A vibrant floral institution for years, SoMa's San Francisco Flower Market, once lauded by Martha Stewart as "the best flower market in the country," is in danger of falling off the vine for good.
According to the petition on Care2, a "coalition of flower vendors, florists, tenants, wholesalers, and concerned citizens are gathering to lambaste the scheduled purchase by Los Angeles developer, Kilroy and Company that provides no tangible guarantees for locally owned businesses occupying the space." What's more, according to Curbed SF, Kilroy Realty plans "to develop the western portion of the Flower Mart's home in SoMa into an SOM-designed tech campus." (Ugh, does South of Market really need yet another hub of technology? No, it does not.)
This means that America’s second-largest flower mart, one of only five wholesale flower markets in the US, will shrivel up and die. Its sellers without a place to call home. Florists and wedding planners left bewildered. Local markets, such as Mollie Stone's and Bi-Rite, will have to look elsewhere for their beautiful bouquets. A colorful world will be lost sans this very important and wildly fragrant market!
How you can start helping is by signing the aforementioned petition. Please do so at once. It's already culled more than 6,000 signatures, but it needs more. After all, it's San Francisco. How else, as the Scott McKenzie's song dictates, are we supposed to wear flowers in our hair?
