It took me a few trips down Ocean Ave. before I noticed this business, tucked away near Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, but it served as a florist's business for several decades before closing.
A three-dimensional sign over the door advertises the flowers and coffee that were once sold inside. The door bears the engraving of "E. Johnson, Florist." One of the front windows is boarded up; the other still has a few potted plants in it. A Switz Real Estate banner hangs from a pole near the road, looking to attract the attention of drivers.
The shop sold flowers for some 80 years, first making an appearance in a 1925 advertisement as "The New London Greenhouse and Nurseries Inc." Thirteen years later, Enoch Johnson was advertising "first grade Easter lilies" at the site, now known as Ocean Avenue Greenhouses. The last advertisement to appear in the news archives, in 2005, says the shop was still doing a busy trade and needed a floral designer; at that point, it had taken on the name of its former proprietor.
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The building is for sale for $229,000, with 15,682 square feet on a .36-acre lot. It is located in a largely residential area, although it is within site of the hospital and not far from a commercial area of Ocean Ave. that includes the Recovery Room Restaurant and Saeed's International Market.
What kind of business do you think would thrive here? Let us know in the comments.
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