1-800-Flowers

Profile

Walking into this shop is like walking into a three-dimensional replica of an Internet catalog and seeing and smelling live versions of the flowers that bloom in tiny thumbnails on your laptop screen. While not quite as singular as boutiques like Bloom or Spruce, the shop does offer an impressive breadth of blossoms, fruit baskets, and candy arrangements fine for Secretary's Day, your boss’s birthday, or to fete your coworker’s new baby. Also, beyond the conventional offerings, the familiar brand name, a seven-day freshness guarantee, and point-and-purchase ease, there are real attractions. Shoppers in a bind can choose from an inventory of pre-arranged bouquets, and the shop will add a vase, available in red, blue, or clear, gratis. A basket of assorted greenery can easily be personalized with stems from the storage refrigerator in back. While the selection is far from exotic, service is prompt and the pickings are plentiful. With greeting cards and teddy bears within grabbing distance of the register, all your basic floral needs—and even some you hadn’t thought of—can be fulfilled in the space of a lunch hour. — K. Emily Bond