Jason Ryberg, General Manager of Albuquerque Florist, says that, “In our minds, we really don’t just sell flowers—we sell emotion. We talk about this a lot with our staff. We can help you express your love for somebody, or give people a sense of comfort when they lose someone. Celebrations, happy times, sad times—we’re here for all of it.”
The first thing that you notice when you enter Albuquerque Florist is the sheer quantity of product. Floral bouquets, house plants, stuffed toys, cards, and event decorations are floor to ceiling in the large shop. There is a sizeable staff processing flowers, designing arrangements, and watering plants. They also have large cooler facilities that enable them to service multiple big events with their considerable stock of flowers. This allows them to provide quick turnaround as well.
Jason says, “We can provide same-day delivery if they place an order before 2:00 PM. Also, I tell the staff that we need to provide especially attentive service for funerals. If we get a call that someone needs funeral arrangements 20 minutes ago because arranging flowers was overlooked, we will invent a time machine to get it there as fast as possible. I’ve seen a full funeral service set-up go out the door in 20 minutes. It is pretty impressive when we all stand together to do something like that.”
According to Jason, business actually increased by 30% during the pandemic. “People weren’t able to visit friends and family, so they tended to reach out to each other with flowers. It’s a way to express something without physically being there. Although our events business suffered, we were slammed with our bouquet deliveries.”
Jason’s career in the flower business started 10 years ago when he was just out of high school. A friend offered him a delivery job at a small florist shop to cover the Valentine’s Day crunch. They ended up keeping him on afterwards, and he eventually worked his way to management at his current position.
“This shop has been in Albuquerque for 23 years. The owner was a fantastic mentor. He taught me the business and gave me a lot of opportunity to work my way up. The owner’s family has run the business for two generations, and has another shop in Phoenix, “ Jason says.
Albuquerque Florist has its own wedding and events coordinator, and also services many corporate customers—hotels, car dealerships, and casinos.
Jason says “We often do really elaborate weddings like you see on TV or in magazines. Hundreds of table centerpieces, large arch pieces—flowers everywhere. We have our own crew that does the set-up. We also provide floral arrangements for conventions, business meetings, and companies that just want to create a pleasant atmosphere for attendees and customers.”
In addition to bouquet design, Jason handles the daily business activity of running a busy shop, but says that staff training is one the most important parts of his management responsibilities.
“There’s a lot a new employee has to learn. In addition to designing floral arrangements, they have to know how to properly sell bouquets. You’re providing a service where you’re creating art to accommodate the customer’s taste. You have to interpret someone’s words into a design and capture the emotion that they want to express. It takes new staff about six months to feel really comfortable working in the flower business.”
Albuquerque Florist has the resources to accommodate flower orders both big and small. They are located in La Mesa Shopping Center at 3121 San Mateo Blvd NE. Their phone number is 505.881.3336, or you can order from their website at albuquerqueflorist.com. The shop is open from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM on weekdays, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturdays.
