T.F. Murphy Florist is wrapping up a 60+ year run as Somerville’s premiere provider of fragrant bouquets, spectacularly colorful floral arrangements, and priceless memories.

By Douglas Yu

Tom Murphy Jr. seemed no different than on any of the other days he’s spent for over a decade in his flower shop: he woke up early in the morning to select fresh and shining flowers in a downtown market, fielded phone calls from his customers, and designed flower arrangements.

But one thing made this landmark florist, who has been operating since 1953 in Somerville, different and even sad on Saturday: old customers stopped by to say farewell to their beloved store.

“I can’t believe it’s shutting down. It [T.F. Murphy Florist] has been there forever. I’ll miss it so much,” a life-long Somerville resident said, heaving a big sigh when she passed by the family-owned business.

T.F. Murphy Florist is located on Highland Avenue, just an eight-minute walk from Davis Square. Tom Murphy Sr., the current operator’s father, started the flower shop after he came back from the Korean War. When Murphy Sr. was a child, he worked for Joe Howard, the florist on Broadway who closed his store many years ago.

Murphy described the customer base that the shop has built over the years as incredible. “It’s sad to say goodbye to them. They are great customers,” he said. “But we’ll still run into them, which is the good part.”

Murphy said the primary reason why the Murphy family recently decided to shut down the store is that they wanted to spend more time with the family. “Both my wife and I work seven days a week. We have to make sure of the quality of the flowers we supply for all occasions,” Murphy said.

— Photos by Douglas Yu

After pausing for a few seconds, Murphy added that a family member’s health condition had been declining; spending more time taking care of them seems important.

“We put in a lot of hours here, which we’re supposed to do to service our customers, but we can’t do both [taking care of family and servicing customers],” Murphy said, declining to detail his mother’s health condition out of respect for her privacy.

The flower shop meant “the whole world to my family, and me” Murphy said. What brought joy to Murphy himself were the customers, ranging from a veteran who ordered bouquets for his wedding to someone who was on her first date. And each of Murphy Florist’s customers made an impression on him.

Pieces of the store’s memory are well preserved by the Murphy’s. Those include customers’ thank-you letters, gifts, even the store’s weather worn old sign, which was replaced about 14 years ago. Of course, there are a ton of awards that once and forever testify T.F. Murphy Florist’s glory and reputation in the neighborhood as well.

T.F. Murphy Florist has a facility that extends about four-storefronts long, and each section is used for a different function: design workshop, delivery section, gift room and front sales area. In fact, the overall space is even bigger, since the florist has his own office, and the store also contains a huge walk-in refrigerator for keeping the flowers fresh.

T.F. Murphy Florist sold mostly flowers and plants at first. Over the years, it started selling gifts, candles, stuffed animals and balloons as the business grew.

“People always asked me which flower or which item was my favorite. I like them all,” Murphy said, explaining there were hundreds and hundreds of different types of plants in his store on a daily basis. Usually, the staff in the store assisted its customers in picking specific kinds of flowers according to the occasions, such as weddings or funerals. “If we don’t have [a certain kind of flower], I’ll find it and get it in time,” Murphy added.

Tamikl Byrd, the person who works at the flower shop’s front desk doing customer service, is not part of Murphy’s family. But working at the store for roughly six years, she felt like a family member.

“This is my second family,” Byrd said, describing how much she liked working at the shop, especially while communicating with customers. Even though she felt sad that the store was closing down, Byrd said she had to move forward with her life and seek new opportunities. “You’ll see me crying at the end of the day,” she said.

Sonja Murphy, Tom Murphy’s wife, told The Somerville Times that they were sweethearts since high school, and they just celebrated their 30th anniversary on April 20. The Murphy’s, however, celebrated it by working at their store. They also skipped many family gatherings in the past for the same reason – the customers have their holidays too.

“That’s what we do. We know how important families and friends are. That’s why people come to us,” Mrs. Murphy said. “Now it’s time for us to do something for our family.”

When it comes shutting down their flower shop business, the Murphy’s shared a bittersweet feeling. One thing that’s certain is that T.F. Murphy Florist didn’t perish altogether when it closed for the last time on Saturday. More flowers would be delivered to their customers on Sunday, and Monday morning would witness the store’s last delivery after over 60 years of service.

On Murphy’s workshop table sat a foot-tall flower arrangement that was decorated with small baby roses and Gypsophilia, also known as baby’s breath. A pink silk bow was tied around the vase. The piece, which Murphy assembled the day before the store closed, was ready to be delivered.

The scent given off by the plants filled the store. And soon enough, the Murphy’s will donate many of those plants and flowers to local residencies and organizations in Somerville as their last expression of gratitude for the community support.

What was the most special thing for the Murphy’s? “The whole thing is special: our customers, employees, flowers and working with my husband. I can’t pinpoint one thing,” Mrs. Murphy said, taking a nostalgic look around.