The Starbright Team – Constantine

 

Constantine

 

 

We figured it was time to let you get to know some of the people who work in our office, manning the phones and making sure the flowers get where they’re going. Today, we’d like to introduce you to Constantine:

 

 

 

How many years have you been working at Starbright? Can you mention something about when you started?

I’ve been here at Starbright for quite a while actually. I started working here in the winter of 2005, so we are approaching the 10 year mark. When I started here, we were downstairs at ground level and had a different feel entirely. Being here my whole adult life, I’ve seen this company grow as well. The company has expanded leaps and bounds, and in that time I’ve grown as well … both personally and professionally.

What is your position at Starbright?

My title at Starbright is Director of Accounting. I handle all the administrative aspects of the company and work hand in hand with both Nic and Stephen on various aspects within the company.

 What’s your favorite flower? color?

I would say my favorite color is Lime Green. A nice deep Blue is a close second but I think the Lime takes the cake. As far as a favorite flower goes I am a big fan of Cymbidium Orchids and Chocolate Cosmos (not placed together, but beautiful in their own right)

What’s your favorite floral style?

I love a modern design style in a floral arrangement. Very clean, very simple and very elegant. I am a big art lover, and usually my preference is usually the older the better (Old Master, etc.) but when it comes to a floral arrangement I am on the complete opposite side of the spectrum.

Name one thing you love about working at Starbright.

It’s like a giant family here. Everyone is so nice and has their own unique thing they bring to the table. As far as a boss goes you couldn’t do better than Nic. Not only has he been a mentor to me, he has been a father figure as well and completely taken me under his wing. Stephen is like a brother to me, also being one of my closest friends outside of the workplace. It’s nice to come to work every day and be able to see one of your best friends.

What languages do you speak?

Besides English, my Greek is horrible (definitely one of my goals is to brush up on it, would absolutely make my family happy) and I have a basic Spanish (whatever I remember from Middle and High School).

 

WOULD YOU RATHER…

Wear jeans or chinos?

Mostly Jeans, but I can definitely say I have a few pairs of chinos in the wardrobe as well. So I don’t think I can take a side.

Go to the theater or a movie?

Movies definitely! Was a film major in college, so I like to think I have a good understanding when it comes to the silver screen.

Sesame seeds or poppy seeds?

Just like Elaine from Seinfeld … totally on Team Poppy Seed.

Pop or soda?

Soda … I guess I am a snooty New Yorker, whenever I hear it referred to as pop it makes my skin crawl a little.

 

Thanks Constantine! 

 

Starbright Logo

 

Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.

Celebrating 20 years!

Starbright-anniversary

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!

 

Celebrating with food and flowers
Celebrating with food and flowers at Starbright Floral Design – Thanks Niles NYC! It was delicious!
Cake time!
Nic and Julia set out birthday cakes for the celebration!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blowing out the candles
Team Starbright blowing out the birthday candles!
Faitos Family
Faitos Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 known for the flowers, but if you ask anyone who works here what makes the joint special they’ll tell you “it’s the people!” We’re going to break the fourth wall here – we’ve worked with a long list of multi-national businesses and local standouts. Starbright Floral Design is unique on that list because of the incredibly diverse range of experiences, backgrounds and motivations that come together to compose the team. Design isn’t just about making something look nice, or just about pleasing a client on-time and on-budget – design is what happens when someone considers their life story, and funnels those experiences into your life story. Below is a gallery of some of the faces you’ll see when you visit our 28th St location:

“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

Eddie
Eddie can’t help but make it beautiful

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 - Queen of the roses!
Ana – Queen of the roses!
Petal Bomb
Byron PETAL BOMBs Ana

 

 

 

 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 

Barbara
Barbara whipping up some boutonniere

 

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.

Starbright212

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.

 

Starbright-251Sokratis 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?
Viktor? Where’d you go?

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!

Take Me To The River
Take Me To The River

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Byron
Byron is one of the most recent designers on the table. His pieces tend to have a touch of modernity, simplicity and elegance

 

 

“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!

Happy delivery!
Happy delivery!
Jesus and Anson
Jesus and Anson at the delivery station
Carlos on flower prep
Carlos on flower prep
Joe with balloons
Joe, on the left, hangs out with Nic and Stephen
Tony
Tony grabbing a snack
Prepping flowers at the table
Prepping flowers at the tabl
Antonio on the orchid table.
Antonio on the orchid table.
Stephen and Spiros
Stephen and Spiros in the office

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.”

