Langone's Florist & Greenhouse to open second location in Tower Square

Date: 12/7/2010

Dec. 6, 2010

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD -- A full-service florist and gift shop will once again be available to shoppers at Tower Square.

Beginning Dec. 6, Langone's Florist, a landmark in the city's South End since 1967, will open a second shop on the first floor of Tower Square in the space formerly occupied by Longmeadow Flowers.

"I really do believe in reinvesting in the city," Langone's owner Brent Bertelli said. "[This opening] is in direct response to our customers' requests. They've been asking for gift items, and many of our customers are working in buildings near Tower Square."

Bertelli said Langone's original location; a compact corner shop at 838 Main St. does not "have much space for gifts."

At the Tower Square location, Bertelli said Langone's will be able to offer "a full line of Yankee Candles, a few bath and body products, all the tropical plants and some soaps," as well as traditional florist services.

Tower Square Senior Property Manager Fred Christensen said Bertelli has signed a one-year lease for the Longmeadow Flowers space, which has been vacant for about two years.

"We're confident that the Tower will support it and that it will draw some business from other marketplaces," Christensen said of the second Langone's location. "Since this deal has been announced, when I talk to people who work in [Tower Square] they've said, 'I've wished there was a place I could go when I needed a small gift and there was nothing downtown [up until now]'."

Bertelli said his clientele has registered similar complaints over the years about the lack of downtown options for last-minute gift buying.

"Hopefully, we can fill that need," he said.

Langone's new Tower Square location will be open Mon. to Fri., 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sat. by appointment. The shop's phone number is 785-5200.