Amore Fiore Paulino Gardens Capelli Floral Dardano`s Flowerland

Andiamo!
MAY 2009
IN FULL BLOOM
Colorado’s premiere Italian American florists
By Jenna Capra
Amore Fiore
Capelli Floral
303-333-3848
7353 East 29th Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80238
& also located inside DIA
www.amore-fiori.com
Michelle Stefanon
There is a small doorway on Stapleton’s 29th Avenue Town Center that, when entered, transports you to an
Italian flower market. Amore Fiori literally translates to “love of flowers,” and after stepping into the shop you
instantly understand why. Filled with gorgeous fresh flowers of all varieties and colors, plants, and gifts, the
store is Colorado’s own Campo Dei Fiori, Rome’s famous outdoor square for which it was modeled after.
720-570-1307
11 East Louisiana Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80210
www.capellifloral.com
Denise Capelli
“A trip to Italy inspired me to change careers to do something I truly cared about,” founder and owner Michelle
Stefanon explains, “I realized Italians and Europeans live very differently from how we do in regards to family,
work and life in general and life was just too short not to do something you are passionate about!”
Denise Capelli, an AFID (American Floral Institute Designer) certified florist, can truly be considered an artist
when it comes to her flower arrangements and imaginative designs. Vases of her creations are displayed around
the store, while her husband and partner, John Capelli has contributed his own artistic abilities to the shop with
original photography displayed along the walls. “The best thing about our business is being creative and making
people happy with our service,” they explain. “We really pride ourselves in being unique.”
For 7 years, Amore Fiori has served Denver, Aurora, Littleton, and Highlands Ranch, specializing in both
traditional and modern European inspired arrangements for every occasion, as well as offering a wide variety
of gifts. With a new shop in DIA, the store and its cheerful staff continues to share their passion for flowers,
offering dozens of choices to convey any emotion through floral. Each arrangement is made with a great deal
of creativity and care because according to Michelle, “The only bad part when working with such a beautiful
product is getting the dirt under your fingernails!”
In addition to providing fresh-cut flowers and artistic arrangements, Capelli Flowers specializes in event planning
for customers and regularly hosts special occasions (such as wine tastings) in their own shop which anyone can
join their mailing list to learn about. The Capellis draw inspiration from all over the world but the rest of us need
to look no further than their store for a new experience or a beautiful floral creation to take home.
Dardano’s Flowerland
Paulino Gardens
303-934-5646
1205 West Evans Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80223
303-429-8062
6300 North Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80216
www.paulinogardens.com
With the distinction of being Colorado’s First Supermarket Garden Center, Dardano’s Flowerland has been at
the forefront of everything green for 63 years. Established in 1946 by Frank and Arlene Dardano, the center was
originally a modest vegetable farm which sold mostly tomatoes, peppers, and celery at a farmer’s market until
Arlene thought to introduce bedding plants to their customers. As demand grew, so did their business, giving
way to the Dardano’s Flowerland that has been a staple of Colorado’s gardening scene ever since.
With 230,000 square feet of greenhouses, it’s no wonder that Paulino Gardens boasts everything a green thumb
could want and more. From house plants and potted flowers to citrus trees, herbs, bonsai, water plants, and even
a library of reference information, the family-run Paulino Gardens has been serving Colorado and its surrounding
areas since 1959. What started out in 1915 as Pietro Paulino’s humble vegetable farm has become a year-round,
full service nursery and garden center with over 75 employees to serve their customers.
Though their full-service flower shop, large selection of herbs, rose bushes galore, and aisles of gardening
tools and gifts are wonderful in their own right, perhaps Dardano’s most renowned products tie back to the
store’s roots; the vegetables. There are no less than 35 varieties of tomatoes and 30 types of peppers to choose
from (including the family’s original thin-skin heirloom pepper plants), and everything else “from Arugula to
Zucchini!” Better still is the fact that absolutely everything sold at Dardano’s Flowerland has also been grown
there. “We’re the only ones who can say that,” asserts Loretta, the daughter of the founders and current owner.
“Customers can trust what they buy knowing it’s direct- from our family to theirs.”
Loretta Dardano
10 - 11
Even those who lack a green thumb can find good reason to visit Dardano’s Flowerland, if just for a taste of
history. Loretta has devoted a section of the garden center to preserving its story and loves to tell it if you’re
lucky enough to catch her when you visit. There are pictures, articles, awards, and tools displayed for all to
see, including the hand-made boxes her parents used to sell bedding plants in. After so many years, Dardano’s
Flowerland continues today with the same old-fashioned friendly service it began with and shows no sign of
breaking tradition anytime soon.
When you think of flowers, a wine tasting would likely be the furthest thing from your mind, but not when it
comes to Capelli Floral, a store which specializes in both exciting floral arrangements and unique event hosting.
Located in downtown Denver, the shop first appears to be a basic brick building, but with its large, garage-door
style windows opened up to the breeze and decorative Aspen tree trunks stretching from ground to ceiling in the
middle of the shop, it’s clear this floral store is something out of the ordinary.
Led by Mike and Elizabeth Paulino, their three children and two spouses, the center has taken traditional Italian
work ethic and the appreciation for growing plants, and created, as they call it, “a garden paradise.” For those who
shop there, the knowledgeable Paulino staff offers gardening tips and excellent customer service when it comes to
their huge selection of products, whether one is looking for help finding simple accessories or information on a
brand new gardening trend.
The Paulino Gardens Staff
It’s hard to believe the massive Paulino Gardens was once just a simple farm selling produce in the markets of
Denver when looking at the center’s countless rows of trees, shelves of books, and jungles of hanging plants that
fill nearly every aisle, but it’s easy to see why the garden center is so popular. “Customers and employees alike have
worked hard to make Paulinos what it is today and we appreciate all of them,” the family says proudly. “The best
part is seeing all the familiar faces coming back to visit us every year.”