Photos by Gina Zanowski
Mobile flower shop Georgia Blue roams the Valley selling fresh blooms from an Insta-perfect 1950s Ford truck in Dutchess County.
Georgia Blue Flower Truck is a Hudson Valley first: a roving flower shop with fresh bouquets and vibrant bundles of flowers. This sleek, Instagrammable business has bloomed in the Hudson Valley, but its roots are far-reaching, stretching over 900 miles away to a Georgian barn.
It was there, in the southern heat, that owner Gina Zanowski first found Georgia Blue, her 1950 Ford F-100 truck. Crisp and freshly painted, it started the journey to its new home in the Hudson Valley in 2019. Now, with a brand-new logo and rustic flower adornments, it brings its southern charm to upstate New York as the Georgia Blue Flower Truck.
Zanowski’s desire for a flower truck actually began well before her lucky discovery of Georgia Blue. She had long dreamed of owning a Ford pickup and running her own business. For a woman with 20 years of experience in the medical field, though, that dream was not easy to get started.
“Every time I thought about leaving the medical field and starting my own business I got pulled back in,” she explains. Her dream always hovered just out of reach. She needed a push over the edge—an inspiration to drive her forward.
That inspiration came in the form of a daughter.
“When my husband and I found out we were pregnant, I knew the medical field schedule was no longer the schedule for me,” Zanowski, who is based in Dutchess County, says. “I knew I was done asking for approved time off. I wanted to be able to make my own schedule that worked for our family. “
Committed to the idea of a small business, Zanowski still needed an idea. Then inspiration struck, as it often does, out of nowhere.
“The idea for a flower truck was so serendipitous.” Zanowski recalls. “I had been thinking for a while that I wanted to buy an old Ford pickup truck. I knew I wanted to be able to work outside and make my own schedule all while doing something fun and exciting. While all this was on my mind, I was creating centerpieces for our daughter’s christening and, as I Googled ideas, an adorable flower truck popped up. I knew then and there that I can combine all of my ideas in one small business.”
So, with a little bit of serendipity, a christening, and a lucky Georgian barn find, the Georgia Blue Flower Truck was born as the first of its kind in the Hudson Valley.
The newness of the truck concept is one of the best parts for Zanowski.
“Being the first flower truck in the area is exciting because you’re introducing your friends and neighbors to something so new which ironically is something so old,” she says.
Of course, the Hudson Valley is no stranger to unique pop-ups. From a fashion boutique on wheels to a portable prosecco camper, the area is home to a broad assortment of unique trucks and portable businesses. Georgia Blue hops aboard this increasingly popular trend by adding some much-needed flower power into the mix.
So how does it work? Zanowski explains that the business is essentially “a florist on wheels.”
The truck carries a diverse range of colorful blooms that customers can choose how they want arranged. The creatively minded can hand-pick their favorites for a unique DIY bouquet, or customers can choose from a variety of “grab and go” options that are previously hand-arranged. The flowers themselves are constantly changing, so no two visits are alike.
“When doing a pop-up or private event, flowers may come from all over the world depending on time of year and what’s in season,” Zanowski says. She herself favors poppies, but, no matter the flower type, she strives to support local farmers by stocking up on locally grown blooms and purchasing her more exotic flowers from local sources.
Eventually, she hopes to set up “main hubs” to which the truck can return. For now, Georgia Blue is a roaming secret garden, bringing a rainbow assortment of color wherever it parks. And it parks just about anywhere, be it a farmers’ market, a brewery, a private event, or any other business in the Hudson Valley. Currently, it can often be spotted on Saturday mornings at Meadowbrook Farm Market in Wappingers Falls. Visitors should swing by early to score flowers, since Zanowski is only onsite from 9 a.m. until she sells out.
“A truck as different as this draws people to the location that it’s parked,” Zanowski emphasizes. With its southern charm, unique assortments of flowers, and undeniable portability, Georgia Blue is ready to unleash its flower power on the Hudson Valley.
“It’s refreshing to see a beautiful bouquet of flowers or bunches of stems on the side of an old pickup,” Zanowski observes. “It brings us back to an easier, slower time…a time where we could stop and smell the flowers.”
