The clock is ticking for our friends John and Kerry at Root Stock & Quade for a new flower shop they are planning to open in Clinton Hill.

The photo at left is what they signed a lease for (good luck, guys), and there are even more 'before' photos after the jump as they prepare to totally remake the indoor and outdoor space between now and April...

They have a tight budget and an even tighter deadline for this unexpected opportunity that fell from the sky.



This is the condition of the shop interior the day the lease was signed and the clock started ticking. They will be keeping the tile floors and tin ceilings. And the images below are of the clearing of the back garden. They had Prospect Tree come in and remove the stumps as well as the trees that had grown into and become one with the chain-link fence...

"We have spent this past week meeting with contractors and sorting out what our fantasy is versus the reality... reality is winning and we are making some adjustments to our plan. That said we have set out to keep the historical vibe that is existing in the groovy tile floor, tin ceiling and vintage drugstore style front, we love it! So it will have a completely different vibe than the current shop...we are looking to be true to the space historically somewhat and also try to be a bit green. Some of the directions we are moving in are having decided to cover the walls in an anaglypta wall treatment that is made of recycled pulp - and in the yard we will be keeping the existing concrete base and adding beds of gravel to promote drainage."

Flower shops, if nothing else, bring a spot of cheer and beauty to a neighborhood. RS&Q already have a few Clinton Hill residents anticipating their arrival. We also can't wait to see the new shop!

matt at apartment therapy dot com