Floral Scents in North Raleigh
As part of the McCarthy Group, a chain of 13 floral shops in five states, this is one of three McCarthy group florist shops in the area. This access to the larger group allows offer services of a much larger shop. The local store offers services twenty four hours a day by phone or computer.
One enters this nice looking building from the parking lot side under the columns that adorn the faÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ade. The fragrant smell of fresh cut flowers greets you. You are surrounded by greenery and flowers in the florist’s showroom. Immediately in front of you is the front desk that hosts not only the cashier, but also a wide work area for the florist. In addition to free standing displays of flowers and rolls of wrapping paper, there is a cooler flush with prepared flowers in vases in colorfu well designed bouquets.
The staff is friendly and helpful, whether you are trying to buy roses on Valentines Day, or you are planning a wedding.
As my wife discovered when she went shopping for flowers for our daughter’s wedding, they can’t always get specific flower types. Especially on short notice. When given sufficient notice, they can provide for most floral needs large and small.
The original Fallon’s Store on St. Mary’s has been in Raleigh for well over half a century. There are pictures of the original store as early as 1942 located in the library at North Carolina State University. This particular shop is much more recent. The building it is in may have started as branch bank.
The store is open seven days a week during their normal business hours.
The stores weekday hours are 7:30 – 7 PM, Sat. 10-4 PM, Sun. 12-4 PM
These may be extended around important holiday periods.
They take most major credit cards.
Fallon’s Creative Flowers
5001 Falls of Neuse Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27609
919-828-4134
(800)632-5566
Watkins Flowers of Distinction on Capital Blvd. is just that. It is an incredibly distinct provider of flower.
When you enter the shop parking lot, the red brick building looks more like an office building than a florist shop. There is plenty of parking and, should you be hungry, there is a Dunkin Donut shop next door.
On the left side of the building, with a half dozen Watkins delivery trucks lined up beside it, is the 24 hours self serve area. If you arrived too late to get a bouquet for your anniversary or Mother’s Day, you are not out of luck. Here there is this neat little room lined with flowers behind little glass doors, refrigerated to keep them fresh.
These are not your normal grocery store selections, but tastefully designed presentations in fine vases guaranteed to make your love (or your mom whom you also love) ecstatic with joy. The Presentation is very professional and the freshness is real.
Having arrived within store hours, you decide to enter the store. From the outside you can see that the greenery is on two flours. It’s a nice looking building outside, but nothing special.
As you enter the door you discover that inside is very special. If you love to browse, be prepared for a long trip. On entering if you turn left, you are greeted by a display of fresh, very fresh, well tended, very well tended, potted flowers. I personally thought they had to be plastic. I have never seen such superbly cared for live plants before. If you want a plant for a special person, this is the place to get it.
Just beyond the live plants is the basket making area. No they don’t make baskets! They put together gift baskets with many unique North Carolina treats and candies. This place in the store reminds me of the gift area in a Cracker Barrel restaurant.
As you wander about the first floor, you see seasonal item, furniture and pictures for sale. It is just too much to take in. If you are a shopper, just the first floor will take a lot of your time.
On the second floor you see the ingredients for weddings and other big events. If there is a rug on the floor, it is probably for sale.
Every where you walk you see greenery and things that one finds with greenery. In the holiday season this includes some of the most unique ornaments you will see anywhere.
The trip around the store is a treat for eye. Whether you need gifts, flowers or seasonal ornaments, this is a place for that.
And you haven’t even approached the flower desk yet. It is after all, a florist shop. Beside the desk is a cooler filled with an array of bouquets ready to travel. If you see nothing that meets your desire, Watkins has designers that can help you fashion nearly any flower arrangement possible. They can serve the flower needs for one person or a massive wedding. They serve both the retail and business markets.
One special feature I always like to see is the owner in the store. In a super flower store like Watkins, you might expect the owner to be far removed. Not so!
Doug Jones, Watkins owner, has been engaged in the store for over four decades. He first began working at Watkins as a youth, at fourteen years of age. Through high school and beyond, Doug continued to at work Watkins in a variety of roles in the flower trade within Watkins.
In 1981 Doug had an opportunity to purchase the store. He jumped at the chance to do so.
Today he is dedicated to providing the finest floral experience for every one of his customers.
If you want a real treat and like to shop, this is one excellent place.
Store hours are Mon. – Fri. 8 – 6 PM, Sat. 8:30 to 3 PM, closed Sunday
24 hour shop open 7 days a week
Watkins Flowers of Distinction
2731 Capital Blvd.
Raleigh, NC 27604
(919) 872-3333
(800) 572-3338
Benson’s Greystone Forist is definitely a great example of a Mom and Pop florist in North Raleigh. In a strip mall in Greystone Village, except for the florist sign outside, it is a very plain shop, from the outside. There is plenty of parking available near the shop.
In the large glass windows you see some artificial, but very well done, green trees. They might be small birch trees. In the middle of the window display is this massive Spinning Wheel. It is the kind of wheel that might have been used to spin lambs wool a hundred years ago. It is a very nice looking piece of furniture that shows it has been well taken care of.
As you enter the shop you see that the main store is small and somewhat sparse. One major item that might catch your eye is the Wedding Planning space. There is a cooler with some prepared bouquets, though the florist reputation is one where the bouquets are made fresh.
The owner, Linda Benson, is an attractive lady who is easy to talk with. She has some very good stories about the shop that are down right intriguing. She is the daughter of florist who continues the tradition today. She and her husband started the store at Greystone Village’s shopping center in 1987. At that time there were only a few shops.
At some point her husband past away and she continued the florist tradition.
This shop has a lot of character to it that was developed by her family. The Spinning Wheel in the front window is not just a decoration. It is also a real wheel that was used by her grandmother. Beside the front desk is a very nice Grandfather Clock. No it wasn’t her grandfathers; it was built by her uncle. I believe she said the parts for it were brought over by her mother from Germany, but you will have to visit if you want to be sure. It is a very elegant looking clock.
Something very special by way decoration in the shop is two murals. On one wall is a Wisteria with its purple flowers. On the wall behind the sales counter a very well painted rock archway; with a small flower covered rock wall visible in the background. It is very much like a scene I saw at Irish castle when I was visiting a couple of years back. There is a high wall nearby with a hole in it that if you enter during the summer there is a garden area. The Mural on the wall has the feel of that place.
The owner mentioned that her sister, her twin sister, had painted both murals. In the right hand lower corner of the rock wall mural is a rabbit with a grasshopper on it’s found. This is thumper, the nickname he husband used to go by.
It is a very pleasant feeling to hear the shop owner talking about how much of the shop is invested in her family. The murals, the grandfather clock, the spinning wheel; all connect her family to the present business. It is a really down to earth experience to visit this shop.
All flower orders are made up fresh. Even with such a small flower shop, it is a shop that can provide for most floral needs one might have. Even a truly small florist like Benson’s, thanks to the internet and 800 numbers has access to all the resources needed to take care of their customers.
Store Hours Mon. Fri. 10-6 PM, Sat. 10-2 PM closed Sunday.
Benson’s Greystone Florist
7713-37 Leadmine Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 848-6566
(800) 982-1577
