If you search “Gresham florist” or “flower delivery near me,” you’ll probably see ads that say things like “Family-Owned Gresham Florist,” “Local Flowers Delivered Today,” or “Serving Your Community for 20+ Years.”

A lot of those results, and often the majority, are NOT local at all.

As a true, long-standing Gresham florist, Nancy's Floral wants to help you understand what’s going on — because it affects your wallet, your experience, and sometimes your ability to get flowers delivered on one of the most important days of your life.

What’s actually happening and what these companies are doing...

• They buy Google Ads for “[city] florist,” for almost every city in the U.S.

• Their landing pages use copy like “local [CITY NAME] florist,” “family owned in [CITY],” “hand-delivered in [CITY] today,” etc.

• In many cases, there is no physical flower shop in that city at all.

• They take the customer’s money at full retail + service fees, then try to subcontract a real florist in that town to fill it at a discount. If they can’t fill it (holiday volume, budget too low, design not possible, etc.), the order is delayed, substituted heavily, or just never delivered — but the customer has already paid.

  • This “order gatherer / wire-out” model is commonly criticized in the floral industry and by consumer protection groups. The Better Business Bureau warns that “phony florists” will use fake addresses or pretend to be local when they are not, especially around major holidays. Better Business Bureau

  • A regulator fined an online florist in Australia for making false ‘local florist’ claims in towns where they had no actual storefront, calling it misleading to consumers. CBS News

  • U.S. consumer laws such as the Floral Transaction and Consumer Protection Act prohibit misrepresenting geographic origin of a floral business. (This is cited in legal summaries of florist advertising rules.) CBS News

Here are real examples of companies that advertise like local florists in cities all over the country and in Gresham, OR:

1. Avas Flowers (avasflowers.net)

• How they present themselves:

  • “Avas Flowers is a family owned and operated business committed to providing top quality gifts and flowers…” avasflowers.net

  • They advertise same-day delivery everywhere and commonly appear in search as “local [city] florist.”

• Actual business footprint:

  • Public contact info shows a corporate/office address at 200 Continental Dr, Suite 401, Newark, DE 19713. 

  • No verified storefront in Gresham, OR (or most cities where they claim to be “local”).

• Complaint profile / risk to customers:

  • Thousands of public reviews online accusing them of late delivery, wrong product, or no delivery at all. One reviewer: “They are HORRIBLE! Do not use them! They will not deliver and just jerk you around… no flowers at my sister-in-law’s memorial service.” ConsumerAffairs

  • Average rating on Yelp’s brand profile is ~1.1 stars across 2,600+ reviews, indicating widespread dissatisfaction. Yelp

  • Multiple frustrated posts online describe them as “a scam,” alleging refusal to issue refunds until pressured. Reddit

  ---

  2. From You Flowers (fromyouflowers.com)

  • How they present themselves:

    • Markets itself as “the online flower delivery experts,” promising fast nationwide same-day delivery. FromYouFlowers.com

    • Runs paid ads that often include city names, implying local coverage everywhere.

  • Actual business footprint:

    • Corporate address is 143 Mill Rock Rd East, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 (and related Old Saybrook, CT locations). 

    • BBB lists them as an online retailer of flowers, plants, and gift baskets; not a walk-in flower shop in Gresham, OR. Better Business Bureau

  • Complaints / risk:

    • The BBB profile notes 724 complaints in the last 3 years, including 199 in the last 12 months. Customers report issues like double delivery fees and product not matching what was pictured. Better Business Bureau

    ---

    3. Terry’s Florist / Terry’s Florist Inc. / Terrysflorist.com

    • How they present themselves:

      • Frequently appears in Google Ads and search listings as “your local florist” in all kinds of cities around the U.S., often using phrases like “serving our community for over 20 years.” News investigations have called this out. CBS News

      • You noted they list “100 SE 3rd Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304,” which is a multi-tenant office/virtual address used by multiple “florist” brand names, not a flower shop.

    • Complaint profile / risk:

      • Trustpilot and other consumer review platforms are packed with 1-star reviews describing: never delivered, delivered days late, wrong product, or refusal to refund. Trustpilot

      • BBB complaints describe them as “not legit,” “blatantly deceptive,” and pretending to be local. Better Business Bureau

      • One recurring complaint: they take payment immediately, but cancel on (or after) the delivery date — including funeral/sympathy orders, which is devastating. Trustpilot

      ---

      4. Ruth’s Roses Florist / Flowers by Nora / (similar shells at the same FL address)

      • “Ruth’s Roses Florist,” “Flowers by Nora,” and “Terry’s Florist” all point to 100 SE 3rd Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304.

