Outdoor dining helping keep NYC’s florists in business

NEW YORK - Outdoor dining in New York City isn’t just saving restaurants from going under, it’s helping to keep businesses in the flower district alive as well.

Ordinarily, Ashok Kumar, the owner of Tropical Plants & Orchids, would be sending his various plants and flowers to weddings, showers, and graduation parties, but the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to those celebrations and a great deal of his business.

But outdoor dining is giving him a glimmer of hope. Restaurants wanting to make their street seating areas more appealing are now ordering his flowers and plants. 

That doesn’t mean the future is without clouds however, as questions remain over what flower shops will do when temperatures begin to drop and outdoor dining loses its appeal.

So far, Kumar says that the coronavirus pandemic and shutdown has cost him over $70,000, so he is hoping for a warm fall and winter so he can keep his business running.