![](media/image1.png){width="1.979861111111111in"
height="1.0083333333333333in"} ***News Release***

New York District Office

Release Date: August 23, 2006 Contact: John Miller (212) 264-7770

Release Number: 06-35 e-mail: john.miller@sba.gov

***Small Business Providing Flowers***

***for Every Occasion\... Since 1852***

**Kingston, NY**--- Thanks to small business owners Linda and Bennie
Carlos, a Mid-Hudson Valley florist steeped in tradition continues to
provide local residents with flowers for every occasion.

Originally founded by French immigrant Valentine Burgevin in 1852,
Burgevin Florist continues a proud heritage from the original Burgevin
Building in the historic Stockade section of Kingston, NY. Over his
lifetime Burgevin had built a floral empire in the area by establishing
15 green-houses to supply his retail stores in the New York towns of
Poughkeepsie, Catskill and Ellenville among others. Generations of the
family maintained ownership of the business until 1960 when it passed to
former employees of the company.

The Burgevin building is surrounded by the neighborhood's similarly
quaint and well-maintained period buildings. Its historical significance
and the storied ownership of the company were significant factors in
history-buff Bennie's decision to buy the business. The Carlos' also
retain a bit of living history because they have floral arranger and
50-year employee of the company, Henry Peyer, working for them.

The Carlos' had a circuitous trip before settling in Kingston. Bennie,
an Arizona native, met native Virginian Linda, when they attended
Brigham Young University in Utah. They married in Maryland and then
settled in Kingston to be close to Linda's family in northern New
Jersey. Upon arriving in New York Bennie decided to pursue his lifelong
passion for flowers and greenery and obtained his degree in horticulture
from the State University of New York in Cobleskill, NY. He then put his
degree to practice by working at the SUNY Cornell Cooperative Extension,
always with the idea of someday having his own business.

Bennie's and Linda's dream of owning their own floral shop became a
reality when they secured a loan from HSBC Bank that was guaranteed by
the U.S. Small Business Adminstration. "We couldn't have done it without
the SBA, and getting the loan was made that much easier because of the
guidance we received from Al Griggs of business resource center," said
Linda. The Mid-Hudson Business Resource Center is funded by the SBA and
provides free counseling to the area's business owners and aspiring
entrepreneurs.

The floral business has changed since Valentine's days. All the Burgevin
greenhouses were closed by the 1960s for greater efficiencies and the
company now sources its products from vendors in

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Albany, NY, Connecticut and northern New Jersey. The company also sells
via the international

Teleflora network and has its own Web site\-\--business processes
Valentine couldn't have imagined. But some things might not have changed
much from the florist's first days. For example, it might not be a bad
bet that the product mix has stayed the same for decades\-\--
approximately 30 percent of sales are from funeral arrangements and 20
percent from weddings, with the remaining 50 percent divided between
holidays, birthdays and other special occasions.

The Carlos' daughter, Heather, works in the business and she is an
instructor for the free flower-arranging courses the business provides
for local youngsters. Who Knows? If Heather decides to succeed her
parents in the business, someone might be reading in 2052 of the 200
year-old Burgevin Florist business.

*Burgevin Florist can be visited at
[www.burgevinflorist.com](http://www.burgevinflorist.com/). Photo
available upon request.*

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*All of the SBA's programs and services are provided to the public on a
non-discriminatory basis. For more information about the SBA please
visit [www.sba.gov/ny/ny](http://www.sba.gov/ny/ny).*