Rossi & Rovetti

Rossi & Rovetti Flowers is a long-running florist's company based in San Francisco. The origins of the company "Pelicano Rossi Flowers" dates back to 1900, when a man named A. Pelicano, an immigrant from Italy, started a business selling fresh flowers to merchants and passers-by in the new city of San Francisco. Joining with A. Rossi, another Italian immigrant, the earliest printed recognition of his business can be found in the Walter S. Fry 1907 annual directory of two cities [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=HwM1AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA385&lpg=PA385&dq=%22pelicano+rossi+%26+co%22&source=web&ots=4h8WZ94P6k&sig=CcOtATEUWzCd_ovJhkmk_LSxecE#PPA3,M1 San Francisco & Oakland abstract] .]

In 1915, the company celebrated the Liberty Bell with one of the largest moving floats created by a florist at that time. [ [http://www.rossirovetti.com/pelic.jpgPostcard from 1915] ] . In 1919, San Francisco mayor Angelo Rossi became the second generation of Rossis to be a part of the floral business.

In 1958, half of the floral business was sold to a French-Italian immigrant, Vincent Rovetti. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/06/14/MN13803.DTL&hw=podesta+baldocchi&sn=012&sc=275 Vincent Rovetti] ] In 1958, he bought half-ownership in the Rossi flower shop. He already had extensive experience in the flower business as assistant store manager of two large floral shops on the West Coast --"Belli and Belli Flowers" and "Podesta Baldocchi Flowers." In 1964, Rovetti bought out his partner, and renamed it to its present title. Rovetti died in a freak accident in 1997, when the door of the San Francisco Mariott apparently failed to stop when Rovetti paused moving through its entryway. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/12/01/MN47942.DTL&hw=rossi+rovetti&sn=002&sc=925 Rovetti Accident] ] . His son Marc took over the family business, and also sold the last remaining Rossi & Rovetti floral shop to Internet entrepreneur Jason Braatz and his family in 2003Fact|date=December 2007.

References

External links

* [http://timelines.ws/cities/SF_F_1978_1995.HTML San Francisco Timeline]
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,747537-2,00.html Time Magazine article]
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/03/08/SPECIAL14605.dtl&hw=rossi+rovetti&sn=001&sc=1000 Marc Rovetti in 1906 earthquake Survival]
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/06/14/MN13803.DTL&hw=rossi+rovetti&sn=003&sc=922 Obituary of Vincent Rovetti]