By Mike Kinney
Park Florist has been a Richmond staple for more than a century. But the business, owned and operated by the Perata family at 2015 Macdonald Ave., has its roots in Colma, a city in San Mateo County.
“Our grandfather came from Italy in the 1880s to Colma,” owner Lloyd Perata said. “They started a nursery on El Camino and A Street in Colma.”
The Perata family opened the Richmond shop in 1911. Three generations of the family have operated the business since.
“We started growing dry flowers for sale for wholesalers,” Perata said. “Popular items were our dried wreaths and dried bouquets. We also preserved eucalyptus back in the late 60s which we supplied to Cost Plus and other wholesalers. We had over 100 workers making and processing.”
Park Florist is well known for its fresh flowers and its green and blooming plants. These days, its flowers are grown at gardens in Martinez and Lafayette.
“Our most popular flowers are roses,” Perata said. “We also sell spring flowers such as lilies, hydrangeas, tulips. “
In addition, Park Florist manufactures dried and silk floral wreaths and arrangements. It specializes in custom arrangements, including for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, funderals and more.
Naturally, the secret to Park Florist’s successful floral arrangements is using the “freshest and highest quality flowers,” said Perata.
To this day, the long-running business enjoys excellent reviews from customers, scoring a 4.7 out of 5 in 82 reviews on Google.
Park Florist opens Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is closed Sundays.
