Woman buying sunflowers in the Flower District on W28th and workers loading orders for truck delivery.
The Flower District is primarily located on 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, with a few stores located directly on 6th Avenue near 28th Street. It is a community of plant wholesalers and retailers,
By 1977, more flowers were being bought and sold in New York than anywhere in the world other than Amsterdam.
West 28th Street once boasted more than 65 wholesalers. Now it’s a handful of second- and third-generation shops. As nearby hotels and condos shoot up, skyrocketing rents have forced out wholesalers and florists who can’t keep up, a pattern seen all over the city as bank branches and drugstore chains appear where family-owned stores once served neighborhoods.
Decorate weddings and corporate parties and wedding arrangements per month can keep some florists afloat. The district has become a tourist attraction.