A rose is more than a rose at Rhoslyn Florist https://rhoslynflorist.com/, co-founded by Fabiola Guerrero and her husband, tax professional Diego Toasa, in 2018. They chose the name Rhoslyn for their business from the emblematic “Rhoslyn” rose cultivated in their native Ecuador. Theirs, Guerrero said, is the first Latine group of florists.
Having moved to the United States in 2008, Toasa pursued his Bachelor degree in accounting at Lehman College in the Bronx. Working with him in his own newly-established tax office, Guerrero picked up a lot of accounting skills of her own. But meanwhile, she told the Westfair Business Journal in a recent interview, she had fallen in love with the flower industry and saw it as the way forward for herself.
Guerrero started attending floristry and flower-arranging workshops and eventually went on to take a course in wedding planning and events, also at Lehman College, to get a broad education in the floristry/hospitality industry.
With a shop doing good business on East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx, Guerrero opened a second location in March in the newly-created Vanguard district of the couple’s hometown of New Rochelle. The businesses, entirely funded by the couple, now have a staff of seven
Their best-selling mainstay – as well as Guerrero’s personal favorite flowers– are, perhaps not surprisingly, Ecuadorean long-stemmed roses, which she imports weekly from her native country, along with almost all the other flowers regularly on sale. She also loves tulips and is excited for the start of the peony season, another favorite flower.
Picking up on Rhoslyn Florist’s claim on its website to be “unique,” we asked Guerrero to elucidate. Her answer? “We’re very creative. I love designing. We do everything from the heart. And I like everything to be perfect.”
Moving beyond flowers, it would seem she has a sense of humor too, with seasonal Easter arrangements, incorporating monocle-wearing rabbits – toy ones, that is – cuddling giant carrots or Peter Rabbit himself nosediving into a vibrant display of spring flowers, presumably in search of some delicious edible treat.
Guerrero explained how she is also planning to break into the wholesale market, a goal that spearheaded the search for premises substantially larger than the original shop in the Bronx.
“We needed a bigger space and were looking everywhere. But in the Bronx it’s impossible. You can’t get a big space at an affordable price,” she said. And while the new premises in New Rochelle they eventually found were “not that affordable,” they did at least tick all the other boxes, with regard to location and size.
Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the New Rochelle shop launch, District 3 City Council Member David Peters said, “We are thrilled that Rhoslyn Florist has chosen New Rochelle to open their newest location. As our city continues to evolve, it has been exciting to see new businesses join our community and contribute to New Rochelle’s vibrant retail ecosystem.”
And Adam Salgado, New Rochelle’s commissioner of development, added, “As our Downtown Retail Strategy continues to progress, we are proud to offer a number of resources and support for our local business owners, including newcomers like Rhoslyn Florist. We know that residents, visitors and newcomers will be thrilled that this outstanding local business is joining New Rochelle’s mix of diverse retail experiences.”
Those upbeat comments notwithstanding, Guerrero said – in interesting contrast to some other new businesses that the Business Journal has covered in New Rochelle – that it had not been all plain sailing, despite support from the New Rochelle City Council and Chamber of Commerce.
“New Rochelle requires a lot of permits. It was very difficult, very tough. I was almost giving up,” she said.
Did she care to elaborate? “It’s very hard,” was all she would add – diplomatically – after a pause.
But with all that now behind her and with Easter just around the corner, it’s probably fair to say that among Guerrero’s customers there will soon be a great many “happy bunnies.”
