I met Jackie and David Levine in the spring of 2018 at a networking event for small business owners in Cambridge. Their family has been a pillar of the Cambridge business community for almost 100 years – Central Square Florist has been family owned and operated since 1929. I was thrilled to invite them to see our newly opened storefront just down the road from them on Massachusetts Avenue. This was the beginning of a fabulous working relationship with the Levines and Central Square Florist. 

As a small family-owned business, CSF has always been centrally focused on providing high quality service and products to the greater Boston area. When I visited their newly expanded store in the fall of 2018, I saw so much potential for increased storage, more spacious workspaces, and updated decor to brighten and freshen up the space. I wanted the store experience to be as joyful as the staff and products that it produced. Jackie and David were so excited to hear my ideas and to really transform the space to live up to its full potential.

Front of House

First impressions and curb appeal are everything for a small business. CSF has the huge advantage of naturally gorgeous products and an amazing location, so we wanted to work on doing some sprucing up to make it even more inviting. This was not the first space that we tackled in this project, but it was definitely the most visually impactful. 

Cleaning & Decluttering 

We started our work in this space with cleaning and decluttering. Some of this involved adjusting the arrangement of the store based on the season or business priorities, but it also included clearing out items that were no longer needed. We first sorted through all of their storage and cleared out trash, old products, and items that could be stored elsewhere. This left us with just the items that needed to be front and center. We also hired a professional cleaning company to come in and give the whole place a really good scrub!

Freshening & Updating 

The next major step in the renovation process was to give the entire store a coat of fresh paint. As a small business, CSF qualified for many of the same City of Cambridge grant opportunities that our team was able to take advantage of for our studio redesign. One of the pieces that I was most excited about was a grant to make sure that the store and the front counter are ADA compliant. We worked with D&E Contracting to install a much larger tile counter to replace the worn down wooden surface that was being used as a checkout counter.

Storage Solutions 

The first time that I walked into the store, I knew that Elfa would be the perfect solution for their displays. The storage behind the counter and holding all of the design materials was too small for the store’s needs and not strong enough to withstand any additional products. I also saw an opportunity to significantly increase the work surfaces in the front of the store using Elfa tabletops and free-standing additions. 

Our final design included a huge solution to create more space and organize materials behind their countertop. This opened up the work surfaces, lightened up the space, and allowed for flexibility based on seasonal needs. The shelving and drawer storage is truly floor to ceiling and incorporates many different design elements that fit the specific needs of their space. 

Updating Branding 

The process of updating the storage and workspaces inspired the team to update their branding to something more modern. I connected the Levines with SpringerSignCraft, owned by Phillip Ouellette. They were able to create a new logo for the store, which was incorporated into the new checkout counter, a fresh store window, and added to all marketing materials. It was so exciting to be able to extend this project so far beyond the boundaries of the storefront.  

Working with Central Square Florist has been a continued project. We return for maintenance and additional organization on a regular basis to support their team in keeping their systems in place. It has been such a joy to watch them grow and embrace the changes that we have implemented!