Photo IG: @ora_lacasadelasflores
Feb. 13, 2024 By Seán Ó Briain
A Sunnyside florist using eco-friendly and locally-sourced products is gearing up for Valentine’s Day with a selection of romantic floral arrangements for Feb. 14.
Tangni Cortes, a Sunnyside resident originally from Nicaragua, opened Ora – La Casa De Las Flores at 42-08 43rd Ave. in 2020 and has been providing the neighborhood with boutique flowers ever since.
The store’s Valentine’s Day collection is a whirlwind of colors, ranging from a classic bouquet of red roses to a special Valentine’s Day Mix-Bouquet, featuring anemone, Queen Anne’s Lace, garden roses, eucalyptus, and delphiniums among other flowers.
Photo IG: @ora_lacasadelasflores
Fittingly, La Casa De Las Flores is also selling “Love Boxes” for Feb. 14, consisting of a wide variety of pink and red flowers mixed together in a bright pink vase, while it is also selling its “Dulce Amor” (Spanish for sweet love), which consists of a hand-tied arrangement of pink flowers.
For those really trying to impress their significant other, the store is also selling its special “Corazón” arrangement (Spanish for heart). The arrangement features 40 premium long-stem roses in a variety of different colors designed in the shape of a heart and is available to purchase for $350.
La Casa De Las Flores is no regular florist, sourcing its flowers from local farms and pursuing an eco-friendly, eschewing plastics and floral foam for more sustainable alternatives.
Photo IG: @ora_lacasadelasflores
Cortes believes that sourcing flowers from local growers also improves the quality of the product.
Despite specializing in locally-produced and environmentally sustainable flowers, La Casa De Las Flores is not just a flower store and also specializes in a number of other areas.
The store carries a variety of botanical skin care products, such as body butter, shampoo, and soaps, while it also offers locally-produced cards, ceramics, and fragrances.
Last August, Cortes opened a café at the store and regularly collaborates with WhiskPastry, a Sunnyside bakery opened by Michael Nogoy that specializes in Filipino-American baked goods.
Photo: IG @whiskpastrynyc
Cortes said she first met Nogoy while he was shopping for a plant at her store shortly after their grand-opening in 2020 and added that Nogoy now provides the pastries for her newly opened café.
“Michael was getting plants at the shop during the summer when we first opened and then we tried his products and they were delicious,” Cortes said.
Photo: IG @whiskpastrynyc
“He started doing pop-ups and I know how hard it can be when you don’t have a storefront, so we asked him if he wanted to do pop-ups in our store.”
La Casa De Las Flores additionally specializes in large-scale events, often providing floral arrangements for bridal parties at weddings in the city.
Cortes said events have helped keep the business afloat during the recent economic downturn, while the expansion into other areas has also proved successful.
