Posted by Jack Wooten '25
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Posted by Jack Wooten '25 Dehn's Flowers is located on the West Side of Saratoga Springs at 180 Beekman Street. Situated slightly north of the area known as the Arts District, the business–established in 1892 and run by the same family for five generations—has a rich cultural heritage as part of the broader Beekman Street neighborhood. After speaking with John Mishoe, one of the current owners of the business, I learned about Dehn’s connection to the Second World War. When I spoke with him on one occasion, John showed me a framed collection of historical objects pertaining solely to Dehn’s (left figure). These framings were done by the past owners of Dehn’s who felt it was important for future generations to hold onto these artifacts and treasure them. John is married to Terri Dehn, a co-owner and great-great granddaughter of Christian Dehn who began the florist business. I was struck by one of the photographs of Charles “Charlie” Dehn, Jr. (Terri’s grandfather) taken in 1943 (middle figure). In the image, Charlie was riding a bike that belonged to the shop. The caption stated that he was gas rationing. The caption stated that he was gas rationing. The Dehn’s Flowers logo on the bike closely matches the one included on a brass sign off a truck from the same era (see below). Moving on, John explained that Richard Dehn (Terri’s great-uncle) was stationed in New Guinea during WW2. Richard worked with fellow servicemen to send home flower orders to their loved ones. John pointed out an example order form that Richard would have used (right figure). Being able to have tangible evidence as a connection to the past is deeply profound. While dealing with the fallout of war, soldiers found solace in sending flowers home to loved ones in Saratoga Springs. Fighting a war requires collective involvement. Some were involved at home by rationing fuel like Charles, and others served as soldiers overseas like Richard. Both Charles and Richard Dehn did their service for their country, and both helped deliver flowers with messages for family and friends in the community. This continuous level of American patriotism, though perhaps hard to find now, should always endure. I was fortunate enough to learn this lesson through my research at Dehn’s
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Posted by Nicole Confalone '16 During the months of September, October, and November, I spent time doing fieldwork in Rena’s Fine Flowers, a flower shop located on the West Side of Saratoga Springs, New York. The shop is located within Beekman Street’s Art’s District at 51 Ash Street. Conversing with both Rena and her mother Kay, I have come to understand that in Rena’s Fine Flowers, flowers are Rena’s form of creative, personal expression. Rena and the shop have almost come to be one in the same. As the owner of the shop and the main employee, Rena has followed her vision of what she dreamed her shop could become, through her ideas of space and the creation of floral arrangements. In the shop, Rena organizes arrangements both individually and as a set so that the customer may visualize what an arrangement or set of arrangements could look like in their own home. Arrangements can be made for any and all occasions and are always made fresh. Rena adds her artistic touch to all of her creations, tailoring them to her customer’s specific needs in order to create unique arrangements for all. Whether it is for an anniversary, a wedding, a holiday, or a track party during Saratoga’s annual horse racing season, Rena puts her emotion into every single one of her creations, evoking her talent and passion for flowers. Rena’s Fine Flowers has become a place where Rena gets to live her dream out everyday and share her masterpieces with others. “Flowers mean the world to me. This is what I love to do, and I’m so grateful that I’m able to do it every day. Flowers are beautiful! Every different one has very different meanings to them, different scents, different textures... Flowers mean a lot.” – Rena Zeppetelli
Posted by Eileen Nardoza '15 and Emma Weitzenkorn '15 Local residents regard Dehn’s Flowers & Gifts as a staple of the West Side of Saratoga Springs. Located at 180 Beekman Street, Dehn’s is a family run business that has been present on the West side of Saratoga since 1892. Other than daily experiences with both personal customers and corporate companies, Dehn’s interacts with the community through Dehn's Facebook page to update customers on their Fabulous Friday Giveaways, a weekly auction of an assortment of seasonal goodies. They specialize in business-to-business relationships as well as catering to individual customers to create arrangements that emulate a season or event. The store specializes in providing flower arrangements to mark life events, such as weddings, funerals, sympathy, holidays, seasons, and birthdays. The staff at Dehn’s specialize in providing a personalized touch to their arrangements that they assemble with love, care and empathy. For many cultures, floral arrangements convey an expression or gesture of emotion. Dehn’s slogan is “We deliver smiles every day,” indicating the value for using their business to convey a message and deliver a sentiment. Dehn’s is a welcoming environment leaving customers open to discuss personal desires in terms of floral designs. The women in the design room, tucked away in a back room of the shop located near the cooler, assemble the arrangement with pride and compassion with a lighthearted attitude throughout the day. |
Student projects
Anthropology students present case studies based on projects about local people and places.
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