To tell the truth, I’ve never been all that interested in flowers before. It might only be in the last few years that I’ve started to think they’re beautiful.
I’d always thought it would be nice to have flowers at Earlybirds, but sometimes it felt like too much of a hassle to try to integrate them into our daily lives, and I didn’t want to force it.
But since last year, I’ve gradually made a habit of going to buy flowers from a friend who runs a florist. And before I knew it, I started to feel like something was missing if I didn’t have flowers around.
We resonated so strongly with the sentiment of “wanting to pack a bicycle full of beautiful flowers and deliver them to as many people as possible” that we decided to have them sell flowers in front of our shop starting on Sunday mornings. The shop is in bloom, a florist located in the same Chiyoda district as us.
It’s a quirky, interesting florist run by a rock-loving owner, located near Tsurumai Station.
First of all, the bicycle is incredible. And because the display and visuals were already so well put together, there was nothing left to say. The flowers are displayed on what’s called a cargo bike, a type of bicycle capable of carrying heavy loads. Because it’s a stable tricycle, even women can operate it with peace of mind.
A lively, cute young woman rides this tricycle cargo bike from a place about 15 minutes away from the shop. It should go without saying, but it isn’t really standard practice, so I’ll say it: she “rides a bike to come sell them.”
The sight of fresh flowers sourced from the flower market packed into that cargo bike is truly wonderful. Even if you want flowers, you sometimes feel bad about going into a shop just to buy a single stem, so it’s nice when they’re sold out on the storefront like this.
Maybe I’ll get some for my mom since I’m heading back to my parents’ place.
It’s a friend’s birthday today.
I’m heading over to a house where a baby was just born.
A little kid asking their dad if they can buy some for their mom.
Maybe I should buy some for my girlfriend? Wait, she might think it’s suspicious since there’s no occasion, right? Haha.
I’ve never decorated my home with a flower before, but maybe I’ll give it a try? Even if I live alone.
Now that we’ve been offering flowers in front of the shop like this, more people than I imagined have been taking advantage of it, and the sight of them taking home a single stem or a bouquet is happening nearly every week. Every story is so heart-warming.
And the flowers inside Earlybirds also change every week, coloring our tables. The fleeting nature of them wilting is also good. The view outside from the kitchen is very colorful, and I’ve gained the added pleasure of seeing the happy faces of our customers.
It’s no exaggeration to say that I feel our daily landscape has become richer.
I’m happy that “flowers” have become a natural part of our daily lives.
It’s exciting to think about all the beautiful scenes we’ll get to see in the future.
Speaking of cargo bikes, our sister shop PINE FIELDS MARKET sells bread rolls to flower wholesalers early in the morning.
Nagoya’s proud messengers, DAISY MESSENGER, provide mobile bicycle repair services using cargo bikes.
The Earlybirds crew sometimes heads out in a ridiculous style we call the BEER BIKE, pedaling off to sell beer at events.
Here in Nagoya as well, a style of life that utilizes bicycles has gradually started to take root in our circle.
And I was very happy to see this move by a florist like in bloom, a business that hasn’t often intersected with our world, to sell their wares by cargo bike. I feel like Nagoya’s bicycle culture has deepened even further.
I’m looking forward to this new circle connected by bicycles. Please stop by and check it out.
*Unless there’s an event or something, they’ll be here every Sunday. Next time is the 26th. Oh, and Earlybirds is open every morning from 7 a.m., so keep that in mind.