      • That’s a massive red flag: multiple “local florists” with different brand names, all claiming to be “your neighborhood florist,” all sharing one out-of-state address. That suggests a lead-gen / call center hub, not multiple genuine local walk-in flower shops.  Yelp

      • Consumer risk is identical: money leaves the local area, products are subcontracted, failures are common, and there’s often no in-person accountability if something goes wrong.

      • Customers are often embarrassed and disappointed by the poor quality and lack of flowers received, especially when they are for special occasions or events. Better Business Bureau

      ---

      5. Blossom Flower Delivery (blossomflowerdelivery.com)

      • Uses a similar national-delivery pitch. (These businesses often build landing pages for thousands of ZIP codes to rank for “[city] flower delivery today.”)

      • Address as provided: 8309 Laurel Canyon Blvd #141, Sun Valley, CA 91352.

      • The “suite” or “#141” pattern is often a mailbox/office unit, not a retail design floor with inventory and drivers. That’s typical of order-gatherer style fulfillment networks.

      • Numerous customers reported that their orders were never delivered, even when they paid for expedited shipping. Better Business Bureau

      ---

      6. Brant Florist (brantflorist.com)

      • Lists 702 West St., Wilmington, DE 19801 and 461 Brant St, Burlington, ON L7R 2G3, Canada.

      • They market international/nationwide flower delivery. This is a cross-border delivery broker model. When they advertise in a U.S. city, that doesn’t mean they have coolers full of fresh flowers there — it usually means they’ll try to outsource to someone who does.

      ---

      7. Flowers By Eva (flowersbyeva.com)

      • Mailing address (not a storefront): The Better Business Bureau lists 848 N Rainbow Blvd, PMB 725, Las Vegas, NV 89107-1103 for Flowers by Eva — and categorizes them as a “Flower Broker,” not a local shop. That address is a mailbox/ship-center UPS/FedEx authorized shipping location — i.e., a commercial mailbox/pack-and-ship store, not a retail florist.  Better Business Bureau

      • “Local” pages in many cities: Their site publishes city/ZIP landing pages (e.g., Saint Augustine, FL; Tewksbury, MA; San Diego 92101), presenting themselves as part of those communities — a pattern typical of non-local aggregators.

      • Complaint profile: BBB pages and Scam Tracker entries describe non-delivery, last-minute cancellations, and customer-service issues. Better Business Bureau

      ---

      8. James Cress Florist & Events (jamescressflorist.com), Lily’s Florist (lilysflorist.com), Sunny Flowers (sunnyflowerdelivery.com), La Tulipe Flowers (latulipeflowers.com), Westchester Flower Shop (westchesterflowershop.com), Flowershopping.com

      • These brands all follow the same general script:

        • Heavy SEO + paid ads for “[city] florist” in thousands of cities.

        • “Family owned,” “serving [city] for X years,” “local delivery today.”

        • Corporate mailing address (or vague/no address) nowhere near the city they’re bidding on.

      • Lack of a local street-front address, or a “corporate headquarters” hours away (e.g. James Cress Florist lists mailing address in Smithtown, NY, Westchester Flower Shop lists corporate HQ in Port Chester, NY; Flowershopping.com lists an address in Henderson, NV). This is structurally different from a true florist in Gresham that you can physically visit, talk to designers, or call by local phone.

      These sites are referred to as “order gatherers.” They take your order and your money first. Then they try to find a real florist in the delivery area who will fill that order for less than what you paid.

      If they can’t find anyone to take it for the budget they want, one of two things can happen:

      1. Your flowers show up late, smaller than pictured, or full of substitutions you didn’t approve.

      2. Your flowers don’t show up at all, and you get a last-minute “sorry, can’t deliver” message — sometimes after the birthday, anniversary, or memorial service has already passed.

      We hear from heartbroken customers all the time who thought they ordered from “a Gresham florist,” but never actually talked to a florist in Gresham.

      Why this hurts local customers
      • You think you’re supporting a local business, but most of your money leaves the community.
      • You’re charged service fees and middleman fees that a real local florist wouldn’t charge you.
      • There’s nobody local to fix it if something goes wrong. If the flowers arrive damaged, or don’t arrive at all, the number you call is usually a call center in another state — not the designer who actually touched your flowers.

      For sympathy pieces, memorial services, hospital deliveries, and same-day surprises, that can be devastating.

      How to spot a fake “local florist”

      
      Here are a few quick tests you can use before you order:

      1. Is there a real local street address on the website?
         • “Corporate office,” a P.O. box, or a generic suite number in another state is a red flag.  Find the florist on your local city map or confirm the shop is listed with a Google Business profile in Google Maps.

