Old City Flowers

A shop that has been hand-delivering in Old City since 1984, working the densest square mile of historic Philadelphia. Everything is built in-house and taken out by the shop’s own people rather than handed to a network, which is the whole reason to use a neighborhood florist instead of a national order form.

What people come here for

Old City sets the mix. Hotels, historic venues and law and design offices sit within a few blocks, so business gifting, congratulations and client thank-yous are real categories here, not filler — there is a dedicated corporate line alongside the personal ones. Romance and apologies are the other steady half: the shop keeps a full love-and-romance range, long-stem roses and an ultra-luxury tier for when the occasion is not the sort you improvise.

The planned end is weddings, which get their own planning track and a bridal gift registry — Old City being a wedding district in its own right, with ceremonies and receptions in the historic buildings around it. New baby, get-well, graduation and holiday work fill the rest of the year. Sympathy and funeral pieces are a full part of the range, with standing baskets and casket work made to order and delivered to local funeral homes.

Delivery and urgency

The deadline is clear and worth writing down: local orders placed before 3 pm go out the same day. Delivery runs daily across Philadelphia and many of the surrounding suburbs, and the shop delivers to hospitals and funeral homes as routine destinations rather than exceptions.

The shop is honest about the limits. Around Christmas and Valentine’s Day it advises ordering early and says it cannot guarantee every last-minute request in those weeks, and it recommends placing holiday orders two days ahead. It also closes for the major national holidays themselves. If your date is fixed and it falls in a peak week, treat the 3 pm rule as a fair-weather promise and order ahead.

What stands out

• In-house design, in-house delivery. The shop states it builds every bouquet itself and delivers it personally.
• A 3 pm same-day line. A stated cutoff rather than a vague promise, with daily runs across the city.
• Tropical and exotic range. Orchids, birds of paradise and tropical stems are a named strength, not an afterthought.
• Corporate gifting. A separate business line for offices in and around the historic district.
• Wedding planning and a gift registry. Structured wedding work rather than one-off bouquets.
• Local plus imported buying. The shop says it imports sought-after flowers and buys specialty stock from local growers.

Where the flowers come from

This is one of the few Philadelphia shops that says anything concrete about buying: it imports flowers from around the world and buys specialty products from local growers. The shop also publishes a substitution policy — when a variety is not available, the arrangement is adjusted to keep the look and value rather than the exact stem. That is worth knowing before you order something from a photo.

The space, the service and what else is sold

There is a real storefront in Old City with a pickup counter, so you can collect an order rather than wait for a driver. Beyond cut arrangements the range covers potted plants, dish gardens, gourmet and fruit gift baskets, orchids, tropical flowers, silk arrangements for people who want something permanent, and baby gifts. Custom designs are a stated service: describe the occasion and the designers build to it, including the ultra-luxury end. The shop states a satisfaction guarantee and a replacement policy on its perishable items.

When to come and how to get there

Old City is the historic core — Independence Mall on one side, the Delaware waterfront on the other, cobbles and galleries in between — and it is one of the easiest parts of Philadelphia to reach without a car, with the Market–Frankford Line stop a short walk away and the whole district walkable. Expect tourist foot traffic through the day and a busy evening scene.

The calendar runs hard: Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, the May graduation season driven by the city’s universities, and the December holidays, plus a wedding season through spring and fall that fills the historic venues nearby. In those stretches the shop itself asks for two days of notice, which is the most useful thing it says about its own capacity.

Questions and answers

Can I get flowers delivered today?

Yes, if the local order is placed before 3 pm. After that it moves to the next delivery day.

Where do they deliver?

Daily throughout Philadelphia and many surrounding suburbs, including hospitals and funeral homes.

Can I pick the order up myself?

Yes, there is a store and pickup point in Old City, which is the fastest route if you are already downtown.

Who actually makes the arrangements?

The shop’s own designers — it states that all bouquets are created in-house and hand-delivered by the shop rather than passed to a partner.

How far ahead should I order for a holiday?

Two days, by the shop’s own recommendation. Around Christmas and Valentine’s Day it says last-minute orders cannot be guaranteed.

What if the flower I picked isn’t available?

The shop has a published substitution policy: the arrangement is rebuilt to keep the overall look and value when a specific variety is out.

Do they do weddings?

Yes, with a dedicated wedding planning track and a bridal gift registry — book well ahead for spring and autumn dates.

Is there anything that lasts longer than a bouquet?

Orchids, potted plants, dish gardens and silk arrangements, plus gourmet and fruit baskets for occasions where flowers alone are not the point.

Opening hours