On a recent tour of Downtown Beacon while I was weaving in and out of stores, I came across this unique and quirky shop with a clever name, “Flora Good Times”. What caught my attention was the outstanding window display with its contemporary signage and selection of potted plants and flowers so nicely organized.
Flora Good Times at Christmas time in 2024
Their sign welcoming you to the store for the holidays
It looked more like a boutique than a traditional flower shop. There are handmade pots and gifts, a wonderful selection of exotic flowers and plants all nicely displayed.
The inside of Flora Good Time with its beautiful displays.
What I discovered when I walked in was the original way they display their potted plants and arrangements. The color scheme is juxoposed and the plants were arranged in a way that gave it a colorful and distinctive look about the way a customer would buy them. The shelves were loaded with all sorts of potted and hanging plants that fit every décor.
Handmade gifts and plants
I came across a shelve of smiling face pots by artist Calfinn and thought it made a novel way to display the plants. Not just were the plants showcased well but the smiling face back gives a positive spin on the merchandise. They were so novel and whimsical and I had never seen anything like it before.
Pots by artist Calfinn-The Collection is called Lil’ Friends
The Handmade “Victory” Pots that have their own personality
What was nice about Flora Good Times is that they will create the most special bouquets and arrangements for the customers. Their approach to flowers gives them a personality all to its own and is the perfect housewarming and host present. I thought the arrangements I saw in both the store and online were colorful and very original in design.
The fresh flower are very beautiful
They also have a nice assortment of potted and hanging plants that line the walls and a selection of gift items that come from artists all over the country. I thought it was good business not just to support local artists but artisans all over the country.
The greens at Christmas time in 2024
The service is very friendly and welcoming. The afternoon that I was visiting the store the gentleman working at the counter could not have been nicer and offered to help with anything that I needed. In the Era of COVID, it is a pleasure to to think that proper, personal attention to customers is still alive and well.
Flora Good Times is more than just a retail store. It is an experience.
A brick and mortar shop and floral studio on Beacon’s beautiful Main Street specializing in unusual houseplants and unconventional flower arrangements. Founded in 2019 by Corinne Bryson, a florist and #1 fan of all things green and growing. Corinne has cared for and loved thousands of houseplants throughout her life and has no plans to stop loving more.
Flora Good Times is proudly woman-owned. We contribute a portion of our sales to fighting for justice in food and farming systems, human rights initiatives and local community building. We believe in science and equity.
The plants and painting in the back of the store
What we do:
Houseplants, flower arrangements and delivery, weekly flower subscriptions for the home and business, full service weddings and celebrations, floral window displays, fresh cut flowers, dried flowers, greening services, plant consultation, plant care advice, pest diagnosis and control, workshops, events and beyond…oh and producing some of the freshest air on Main Street (don’t believe us? just come and visit).
Why we do it:
We believe that plants aren’t décor, they’re a relationship. That’s why we want to always send you off on the right path to nurture your new companion. Education is the most important thing and online advice is endless. We want to help you weed through it all to know what really matters, so that you and your plant friends can take a deep breath and enjoy each other.
The fun loving painting in the back of the store
Flora was built with a focus on supporting local in every way possible. We source flowers locally whenever we can from a smattering of beautiful local farms (check out our “friends” page for more information). The products in our store come from local and national makers for everything from our pottery offerings to our home goods offerings. We believe that a rising tide lifts all ships and by looking to individual small farms and makers, we will rise.
On a recent tour of Downtown Beacon while I was weaving in and out of stores, I came across this unique and quirky shop with a clever name, “Flora Good Times”. What caught my attention was the outstanding window display with its contemporary signage and selection of potted plants and flowers so nicely organized. It looked more like a boutique than a traditional flower shop.
