be described as lush – whether it’s modern or traditional, somehow Barbara’s pieces seem richer than the budget would lead you to expect.
But don’t be fooled. This girl’s got edge – check out her great tattoo – but also a huge heart. As a mother of three, Barbara is an expert listener. I don’t know how she does it, but somehow, Barbara always knows just what people are hoping for.
Sokratis recently joined us from Greece, where he and his wife both worked as floral designers. Creating natural looking forms from flowers – Sokratis brings a technique and style all his own. He is known around the shop for his daring composition, utilizing flora in atypical fashions to achieve top flight results.
Viktor? Where’d you go? Just kidding. Viktor is a little camera shy himself, but that’s not at all the case for the arrangements that he makes! I snapped a shot of the design table where the elusive Viktor can sometimes be seen. Stop in the shop someday and wave to the left-most design table. Hi, Viktor!
“Working for a flower company like Starbright is amazing. It has been a great opportunity to grow as a floral designer and to learn from the best coworkers ever. Working as team, we’re making the Star brighter than ever!
I design floral arrangements with a passion for our client’s satisfaction. It is a pleasure to know that my work might cheer up a person’s day or bring a smile to their face. I am very grateful to have such an opportunity. Today I would like to congratulate the man who came up with the idea to start this company, twenty year ago a Star came over New York City to make it Bright.
After all these years Starbright is still shining, thanks to the man, friend, coworker and owner who never sleeps Nic Faitos.
God Bless this company because we are Starbright Floral Design. Cheers!!!!”
-Byron
So designers design the arrangements and build them out, and office personnel handle orders and paperwork. Doing everything else – literally – falls on the broad shoulders of the Starbright Shop Team. These cats are among the most level-headed in the office – they have to be, since they’re the glue that binds the place!
And from the office! These ladies and gentlemen are on the phones 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. One Account Manager told me that the Starbright “management shows a strong dedication to a friendly, pleasant environment with an almost family interaction with the staff. When you have a smile on your face and happy to be at work, customer service is simple.”
Still with us? Great! Way down here, tucked away at the bottom of the blog post, we’ve put a special gift for our supporters – Nic got together with our camera team last week to talk to us about where Starbright came from, and how it got to where it is today.
Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.
Blooming Thoughts 