Flowers and gifts for all occasions

Design Flower and Gift Shop at the Cabrera Center along Beach Road is open from Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm. (Mark Rabago)

Design Flower and Gift Shop at the Cabrera Center along Beach Road has been the go-to place for flowers and keepsakes for island folk since the early 1990s.

Operations manager Fhe Gamab said the businesses was founded by Francisco C. Cabrera as Design Florist some 30 years ago and the company has thrived through the ups and down of the CNMI economy, through typhoons and super typhoons, and even a name change.

“Business through the years at the flower shop has been improving, especially because of social media. It really helps a lot in letting the community know about our services, products, as well as location,” she said.

As expected, Design Flower and Gift Shop primarily sells flowers (price range from $20 above) but has also filled its inventory with cherished gift items over the years.

Operation manager Fhe Gamab. (Mark Rabago)

“We sell all kinds of fresh flowers like lilies, carnation, mums, and orchids with roses being our No. 1 bestseller. We also have silk flowers for those who prefer them. On the gifts side, we have chocolates, crystal vases, balloons, cookies, crackers, and fruits,” said Gamab.

Design Flower and Gift Shop has flowers and gift items for all season and for all occasions like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, birthdays, graduations, grand openings, and anniversaries. They also have funeral flower arrangements for the dear departed.

When it comes to events, the store rents out a Christmas decoration package (Christmas tree and decorations) and a wedding package (decorations from church to reception and wedding accessories).

Design Flower and Gift Shop also sells native and rattan items as well as Catholic novenas available in both English and Chamorro.

Gamab said what sets their store apart from other local flower shops is their customer service and the high quality of their products. “We always want to make sure the we give our best service to our clients. We also believe that quality is much better than quantity, and we always attend to all our customers’ requests even before we close a transaction.”

Design Flower and Gift Shop has flowers and gift items for all season and for all occasions like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, birthdays, graduations, grand openings, and anniversaries. (Mark Rabago)

Like all businesses on island, Design Flower and Gift Shop was not immune to the ravages brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID-19 definitely has affected our operations, most especially on our peak months. People have been scared to go out and are a bit anxious about what will happen. But slowly and little by little the business has been recovering a bit,” said Gamab.

She also assured that the shop adheres to all the guidelines set by the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force like social distancing and the requirement to use hand sanitizers and wear face masks.

Currently, Design Flower and Gift Shop has a promotion for select items and at times rewards early birds with generous discounts.

“During seasonal occasions, we always see to it that our first 10 clients will get a discount on all their orders,” said Gamab.

Design Flower and Gift Shop is open from Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm. But, due to clients’ request, they also accommodate emergency needs like after-office-hours orders and deliveries.

For more information or orders, call 234-5593/235-8572/235-1414. They can also reach Design Flower and Gift Shop through following numbers: 287-5810 (Frank), 287-4449 (Bong), 285-4936 (Fhe), and 285-5458 (Garijo). They can also be reached through their Facebook page: Design Florist and Gift Shop.