Starbright Office
Starbright Office

 

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.

 

Starbright Logo

Looking for flowers in New York City? Visit our Event Gallery for inspiration. Or see our daily selection at Starbrightnyc.com.

Modern Flowers NYC Style-Pinterest

Modern Flowers NYC Style
Modern Flowers NYC Style

Starbright has been known for innovative floral designs in New York City since our inception.  Artistically created designs with a modern flair have become commonplace on the design floor.   The desire to share the beauty and joy of these floral designs with our friends was the impetus behind the creation of our Pinterest board entitled “Modern Flowers NYC Style”.    The Pinterest board is a small, but ever-growing sampling of modern flower arrangements in NYC. http://pinterest.com/starbrightfd/modern-flowers-nyc-style/

You can view our entire Pinterest collection by signing in with your Facebook account, Twitter account or by joining Pinterest.  Visit us today to start enjoying all Pinterest has to offer, give it a try: http://pinterest.com/starbrightfd/.

Many of the creations you see in our virtual NYC flower studio are available for purchase at our easy to use e-commerce  website at http://www.starbrightnyc.com/.   If you would like a price quote on a particularly inspiring arrangement please feel free to email us at cs@starflor.com or call us toll free at (800) 520-8999.  All of us on the Starbright team would love to hear from you!

NYC Weekly Flowers Expo-Pinterest

We invite you to step into our NYC weekly flowersPinterest “virtual showroom”.  Our  “NYC weekly flowers” Pinterest board is a small, but representative sampling of our weekly flower delivery service in NYC.  These flowers are designed to be aesthetically pleasing for the entire week in the case of our corporate weekly flowers clientele as well as our residential weekly flowers customers. http://pinterest.com/starbrightfd/nyc-weekly-flowers/

You can view our entire Pinterest collection by signing in with your Facebook account, Twitter account or by joining Pinterest.  Visit us today to start enjoying all Pinterest has to offer, give it a try: http://pinterest.com/starbrightfd/.

Many of the creations you see in our virtual NYC flower studio are available for purchase at our easy to use e-commerce  website at http://www.starbrightnyc.com/.   If you would like a price quote on a particularly inspiring arrangement please feel free to email us at cs@starflor.com or call us toll free at (800) 520-8999.  All of us on the Starbright team would love to hear from you!

Flowers for all of NYC and beyond to view and enjoy: Starbright’s on Pinterest!

Our Virtual NYC Flowers Studio-Pinterest Collection
Our Virtual NYC Flowers Studio-Pinterest Collection

Pinterest is a photo sharing website that Starbright has embraced since its inception. We work hard at our art and are proud of our creations.  Pinterest is an excellent forum to share our NYC Flowers Studio’s work with our fellow New Yorkers and beyond.  We’ve amassed an impressive array of “pinboards”.  Each week we’ll be including a sampling of pictures of the various boards in our portfolio.  We invite you to step into our “virtual showroom” and enjoy our full collection along with other popular categories such as travel, cars, food, home design and many more.  You can join in on the fun with your Facebook account, Twitter account or by joining Pinterest.  Visit us today to start enjoying all Pinterest has to offer, give it a try: http://pinterest.com/starbrightfd/.

Many of the creations you see in our virtual NYC flower studio are available for purchase at our easy to use e-commerce  website at http://www.starbrightnyc.com/.   If you would like a price quote on a particularly inspiring arrangement please feel free to email us at cs@starflor.com or call us toll free at (800) 520-8999.  All of us on the Starbright team would love to hear from you!

Peonies Season – Almost Over!

Peony season is almost over!
Visit us by phone, in our studio or online to see the last of the season’s peonies. Brought to you by Starbright Floral Design.

Peonies are a late springtime flower and their season is almost over.  All of us at Starbright Floral Design enjoy the time of the year when peonies make their grand entrance in the late springtime.  We will continue to bring them to you from Holland as they may be available for a few more weeks – but soon it will be a wait until next year!

There are many other floral varieties that are making a grand entrance into the summertime and we hope you enjoy them all!  For some great ideas on summer flowers please visit our website at http://www.starbrightnyc.com/ and take complete advantage of all the great flowers that the season has to offer!

Hope you are staying cool and having fun! The Starbright Team

Our Creative Director at the Macy’s Flower Show!

Tom Sebenius, Creative Director at Starbright Floral Design at the Macy's Flower Show.
Tom Sebenius, Creative Director at Starbright Floral Design at the Macy’s Flower Show.

