A 70s-themed costume party on Halloween capped off a month of celebration for Mayesh Wholesale Florist’s 40th anniversary.
Mayesh Wholesale Florist took a trip down memory lane throughout October in honor of the company’s 40th anniversary.
Mayesh celebrated with several 70s-inspired activities. Customers participated in an Instagram design challenge, with some creating “straight up, old-school arrangements,” while others opted for a modern interpretation of the disco era. Employees put together whimsical videos on YouTube, including a dance routine from “Grease” and a reenactment of the parade from “Animal House”; created “throwback pulls,” lush garland-like structures, perfect for event work; and shared funny social media posts, including a “Brady Bunch” parody. Festivities wrapped on Halloween, with each of the company’s 17 branches hosting a 70s-themed costume party.
Roy and Gerrie Dahlson, former flower shop owners and parents of nine, founded Mayesh on Oct. 1, 1978. Initially, the staff consisted of Roy, his sons Pat and Tony and his daughter, Cindie.
“We learned we would be going to work at Mayesh — at 2 a.m.— the day before,” recalled CEO Pat Dahlson in a video interview with marketing director Yvonne Ashton.
In the beginning, Mayesh had a booth at the Los Angeles Flower Market but operated primarily out of the Dahlson family home. These days, the company has 360 employees and representation all over California and through much of the United States, including Phoenix, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Cleveland, Ohio; Miami, Florida; Houston, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Detroit and Las Vegas.
In his interview, Pat Dahlson reflected on some watershed events in Mayesh’s history, including inaugural trips to Holland and South America that paved the way to an importing arm of the business, opening a distribution center at LAX International Airport and developing educational programs for customers, such as the Mayesh Design Star workshop sessions and videos, Morning with Mayesh podcast, the Mayesh Minute video series (offering detailed background on flowers’ origins and care and handling advice) and frequent blog posts.
Dahlson credited Mayesh’s longevity to passion.
“I am really passionate about flowers and passionate about people. I think our company is too, and that’s really the winning combination,” he said. “The story is not over yet, but 40 years is big, and we wanted to take some time to really celebrate and honor all of those who worked with us and our clients who supported us throughout the years to get us to this important milestone.”
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing editor for the Society of American Florists.
