Arlyne's Flowers & Gifts, Since 1950

Arlyne’s Flowers and Gifts, now located at 6485 Palma Ave., has been a staple flower shop in Atascadero since Al and Arlyne Casper and Charleen and John Bliss opened the business on the side of the Carlton Hotel on Traffic Way in 1950. The property, a duplex, where the flower shop is now was purchased in 1954. The Bliss family lived in half of the duplex and operated the flower shop in the other half.
At that time, Arlyne’s Flowers also offered Western Union services.
“We were the first FTD florist in Atascadero,” said Jaynee Orcutt, the current owner of Arlyne’s Flowers and the daughter of the Caspers.
The flower shop was managed jointly by Arlyne Casper and Charleen Bliss until Jaynee and Jeff Orcutt purchased the business in 1973 and Jaynee has managed the shop for the past 45 years. The Orcutts’ two daughters, Kristin and Karly, were also part of the business through their high school years.
“It was a family business,” Jaynee said. “We all participated.”
Over the years, the shop has undergone renovations and has expanded from flowers and plants to an array of gift items, which include plush animals, candy, cards, vases, candles, decorative lanterns, tinware and more. The business also offers fruit baskets.
“We also custom design silk faux arrangements, either in your container or ours,” Jaynee said.
Arlyne’s Flowers decorates for all holidays. It focuses on the full circle of life from birth to death and all the events in between. Arlyne’s has kept with the times and has a full-service website, where a variety of baskets or customer flower arrangements can be ordered.
“You can always depend on our courteous staff to help you with flowers for the funeral of a departed loved one or friend or any special occasion,” Jaynee said. “There is always a personal touch added to the design of each arrangement.
It’s a business where you never have two days alike. Each day is like a flower blooming.”
Heather Young can be contacted at heather@colonymagazine.com