For 39 years, Macy’s has welcomed spring with their annual Flower Show.  A celebration of all the joy that flowers and plants bring to our lives, the Herald Square flagship store is decked to the gills with blooms and greens.  This year’s event was themed, The Painted Garden and featured arrangements and displays of plants native to South Asia.  The dramatic showpiece for this year was a life size elephant, elegantly draped with a blanket of flowering vegetation.

The other highlight of the Flower Show was the second appearance of Starbright Floral Design.  We were thrilled to be asked again this year to participate in one of the live floral design demonstration given throughout the two week long show.  Starbright’s resident performer/designer, Tom Sebenius lent his flair for the dramatic once again to the cause.  This year’s selected topic was succulents.

Tom is demonstrating different floral varieties and how we use them at Starbright Floral Design.
Tom is demonstrating different floral varieties and how we use them at Starbright Floral Design.

Tom demonstrated how to make a desert inspired planted garden to a knowledge hungry crowd gathered in the Fine China department on the eight floor of Macy’s.  Showing how sand, moss and stones will complement the strong and bold architecture of the unique succulents, Tom explained that succulents have become increasingly popular among Starbright customers.  Because the Flower Show is a celebration of spring, Tom also demonstrated how he often includes succulents in wedding flowers.  Much to the delight of the attendants, Tom fashioned a chic and modern bridal bouquet using orchids, arabicum, folded leaves and succulents that he showed how to wire and tape appropriately.

Macy’s has long been a mainstay of both New York City and America at large.  We are proud to have been included in their majestic and spectacular floral extravaganza.  Not only does Starbright appreciate being included in this long standing New York tradition, but we also join Macy’s in welcoming spring and saying thank you to the flora that makes this season sing!

Creating a magical garden of succulents before everyone's eyes!
Creating a magical garden of succulents before everyone’s eyes!

Starbright Floral Design is the “Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps” and most of the time we deliver flowers, love, passion and hope everywhere in Manhattan and worldwide.

Give us a call, visit our website or pop on in! We would love to meet you….

Passionately yours,

Starbright Floral Design

Located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District

150 West 28th Street, Studio 201.

T. 800.520. 8999

Web: www. starflor.com

E-commerce portal: www.starbrightnyc.com

Fresh Flowers In your Restaurant – Yes You Can Afford Flowers!

V300New York City is filled with choices.  Everything you need or want is within the city limits.  Some would say NYC was Al Gore’s model of what he envisioned the internet to be; endless choices within minutes.  Restaurateurs are keenly aware of the competitiveness of the NYC restaurant market.  In view of this market saturation, the finest restaurants in NYC have long since fused culinary arts and interior design with the art of floral design to deliver a dining experience worthy of the discerning customer’s dollar.

Starbright’s unparalleled service and award winning designers have proudly assisted some of the finest restaurants in New York City in delivering a memorable dining experience.  No matter what the décor, Starbright’s team is able to complement it with floral designs.  Our efforts have led to many accolades from our clientele. We were recently thrilled to be mentioned as the go to florist for the restaurant industry by 4Q Consulting, LLC.  4Q Consulting is a distinguished restaurant consulting company based in NYC.  Such an honorable mention by a recognized authority in the industry is truly high praise.  I’ve included the full text of the 4Q’s blog piece as an informational piece for all our restaurant clientele.  Here it is:

4Q Consulting

Our clients often ask us if they should have fresh flowers in their restaurants and cited their budget as a reason to forgo them.  Fresh flowers that complement your restaurant’s décor and color scheme will instill a warm, welcoming, and hospitable environment. Placing a small, artistically-made arrangement of fresh flowers on each table can raise your diners’ spirits and make them feel welcome, which in turn can help drive repeat business, especially for your local clientele.

The expense of fresh flowers can be mitigated if they are if managed and handled correctly to extend their use.  Here are some tips to manage the cost of your floral arrangements:

Choose Wisely – Choosing hearty flowers that last relatively long will be most cost effective. For example when watered regularly, flowers such as hydrangeas and chrysanthemums can last five to seven days. While other flowers might look pretty, replacing them every two or three days can get costly. Work with your florist to select bunches that will bloom, as these can live for up to two weeks if cared for.

Keep Arrangements Simple and in Line with your Overall Décor – Choosing a suitable vase and flower arrangement will depend on your restaurant’s design and theme. If your budget is limited keep it simple:  a single stem can go a long way.  For instance Cymbidium Orchids come in a variety of colors and can compliment your color palette.

