The Enchanted Florist, owned and operated by Anthony Nunziato, who normally goes by Tony, has been a fixture on Grand Avenue in Maspeth, Queens, for three decades. Also a fixture of my childhood, I can distinctly remember looking for the turtles in the small pond within the store every time I passed by, as well as all the time I would go in with my grandmother, and Tony would treat us just like family. The store has a distinctly rustic charm, with quirky signs placed near the register, along with the aged countertops, but the shop looks fairly modern from the outside, with new lighting and a sharp-lettered sign, as well as an obviously new set of wall height shelves used to display non-floral merchandise. Like many other stores along the thoroughfare, it was begun and is still run as a family business. However, this establishment had stood the test of time, unlike many other businesses, run to the ground by corporate competition, as well as the growth of online shopping.

Tony opened Enchanted Florist in November of 1986 after several years working in the Florist business for his father and other family members. [7] The location was prime—right next to a cemetery. He had bought the entire building when he purchased the store, something that is practically unheard of in recent times. He spent years and all of his money building his business, all the while giving opportunities to neighborhood kids who could not find work anywhere else. “All the kids I had working here that started off here with jobs, in the neighborhood, that no one else would take, or big companies [would take], would come here and sweep floors and all that—they’re all successful people today because they learned how to deal with people and work with small businesses,” remarked Tony, constantly working while talking to me in the back of the store. [7]

Using the demographics of the neighborhood to his advantage, Tony managed to build his business more and more each year. As long as he has been in business, the combination of the elderly, white, and working class populations in the densely-populated neighborhood of Maspeth and the surrounding areas have bolstered business. This section of Maspeth, along with other adjoining areas of Maspeth have the elderly (55+) composing nearly a quarter on the total population. [1] Older people tend to buy more flowers from local florists, as opposed to florists along their commute or online, and as they pass away in greater amounts than other areas, the amount of flowers needed in the area would be much higher. This may be the one key reason why Enchanted Florist has not budged from the spot along Grand Avenue since 1986, despite being down the block from Grand Florist, across the street from the same cemetery. Since 1986, the percentage of elderly in Maspeth had slightly declined, for reasons which should be obvious. Not only is the adjacent cemetery large, there are numerous cemeteries nearby–more than most other communities in New York City. [2]

Additionally, Maspeth has always been a predominantly white neighborhood, and would probably be more inclined to go to an Italian-American florist when there is a selection of florists to pick from. Being that Maspeth had 96% white people in 1990 and still 77% in 2010, this would only add to Enchanted Florist’s success. [2] Also, since Maspeth has always a white-dominant neighborhood, there would naturally be more buried white people in Maspeth, leading more white people to come to Maspeth to visit their family members and friends, which would bring additional customers from out of town to Enchanted Florist.

Maspeth has consistently been a middle class and working class neighborhood. It has survived the wave of gentrification bleeding out of Williamsburg mainly due to lack of public transportation in the immediate area. Most of the gentrification has followed the L train into Bushwick, sparing Maspeth (for now). This lack of nearby trains has also made the neighborhood favorable for families and older individuals who look for a not so bustling neighborhood to settle in. Because of this, Maspeth has always had a decent percentage of family households. Despite a slight decrease from 52% to 44% in the percentage of family households, that percentage is consistently higher than surrounding neighborhoods, especially towards recent years. [1]

Being a rather densely populated neighborhood, competition with local florists would be limited since neither florist on the block has a more diverse selection. If anything, Enchanted Florist may have the upper hand over its competitors in that it is on the same side of the street as the cemetery. Coupled with a fire hydrant directly in front of the store, it would be much more convenient for customers to park their car and visit this store than other nearby stores. Additionally, this store uses the adjacent fence of the cemetery to display some goods, a privilege other nearby florists do not have. All of these advantages taken into consideration, privileges are not necessary for a decent amount of business in Maspeth, for the area is densely populated. The average population density for this section of Maspeth was approximately 19,983 people per square mile, according to the 2010 census. [3] This may be lower than the average population density of New York City, which was above 27,000 people per square mile in 2010, but it is still much higher than the average population density of all of New York State which was approximately 415 people/square mile in 2010. [3]

