Allen’s Flower Market

The name misleads in a city that has real wholesale flower marts downtown: Allen’s Flower Market is not one of them. It is an ordinary retail flower shop you walk into, on the seam where Silver Lake meets East Hollywood, run by a family chain that has opened its doors every single day since 1978.

What people come here for

This is a neighborhood shop for the whole spread of occasions and it does not narrow the list: birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, thank-yous, the bouquet bought on the way to dinner. Arrangements are built to order, and alongside the usual roses there are orchid designs and succulents — the second suits Los Angeles better than most gifts, because it survives being left on a balcony in August.

Two heavier lines run underneath. Weddings are described in the parts couples actually order: bridal and bridesmaid bouquets, boutonnieres, ceremony pieces, reception centerpieces. Funeral and sympathy work is the other, with standing sprays, casket flowers and wreaths listed plainly — which matters when that call has to be made fast.

One local specialty deserves its own line: orchid leis. In Los Angeles they are graduation currency from May through June, and a shop that keeps them has been paying attention to who lives around it.

Delivery and urgency

The cut-off is early and clearly stated: orders before 1 pm are guaranteed the same day, anything later goes out the next day or on the date you name. Plan by that hour rather than by the shop’s goodwill — the number exists because afternoon traffic across this city is not negotiable.

Coverage runs out through Hollywood, Los Feliz and Silver Lake on to Beverly Hills, Culver City, Glendale, Santa Monica and Venice. One honest caveat: orders outside the delivery area are passed to a network of preferred florists elsewhere. Within Los Angeles the flowers are theirs; out of state they are somebody else’s, and it is worth knowing which you are buying.

Highlights

• A shop, not a wholesale mart. Despite the name, this is a retail florist with a counter, not a hall of independent vendors.
• Open every day since 1978. Sundays included, which was genuinely unusual at the start and still thins the competition.
• Three generations, one family. Founded by Ben Goldman and handed to his son Harry in 1998.
• Orchid leis. A graduation-season staple here, kept as a regular line rather than a favor.
• Weddings described in parts, not slogans. Bouquets, boutonnieres, ceremony and reception pieces each spelled out.
• Easy parking. Rare enough on this side of town to count as a feature.

Where the flowers come from

Nothing is published about suppliers, growers or countries — the word “market” here is a trading name, not a documented sourcing claim.

The shop, the service and what else they sell

The Los Angeles branch is a walk-in shop where you choose by eye and watch the arrangement made, which is the main reason to come rather than order online. Beyond cut flowers there are potted plants, succulents, orchids, gift items and balloons — enough that a whole birthday run closes in one stop. Four branches across the region share the brand; this one covers the central and eastern side of the city.

When to come and how to find it

It sits on the Silver Lake and East Hollywood line, an easy hop from Los Feliz and Hollywood, on a stretch where you can actually leave a car. There is no winter here to flatten demand, so the calendar does the work: Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are the two walls, graduation season runs through late spring, and the December holidays bring the second wave. Sunday trading makes this shop useful exactly when most of the city’s florists are shut.

Questions and answers

Is this a wholesale flower market?

No. The name says market, but it is a regular retail flower shop with its own designers. The wholesale marts are downtown in the Flower District, and this is not one of them.

How late can I order for delivery today?

Before 1 pm. Later orders are scheduled for the next day or a date you choose.

Do they deliver across Los Angeles?

A wide swathe of it — from Hollywood and Silver Lake out to Santa Monica, Venice, Culver City and Glendale.

What happens if I send flowers out of the area?

Those orders go to a network of partner florists elsewhere, so another shop makes the arrangement.

Do they do weddings, and how far ahead should I book?

Yes, from bouquets to ceremony and reception pieces. Start months ahead for a full wedding; short-notice work depends on the date.

Can they handle a funeral arrangement quickly?

Sympathy work is a standing line — standing sprays, casket flowers, wreaths — and the shop trades every day, Sundays included.

What should I buy for a graduation?

Orchid leis are the local answer and they keep them; order ahead in May and June, when the whole city wants the same thing on the same weekend.

What is the catch?

The early same-day cut-off, and no published information about where the flowers are bought.

Opening hours