Long Island Natives Launch First Mobile Flower Shop

LONG ISLAND, NY - Despite the fact that Woodbury native Jaclyn Rutigliano's grandparents and parents were both florists, she never thought she would go into the flower business. Now her and her husband, Marc Iervolino, are running Long Island's first and only mobile flower truck.

Rutigliano had always grown up around flowers. Her grandparents founded Jack & Rose Florist in Queens in 1948. Later, her parents took it over and opened a second location on Long Island.

However growing up, she didn't have much of an interest in flowers. She didn't even want to be gifted flowers -- which made it difficult for her now husband to "romance" her when they were dating.

"None of the flowers he brought home felt like me, they were too structure, too basic," she said.

As time went on, she began to design her own flower arrangements as a form of stress relief, and after finding that many people liked her design style, she decided to turn it into a business.

That's how Hometown Flower Co., which launched in the spring, began.

After deciding to start the business, the couple, who now live in Huntington, decided to make it a "mobile business" in order to quickly start supporting the local farmers right away.

They started looking for a truck to transport their flowers, all grown on Long Island, and ended up finding the perfect truck for sale right in Huntington Station.

So now Rutigliano and Iervolino can be seen driving the 1976 Ford f100 pick up truck nicknamed "Baby Blue" all across Long Island.

The two have been keeping busy these past few months, making appearances at the Babylon farmers market, the Roslyn farmers market, the Alive by the Bay festival in Bay Shore and the Woodstock festival in Babylon.

They also offer pop-up design sessions and workshops including a "make-your-own flower crown" workshop for bridal parties in addition to home and business subscriptions, which delivers flowers directly to people's homes.

One of the many things that make their business unique is their "flowers in a bag" style.

The flowers are packed in a brown bag rather than in the typical cellophane or plastic found at most florists.

In addition, all of the flowers are grown exclusively on the island.

"We never know what we are getting until we pick up that day so it's not only a surprise to us but to our customers," Rutigliano told Patch. "That's because we want to spotlight and raise awareness of the beautiful flowers that are grown here on Long Island and provide access to them."

The flowers are picked up directly from farms, such as Pierpont Blossom Farm in Baiting Hollow, and are typically no more than 3 days old from the day they are cut at the farm.

Right now, customers can expect flowers such as sunflowers and hydrangeas but that will change with the season.

While "Baby Blue" won't be traveling as much during the colder months, Rutigliano expects that the subscription model will shine during that time.

So far, Long Islanders seem to be loving this unique business.

"People lose their minds!" Rutigliano said. "It's really fun because even if we're driving or stopped at a red light you see people taking pictures of Baby Blue. They have no idea what we are but they get very excited.”

She still expects the business to expand and for people to be excited about it even when winter hits.

"There's a whimsy to it, there's really an embrace for the natural that you truly can't find anywhere else," she said.