      2. Is there a true local phone number?
         • Call it. Ask “Can I come in today and pick something up?”
         • If they hesitate or push delivery only, they’re probably not here.

      3. Do they have their own delivery vans and drivers in our area?
         • A real local florist knows the local hospitals, funeral homes, schools, and neighborhoods by name because we drive them every day.

      4. Can they describe what’s actually in their cooler right now?
         • A real shop can tell you “today we have gorgeous Oregon-grown lilies, fresh roses that just came in this morning, and beautiful seasonal greens.”
         • A call center reads from a script.

      5. Are the photos extremely generic, with lots of fine print about “colors and vases may vary”?
         • That usually means they’re going to farm it out to whoever will take it cheapest.

      What About FTD, Teleflora, and 1-800-Flowers?

      At Nancy’s Floral, we believe in honesty and transparency — and that includes explaining how the larger flower networks work, including those we do business with.

      We’re long-time members of both FTD and Teleflora, which are legitimate wire services that connect customers to real, local flower shops like ours. When you order through FTD or Teleflora, your order is transmitted to a participating florist in the recipient’s area — often a small, family-owned business such as Nancy’s Floral — who then designs and delivers your arrangement by hand.

      These networks can serve a purpose, especially for long-distance gifting, but they do come with trade-offs. Service fees, transmission charges, and photo catalog expectations often reduce the funds that reach the actual florist who creates your order. As a result, local shops sometimes have to adjust the design to match real flower costs and seasonal availability.  They also reserve the right to either accept the order or reject the order if the funds or flower requests do not match the local market prices or availability.

      By contrast, when you order directly from a local florist’s website like nancysfloral.com, every dollar goes into your arrangement and delivery — not into network fees or commissions. You get more flowers, better value, and the personal service of a florist who truly knows the Gresham area.

      We also have firsthand experience with the other side of the industry.
      Nancy’s Floral was a 1-800-Flowers franchise store for nearly 10 years - 1-800 Flowers | Nancy's, but we eventually ended that partnership because it became financially unsustainable. Toward the end, we were being paid roughly fifty cents on the dollar for the designs and deliveries we fulfilled — which simply couldn’t support the quality, artistry, and wages that our customers and team deserve.

      Unfortunately, 1-800-Flowers has continued to use deceptive online advertising practices, running paid ads that masquerade as our business locally under misleading names like “Nancy Flowers,” “Nancy Flower Delivery,” and “Nancy Plants.” One such example even links to a 1-800-Flowers page for Nancy, Kentucky — a city over 2,000 miles away: https://www.1800flowers.com/local/usa/ky/nancy

      This kind of marketing confuses customers and diverts money away from genuine local florists who live and work in their own communities. It’s one more reason why we encourage customers to shop local and order directly from a trusted neighborhood florist.

      Why buying from a true local florist matters

      When you order from a real local florist in Gresham:
      • You’re talking to the actual designers who will create your arrangement.
      • You get honest answers about what we can deliver today and when it will arrive.
      • If you need something specific for a memorial, a hospital room, a school office, etc., we know what’s appropriate and what’s allowed.
      • Your money stays in the Portland metro area — supporting local jobs, local drivers, local suppliers, and local families.

      At Nancy’s Floral, we’ve been serving Gresham and the greater Portland metro for over 45 years. We offer same-day hand delivery, custom floral designs, plants, and Oregon-made gourmet gift baskets — including Harry & David from Medford, along with other local small-batch favorites. That’s something an out-of-state call center simply can’t replicate.  When you buy local, you’re not just sending flowers — you’re supporting real people who care deeply about every bouquet we create and every customer we serve.

      How to protect yourself (and get what you’re actually paying for)

      
      Before you place an order online:
      • Look for a REAL local address in Gresham, OR.
      • Call and ask if you can pick up in person.
      • Ask what’s fresh in the cooler today.
      • Ask if they can deliver to a specific local place (“Can you deliver to Providence, Legacy, or Adventist hospital today?”). Real florists know the answer immediately.

      If the answer sounds vague or scripted, trust your gut.

      In closing,
      Please don’t let a call center in another state pretend to be “your Gresham florist,” take your money, and then fail you on an important day.

      When you choose a real neighborhood florist, you’re not just buying flowers. You’re hiring local hands, real accountability, and decades of experience making sure the right flowers get to the right place at the right time.

      Have questions? Call us. Or better yet — stop by. We’re happy to show you what’s in the cooler today.