Fujikami Florist Has 104 Years of Experience Expressing Emotions Through Flowers

SmallBiz Editor’s Choice Awards Hall of Fame: Eileen Miura continues a proud family legacy at Hawai‘i’s oldest florist in Downtown Honolulu.

“I literally grew up in the shop.” says Eileen Miura, the third-generation owner of her family’s Honolulu-based business, Fujikami Florist.

Started in 1919 by her grandfather, Walter Fujikami, it’s the oldest floral company in the state. Walter Fujikami’s oldest son, Stephen (Eileen’s uncle), took over the business in the mid-1980s. Adapting to the changing times, he incorporated credit card processing, direct mail, product catalogs and computerization, and expanded the company’s offerings to include wines, champagnes and gourmet gift baskets.

When Stephen Fujikami retired, his sister Stephanie (Eileen’s mom) and her husband, George Shikuzawa (Eileen’s stepfather) took over, until their retirement in 2016.

Over the past century, the business has moved several times; its current location is on Pali Highway near Fort Street. And throughout, it’s been beloved for its fresh flowers and speedy service, its understanding of island aesthetics and its sensitivity to cultural traditions, according to what customers say online.

“Flowers are about sentiment and the conveyance of feelings,” Miura says. In her business, impeccable customer service is as important a product as the arrangements themselves, “and we have lived and breathed all of it,” she says.

While holidays like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day provide seasonal peaks, a steady stream of everyday occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and business openings keep things lively year-round. Still, the past few years have not been easy.

“The supply and demand issues have been major and continue to be so,” Miura says, with some products remaining in short supply or even being out of stock indefinitely. “However, we endure and continue. To say I’m proud of my family legacy and now being its proprietor and perpetuator would be an understatement.”