Floral Design Day began as an homage to Carl Rittner, founder of the Rittner School of Floral Design in Boston. The legendary educator was widely known as the father of floral design, and his legacy is seen and felt throughout the industry, even after 60 years. In order to recognize the day in a special way, Bagoy’s Florist & Home would like to introduce you to our very own Maria. As our Lead Floral Designer, she exudes the dedication to her craft and artistic talent which is indicative of the spirit behind Floral Design Day.
Maria has been with us for over 20 years and came to us originally as a holiday helper. When we were looking for part-time Christmas help, Maria applied and was hired. She returned for the subsequent Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day and was ultimately offered full-time work. Over the years, Maria had the opportunity to work with designers from Holland, the Dominican Republic, France, and the U.S., until one day she realized that she herself was a talented designer!
Maria has taken classes in Ikebana, the disciplined art of Japanese floral arranging, and still belongs to that group of designers. She loves working in the medium, as well as creating tropical designs with exotic flowers. When asked why she loves her job, Maria answered simply “I love creating new flower arrangements every day. I love making people happy”.
The mother of three grown sons (and a beautiful daughter-in-law), Maria is described by Chanda as “no drama, loyal, hard-working, compassionate, feisty and focused. Plus, she is an amazing floral designer – there is nothing she can’t do!” We couldn’t imagine our family without “Mama Maria”, and thought that our customers should know the exceptional lady behind the beautiful designs in our store.
Stop into Bagoy’s Florist & Home to say hi to Maria or Chanda, and let us know what we can design especially for you!