Evolving with these changes over time, Tony has begun to include more modern items for sale on his shelves, however, they all still relate back to the floral and gift-giving businesses. New items include biodegradable wrapping paper, flower-shaped chocolates, and all sorts of porcelain figurines, but they pale all in comparison to Tony’s jubilant demeanor, always welcoming familiar as well as new faces. By appealing to younger customers, whose first thought for a gift is not always a fresh bouquet of roses, Tony constantly seeks to draw in new customers, all the while retaining the regulars who have been coming to him since Ronald Reagan was president.

All of these facets combine to mean that Nunziato has a relatively stable business, though he is hesitant when it comes to the extent of government involvement in small businesses. He wishes for less government interference, in terms of the minimum wage, for example, which he thinks would harm his business because it would double his payroll. “My profits aren’t doubling, why should the minimum wage?” remarked Tony. Additionally, he thinks that the government should do more to help small businesses, instead of protecting the corporations that are stifling their success.

However, Tony is just as concerned with the entire neighborhood as he is with his business. Outside of Enchanted Florist, Tony is very involved in the politics of Maspeth. He is a member of the Juniper Park Civic Association, which works in nearby Middle Village, as well as Maspeth and other surrounding neighborhoods, like Glendale. His family is well rooted in other civic associations across western Queens, along with his cousin being a member of the City Council.

“Nunziato believes Maspeth residents have the same needs as the flowers he looks after: fresh air, clean water, and an undisturbed piece of Earth in which to lay their roots. [5] Tony also alerted me to his efforts in re-developing Maspeth’s green space and air quality. He worked on the revitalizing of the land where the Elmhurst Gas Tanks once stood into a large park, He also helped remove tractor trailer traffic from Grand Avenue, all the while running one of the most successful businesses in the neighborhood. [7] The Grand Avenue Truck Bypass redirected large tractor-trailers from Grand Avenue to the service road of the Long Island Expressway, among other roads, altering their route to the East Williamsburg Industrial Area to go around the populated streets of Maspeth.

His intentions are not personal, either; he wants people who’ve lived here for decades to continue living in the healthy and beautiful neighborhood Maspeth always has been. Though he fears for the future of his business, as governmental changes loom in the future. Tony also is active against people who break the law, and steal profits away from him. A news article from 2013 shows Nunziato engaged in the fight against street corner flower stand who are not legally allowed to work there, and who sell their convenient products to people passing by, taking customers that could have been his own. [6] He also mentioned the story of a hardware store, Griff’s Hardware, that was on Grand Avenue for numerous decades, which had to close because of rezoning in the early 2000s, as well as the growth of a nearby Home Depot. An additional Home Depot was slated to be built on the site of the former Elmhurst Gas Tanks in 2010, had it not been for Tony. He was one of very few people who advocated for this land to be converted into the much-needed green space. Now, Elmhurst Park is a haven for after school activities from nearby schools, as well as the many residents who live in the area.

Tony’s dedication to Maspeth has never waned, as shown by his attendance at a Department of Traffic event held during the dead of winter, as well a Congressman, Dennis Gallagher’s description of Nunziato as, “A pit bull [who is] dedicated to his community and stops at nothing to fight for what he believes in.” [6] Between his booming business and community involvement, Tony is the epitome of what every small business owner should look like –one who uses their own success to help make their entire community a better place to live.

Sources:

1. Social Explorer Database
2. Infoshare Database
3. US Census Data
4. OASIS NYC Map Data
5. Paybarah, Azi. “Community Character: Tony Nunziato.” Community Character: Tony Nunziato. Juniper Civic Association, 19 Oct. 2004. Web. 25 May 2016.
6. Cunningham, Jennifer H., and Lisa L. Colangelo. “Bitterness Blossoms as Borough Florists Clamor for City Inspectors to Uproot Sidewalk Petal Pushers.” N.p., 12 May 2014. Web. 23 May 2016.
7. In person interview with Tony Nunziato. 4 April 2016.