News
UCP of Hudson County Trustee Paul Maffei Featured in Region's Newspaper
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
BY CAROL LAWRENCE
THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER
Paul and Patricia Maffei have established a niche within the cemetery industry by bringing a gardener’s touch to grave sites.
The married couple, who own Crystal Florist and Greenhouse Inc. in North Arlington, deliver and plant seasonal flowers in the mini-gardens at the cemeteries that they then mulch, fertilize, weed and water.
"For some people, it’s very difficult to go to a cemetery," said Patricia Maffei. "When they do go, they want to see it’s neat, clean and not a mess. That brings comfort to people."
The florists serve 1,000-plus grave sites in nearly 25 cemeteries, mostly in New Jersey but also New York; this accounts for about 90 percent of business, said Paul Maffei. Revenue for both grave site maintenance and funeral deliveries is about $250,000.
After the florists opened their 3,000-square-foot shop across from Holy Cross Cemetery, customers and others in the North Arlington community thought they performed their services only at funerals, Paul Maffei said. There are almost 300,000 people interred in the cemetery and its mausoleums, according to Holy Cross.
"People just assumed that was all we did," said Paul Maffei, noting that Crystal Florist also caters to weddings. "So if people were going to perceive us that way, we were going to do that."
The Maffeis visited different cemeteries and found flower plantings were popular. But customers who bought the plants often complained it was hard getting them into the ground. Cemeteries allow only a foot-and-a-half area around graves for plantings, so perennials or bushes aren’t possible.
"It’s a huge amount of work, and we don’t charge a lot of money," said Paul Maffei. "Cemeteries don’t have regular dirt; they have clay. You really can’t grow plants in that. We’ll change the dirt, remove the clay and put in good topsoil."
The Maffeis say they have no local competition. There appear to be only a handful of similar businesses, but nothing closer than Clark in Union County and Flanders in Morris.
Crystal Florist’s potential market in New Jersey is an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 cemeteries, according to the New Jersey Cemetery Association in New Providence.
The Maffeis’ business took the cemetery association’s executive director by surprise when she heard people were contracting for the service. Cemeteries tend the common grounds but not grave sites, she said.
"It is unusual," said Judy Welshons. "I’ve been around the industry for 15 years. This is interesting that they have been able to do this for so many years and developed a clientele."
Maffei said he designed his business model for volume rather than price. Customers can order "care packages’’ for the annual flowers that vary by frequency, and they can pick specific plants or mix in items such as artificial floral cones. One-time plantings usually cost about $30. Three plantings a year of seasonal flowers cost $100.
"We don’t want to hit anybody over the head with a price," Paul Maffei said. "It’s bad enough you have to go to a cemetery when you visit someone."
Some clients may want specific flowers, so the Maffeis allow a choice. A 10-year customer orders gardenia blankets for her mother’s grave because it was her favorite flower.
The Maffeis said they form emotional ties with clients, learning their connection to the deceased and how they passed, and keeping a log of what customers order each year. Clients refer the florist to family and friends, helping grow the business.
"Sometimes people don’t like to rehash it," said Patricia Maffei. "For some people it never gets easier; 16, 17, 18 years and they still can’t get through a conversation."
E-mail: lawrenceca@northjersey.com
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