10-06-2025
Family-owned florist closes shop after 124 years in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — After 124 years of weddings, funerals, Valentine's Days and proms, a university area staple has closed its doors.
The 5th Ave Floral Company made its final sale Saturday, closing so owner Kim Fitz could retire. Fitz and her husband purchased the shop from her parents, Ralph and Carol Barber, in 2006, making Fitz the third generation of family florists at the Columbus shop.
'We are saddened to say goodbye but the memories will last forever,' 5th Ave Floral Co. wrote. 'But a big congratulations to the owners who are onto retirement and spending lots of time with their grandchildren!!'
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Despite its name, 5th Ave Floral Co. is located at the intersection of Kenny and Kinnear roads near the southwest campus. However, the shop originally opened in 1901 on Fifth Avenue in Harrison West, now the site of Battelle's headquarters. According to research by the Columbus Historical Society, the shop moved in 1945.
Columbus Historical Society board member Brad Funk dove into 5th Ave Floral Co.'s history and found the shop was part of multiple historic celebrations. In 1912, it donated thousands of salvia plants for Columbus's centennial, and 1,000 tomato plants so unused lots around the city could grow extra food. It also supplied flowers in 1919 when the city welcomed back World War I veterans.
With such a long legacy of flower sales, 5th Ave Floral Co. lived through two pandemics, both COVID-19 and the Spanish Flu 100 years earlier. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shop implemented contact-free delivery to keep sales up.
The shop racked up accolades in its 124 years and was voted the No. 1 Columbus Florist four years in a row. In 2022, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose selected 5th Ave Floral Co. as the August Ohio Business of the Month.
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'The company began by growing its own flowers and then making them into bouquets for customers. Some of the company's most popular and well-known items were poinsettias and Easter lilies,' LaRose said in 2022. 'Today, 5th Ave Floral Company continues to be one of the only 'truly' locally grown florist shops in Franklin County.'
Funk found 5th Ave Floral Co. had its own greenhouses for generations, even after moving from Fifth Avenue 80 years ago. The greenhouses were retired in 2015 after specific curved glass panels became more and more difficult to replace. According to an old postcard of the flower shop, the greenhouses used 10,000 feet of glass by 1945.
In closing, the 5th Ave Floral Co. said it was grateful for the decades of support throughout its many years of business. The company celebrated with a final sale, offering 50% off items from flowers to ribbons.
'All of us here at 5th Avenue would like to thank our many, many (many) customers throughout our 124+ years of your wonderful and much appreciated business, loyalty and friendships,' the shop said.
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