What I discovered when I walked in was the original way they display their potted plants and arrangements. The color scheme is juxoposed and the plants were arranged in a way that gave it a colorful and distinctive look about the way a customer would buy them. The shelves were loaded with all sorts…
I was visiting downtown Beacon, NY because I had been Upstate to take a tour of Bannerman Island (see VisitingaMuseum.com) and wanted to see if there were any changes in the businesses in the downtown area. It seems like the town is going through a second wave of business ownership.
Colorant at the holidays in 2024
In the middle of Main Street I came across Colorant, a clothing and gift store that prides itself on being environmentally and sustainably friendly. The clothes here are all made by the in house designer and store owner or are from vendors that manufacture the same way. The clothes are lightweight, all dyed by hand by all natural dyes and are hand-printed or hand-brushed making each piece its own work of art and technically one of a kind.
I saw this beautiful hand-print on one of the racks
The beauty of the clothes is their simplicity and form that is carefully well-made by the designer and by her counterparts. The clothes are displayed like art where a few pieces are put out for people to try on and make sure the correct fit is made.
Dying of the clothing
The construction of the clothes is very well-made and you can see it in the stitching and dying of the clothes.
This simple indigo dyed dress can be dressy casual in 2019
The owner’s new line for the Fall of 2019 is now in the store and carries a series of blouses, shirts and dresses that were made for what looked like a petite woman. There were also handmade shirts for men as well. The prices are reflective of the quality of the clothing from its handwork to the dying. It is not cheap when is quality cheap?
An indigo dyed men’s shirt at Colorant in 2019
This new tie die dress really wowed me along with their jean and sweatshirt collection in 2021
This dress by Po eM I thought was really nice
The store also has an assortment of gifts such as planters, soap dishes, mugs and some jewelry and cosmetics. All of the products are environmentally made and have their own artistic touch to them. Please check the above website as the prices do change.
Specialty lines at Colorant
The store’s line of gourmet snacks
The service could not be more personal. The young woman working there explained the way the clothes are made and constructed and a little story about the owner as a designer and how she merchandised the store. The store is designed with exposed walls and piping holding the clothes with creative display cases to showcase the gifts.
Colorant offers something for everyone
It is nice to see American made products displayed in a creative environment with wonderful service. This is something that Amazon can’t replicate.
The new Men’s clothes line in 2024
History of the clothes at Colorant:
Colorant (established in 2012) is a modern line of apparel and accessories that celebrates the use of natural dye plants such as Indigo, Madder Root and Walnut in creating our vibrant palette. Like in nature, botanical colors have unpredictability depending on where and how the material was grown. Sassafras grown in northern regions will not yield the same orange as those from the south, which we here at Colorant embrace as the beauty of the natural dye process. Each season our colors are tested with our chosen fabrications to insure our colors will stand the test of time (Colorant History website).
The back of the store is painted beautifully and the clothing is so nicely displayed.
Each color has a story to tell:
Rich History: Did you know the color purple was the most expensive color in the world? Roman kings were only able to wear it because it took 250,000 Murex Mollusks from the sea to extract enough dye to color a garment.
Earth Benefits: Botanical colors promote the harvesting of dye plants, creating a new agricultural market. Natural dyes are extracted from renewable resources offering a more sustainable option for the textile industry.
Pure Color: Nature provides hundreds of plant which yield vibrant colors. Many have been used for dying since antiquity and Colorant has preserved these tried and true methods.
(Colorant website)
Disclaimer: I credit the Colorant website for the company information and give them full credit for it.
I was visiting downtown Beacon, NY because I had been Upstate to take a tour of Bannerman Island (see VisitingaMuseum.com) and wanted to see if there were any changes in the businesses in the downtown area. It seems like the town is going through a second wave of business ownership.
In the middle of Main Street I came across Colorant, a clothing and gift store that prides itself on being environmentally and sustainably friendly. The clothes here are all made by the inhouse designer and store owner or are from vendors that manufacture the same way. The clothes are lightweight, all dyed by hand by all natural dyes and are hand-printed or hand-brushed making each piece its own work of art and technically one of a kind.
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