The third-generation owner of one of Maryland’s largest florists and a former member of the Society of American Florists’ Retail Council has died.
Paul Raimondi Jr., of Raimondi’s Florist in Owings Mills, Maryland, was 81 when he lost his second battle with cancer Oct. 16.
Raimondi Jr. worked up until his diagnosis in July and vowed to return to the shop once he was feeling better.
“He would say, ‘I’m coming to work tomorrow. You’re gonna come get me, break me out of here,’” says his long-time business partner Marie Gaydos, who worked side-by-side with Raimondi Jr. as he ushered the business through the internet-era, a recession, a pandemic and more.
The shop started as a grocery shop in Baltimore City’s Park Heights in 1934. Constantino Raimondi began the operation and handed it to his son Paul Raimondi Sr. in the 1940s. Raimondi Jr. began working at the business as a teen in the 1950s until Raimondi Sr. retired in 1985.
Raimondi Jr. expanded the business by opening multiple locations. He also purchased a chocolate and candy company and later added pastries and a full-service coffee shop to the business’s offerings.
“No one else was doing that,” says Marcia Wilson, owner of Breen’s Florist in Houston, Texas, who recalled meeting Raimondi Jr. and his wife at a conference.
At the time, Wilson was shocked to learn how open and helpful the floral icon was with his peers. He referred her to an accountant and shared the inner workings of the multiple locations he owned at the time.
“Everyone always knew when Paul walked in the room that you wanted to know what he said,” she says. “He always had a different approach, a different viewpoint.”
And, he was known for arranging an ice cream delivery during the Great Lakes Floral Association meetings over the years.
“I thought, ‘Who is this guy? And why does he get ice cream in the middle of the afternoon?’” Wilson says. ” He was special.”
John Kobylinski, the retired owner of In Bloom Florist in Orlando, knew Raimondi Jr. through various conferences and organizations over the years. He also recalled Raimondi’s fondness for ice cream.
“If I was hosting a meeting, I had to make sure I had ice cream for Paul,” he says.
Like Wilson, he was also struck by how Raimondi Jr. supported other florists.
“He was always very gracious,” Kobylinksi says. “He never got competitive with anyone.”
Nikki Lemler of Welke’s Florist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, also knew Raimondi through the Great Lakes Floral Association and described him as a passionate and innovative florist.
“His variety of ideas expanded the possibilities and pushed for our future growth,” she says.
Over time, Raimondi’s Florist reduced its number of stores and began selling mostly online, with a focus on funerals. Raimondi Jr.’s most recent plan had been to consolidate the business to its headquarters and design center and a single brick-and-mortar shop.
Gaydos intends to continue along the path Raimondi set for the business to honor his legacy.
“He loved his flower shop,” Gaydos says. “He loved it.”
Read Raimondi Jr.’s obituary here.
Kristine Gill is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
