Coronavirus: Farmgirl Flowers permanently closes San Francisco facility after COVID-19 leaves business reeling

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Farmgirl Flowers says it's closing the San Francisco facility it has called home for the last four years after COVID-19 shut down non-essential businesses.

The company made the announcement on Instagram:

"So it official, we're moving out of our SF home where we've been for the past 4 years (and in SF for almost 10 yrs) and it's definitely bittersweet. More on that later as I haven't even formulated all the things I want to say about that yet, but while up there this week, our lovely neighbors @offthegridsf helped up get our last lone pickup sign down from its perch and we all kind of just stood their (sic) staring at it trying not to cry. So we thought we'd commemorate it with some pretty flowers and a picture. We're going to miss this place and our wonderful customers and neighbors. It definitely feels like an end of a very long but great chapter. "

Christina Stembel founded the flower delivery business in 2010 from her house.

RELATED: San Francisco-based Farmgirl Flowers flourishes after COVID-19 shut down non-essential businesses

She says everything changed on March 16. That was the day Bay Area counties ordered all non-essential businesses to close because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farmgirl Flowers says staying in San Francisco also became increasily difficult after its landlord did "not offer their tenants any deferment or relief whatsoever".

Even if things go back to normal. Stembel knows Farmgirl Flowers won't. The pandemic forced her to transform her business. Before, 90% of orders were processed in one facility in San Francisco. Now, Farmgirl Flowers operates in six facilities, including two in Ecuador.

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