Maintenance – Simple maintenance will help to extend usability. Remove any wilting or discolored flowers as the buds start to blossom.  Add water to the vases every day to ensure a fresh supply of nutrients. When not in use, store the flower arrangements in the fridge.  Work with your florist on how to make your flowers last even longer.  Some florists suggest using a flower preservative or placing two drops of bleach into the water to preserve the petals and to prevent bacteria growth; check with your florist as methods depend on flower type.

Build a Relationship with your Local Florist – Build a rapport with your florist.  When you have a strong working relationship with a vendor they are more likely to work with you on price, advise you of new stock or product and perhaps offer services not normally available (i.e. on-site servicing of arrangements, changing out vases, etc.).  When you have a friendly rapport with your florist, you will receive a higher level of service.  Once this relationship is established, the local florist is much more likely to work with you on payment terms, recommend your restaurant to their clients, and be open to cross marketing and promotions.

Fresh Flowers in your restaurant need not be expensive if done properly and can even help drive business.  Cut fresh flowers can set you apart from your competition, drive repeat business and give you opportunity establish a beneficial vendor partner.

 

Daffodil Flowers in NYC by Starbright Floral Design- Springtime Collection Continued

The New York City Springtime Daffodil
The New York City Springtime Daffodil

The Daffodil is the March birth flower and amongst the earliest blooms in spring.  Its appearance signifies that the frost has broken and spring is here.  There is little that invokes images of spring and feelings of tranquility more than a field filled with Daffodils swaying in the breeze.  Their rhythmic movements in the wind inspired the famous poem “Daffodils”, by William Wordsworth.  “…and then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils.”

All Daffodil species have a central trumpet surrounded by a ring of six floral leaves.  The traditional daffodil consisted of a yellow color all over.  Today both in the wild and due to breeding, blooms range in colors to include yellow, white, orange, pink, red and green.

Starbright is fortunate to be situated in New York City’s Flower Market making all variations of Daffodils available to our clientele.  Let Starbright Floral NYC help liberate those spring smiles from the winter blues with Daffodil flower delivery in NYC.  Choose from a vast array of springtime NYC flowers from Starbright’s Springtime Collection.

This scribe is brought to you by Starbright Floral Design, NYC, Voted NYC’s “Best” florist.  Along the way we try to find and write about the fun side of flowers in NYC.  Starbright Floral Design NYC delivers flowers all over the world for the endless romantics everywhere.

Starbright Floral Design is the “Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps” and most of the time we deliver flowers, love, passion and hope everywhere in Manhattan and worldwide.

Give us a call, visit our website or pop on in!  We would love to meet you….

Passionately yours,

The Official Florist – Starbright Floral Design

Located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District

150 West 28th Street, Studio 201.

T. 800.520. 8999

Web: www. starflor.com

E-commerce portal: www.starbrightnyc.com

 

 

 

 

Peony Flowers in NYC by Starbright Floral Design- Springtime Collection Continued

Pink Peonies from North Carolina
Pink Peonies from North Carolina

Peony derives its name from the Greek Paeon; physician of the gods.  If anything can cure the ills of winter it’s the site of a peony flower.  Its majestic blooms of white, pink and red have aptly earned it the nick name “King of Flowers”.

In the language of flowers a display of Peony expresses bashfulness.   The meaning is an oddity considering the flamboyancy of the flower.   Any arrangement containing Peonies shouts out “take notice of me!.”

In today’s global community and travel, Peonies are available throughout the year.  However, their vibrancy and quality peak in spring.

Starbright is fortunate to be situated in New York City’s Flower Market making the “King Flower” available to our clientele.  Let Starbright Floral NYC help liberate those spring smiles from the winter blues with Peony flower delivery in NYC.  Choose from a vast array of springtime NYC flowers from Starbright’s Springtime Collection.

This scribe is brought to you by Starbright Floral Design, NYC, Voted NYC’s “Best” florist.  Along the way we try to find and write about the fun side of flowers in NYC.  Starbright Floral Design NYC delivers flowers all over the world for the endless romantics everywhere.

Starbright Floral Design is the “Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps” and most of the time we deliver flowers, love, passion and hope everywhere in Manhattan and worldwide.

Give us a call, visit our website or pop on in!  We would love to meet you….

Passionately yours,

The Official Florist

Starbright Floral Design

Located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District

150 West 28th Street, Studio 201.

T. 800.520. 8999

Web: www. starflor.com

E-commerce portal: www.starbrightnyc.com