In contrast with the many stores that are closing their doors in today’s economy, Poinciana Flowers in Miami Springs recently celebrated 10 years of serving the community.

    To celebrate this milestone on June 14, Poinciana Flowers held a wine and cheese happy hour with friends and family.

    “You just don’t know how things are going to go when you start out, but it feels amazing, and I’m hoping for another 10 years,” said the internationally known floral art designer Ivan Garcia, owner of Poinciana Flowers at 65 Curtiss Pkwy.

    When asked, “What’s next? Garcia says wistfully, “I'm dreaming of decorating the interior of The White House. I hope! I did it in Venezuela.”

    Garcia has been in the floral design industry since 1985 when he started working in Venezuela. He established his floral boutique in Miami Springs in 2003.

    Behind his windows you will be enlightened by his little palace of flowers and you can view how all his stylish work is done and how important your order is, as it represents you either personally or professionally.

    The shop is bright and fresh inside and out. Flowers, gifts, garden angels, boxes, wraps, balloons, and other items add to an attractive palette.

    “When I began to discover my attraction for the art, painting and flowers in specific, I observed that it was something like magic that flowed from my mind to my hands and I then spontaneously created a beautiful floral composition,” Garcia said.

    “Spending a season in New York with great friends, a famous interior designer, Gaston L. Herrera, and the architect Juan Carlos Diaz Bajares, I gathered information so I could take a summer course of Windows and Floral Design.

    “That’s how I stepped in through the doors of Parson School of Design NY.”

    Garcia, whose wall is covered with certifications from around the world attesting to his mastery of floral design, has spent the past 10 years in the Springs growing his business by offering quality products and cultivating relationships.

    One of the most satisfying arts that he created was for a wedding fashion show that he was invited to do by the President and First Lady of Colombia. The show benefited kids with cancer.

  Poinciana Flowers, Garcia and his team provide recommendations and specifications for every facet of an event — venue, concepts, floral arrangements — and will work with your budget because in the end, it’s all about you! It’s about making your special event memorable.

  For Garcia, the dream began with a detour he made along Curtiss Parkway.

  “The tree-lined street reminded me of a painting I made in Venezuela when I was a child and I knew I had to be here,” Garcia said. “It is just beautiful here.”

  Garcia said the logistics of moving from North Royal Poinciana Boulevard to the Circle also visually help him. He serves businesses and residents in Broward and Palm Beach counties, too.

    “When it comes to flowers, there is nothing I can’t handle,” Garcia said. “Let us help you make your next special event even more memorable when you use the universal language of flowers.”