Name: Brad Towne
Owner, Cobblestone Design Company
How long have you been a florist? How long have you run the business in Concord?
I’ve been a florist for 16 years, all here in this spot.
What sparked your interest in the field?
It’s always been an interest of mine. Since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in plants and flowers and the creative side of being a florist.
Where do your flowers come from?
They come from everywhere. We get some from New Hampshire in the summer, and other New England states like Massachusetts and Maine, and states like New Jersey and California. And then we get stuff from Canada to South America to Israel to the Netherlands to Africa to New Zealand.
There’s a whole science to transporting flowers. Some growers have their own refrigerated planes. In this country, it’s a $6 billion industry.
What is your favorite flower?
Orchids. I like the architectural style and the variety. There are thousands of different kinds of orchids. It’s the largest plant species on the planet.
What is the busiest time of year?
The busiest single day is Valentine’s Day, but as far as a period of time, the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season is probably the busiest. We sell a lot of centerpieces and things for parties. We also do flowers for a lot of Christmas parties for businesses.
Different flowers have different connotations (red roses equal love, etc.). Give us some lesser known ones and what they represent.
The colored roses are still the most common, but you can get into a lot of the Victorian meanings, from love to interest to innocence. They all come from the Victorian era and all have to do with courting. You could send messages without being overt, and it covered everything from “don’t talk to me again” to “I want to see you.”
Is the inside of your home decorated with flowers, or are you sick of tending to them by the time you get home?
When we do take flowers home, it tends to be a large quantity of one type of flower and not so much an arrangement.
If you could give a flower to one person in history, who would it be, what would it be and why?
I’d give a flower to Abraham Lincoln, and I would give him a sunflower. And I have no idea why.
Do you make major life decisions by pulling petals off the flowers?
Not at all. I’m a born Yankee, so it’s a long process.
If you weren’t a florist, what would you be doing?
I’d be an architect.
Hidden talent?
I guess it’s not that hidden, but gardening.
Guilty pleasure?
Going out to eat. The real experience is going out to eat with great service and a great atmosphere.
