Over the years Olive Duntley Florist has become a staple mark in Manhasset. The shop which opened in 1945 has evolved into a full-fledged florist where customers can get anything from a beautiful floral arrangement in high quality vases to gardening advice from the owner Lil Lindergren.
“Lil is very good at what she does. She is a world renowned designer who has been in several flower shows and this industry forever,” boasted Ellen Lopez, her coworker. “She is a mentor, a teacher and a floral expert.”
Lindergren moved Olive Duntley to 103 Plandome Rd. from another location further down the road in the 1971. She explained that the floral shop has a lot of history and she chose to keep its original name. “Olive Duntley was a sweet spinster school teacher, and she wanted me to keep her name, so I honored that,” Lindergren has quite a history in the floral business too. Currently a member of the American Institute of Floral Design and the American Academy of Florists, she began experimenting with her love for flowers and creativity when she was a little girl at her parent’s flower shop. She said, “I remember the first time that I made a bow. A bow in the flower industry is really key to everything, and my dad taught me how to make one for a wreath. I was 11 years old.”
She still reminisces to when she first purchased the flower shop on Plandome Road and how different and the same the area is from 1967. She said, “It was quite different then. The ladies would come by with their bicycles and baskets wearing tennis shorts and pom pom socks. People were so loyal to their retailers then and they still are.”
Being creative is and always was Lil’s favorite things to do. “Owning a flower shop is very difficult for a creative person because when I first began, I didn’t realize the financial responsibilities attached to it. I just wanted to make everything look beautiful,” she said.
After taking a few financing and accounting classes at college, she learned how to balance her love for creativity with financial matters. She said, “I learned that making a floral arrangement is like making a cake because you have to have the right balance of ingredients to make the best cake.”
Lindergren likes making all of her customers happy and making everything she sells and puts together look top-notch.
“The vase, basket or pot has to give justice to the flowers or plant. I make sure there are interesting and high quality containers to choose from because Manhasset is a prestigious town. We try to use unique vases that bring integrity to the flowers that we use and people we are giving them to,” said Lindergren.
Decorating the town around the holidays, giving advice, creating focus gardens, potting plants, decorating store windows or doors and creating arrangements for special occasions is only some of the many hats the Lindergren does. She explained that she takes pride in selling healthy plants and flowers and making her customers happy.
“Manhasset is beautiful place to be. It’s the end of the rainbow, the Gold Coast. The community is great and the people living in it are even greater,” she smiled.
For more information about Olive Duntley at 103 Plandome Road, call 516-627-1451 or visit, www.oliveduntleyflorist.com.
