Business & Tech

Meet Milford's New 'Flower Boss'

'If it could be made of flowers, I'm making it,' says John Dillon.

John Dillon is not your average florist.

“People compare me to the Cake Boss,” Dillon says in reference to the popular reality TV series that showcases the elaborate cakes of a New Jersey bakery.

“They call me the Flower Boss.”

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Some of the 3D concoctions Dillon has on his resume include a dog, a trout, a basketball, a Harley, and perhaps most astonishing, a life-size pink flamingo, which was created gratis for the wake of slain Newtown teacher Victoria Soto.

“If it could be made of flowers, I’m making it,” says Dillon.

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After more than 50 years in business on Clark Street, Collins Florist handed over the keys to Dillon and his wife, Kim, on July 1.

“The Collins owner retired and I put my name on the building,” says Dillon, who is friends with the former owner.

This is not the first time, however, that a Dillon is selling flowers in Milford. Dillon’s father, Edward – who now owns two shops in Stratford – started selling flowers in Milford in 1958 when he took over Post Road Florist.

Dillon, 44, says he got his start in the trade working under his dad when he was about 10. “I didn’t go to school for it,” says the Oxford resident. “I learned from the bottom up.”

He says he’s taken what his father’s taught him “to the next level” with intricate flower arrangements that sometimes has him working late into the night.

“It’s like artist stuff,” Dillon says. “A lot of the times I do it after hours when no one’s around.”

Dillon’s Florist at 100 Clark St. is open seven days a week and offers plenty of your more standard flower arrangements. The shop carries hundreds of varieties of flowers and if they don’t have it, they’ll get it, says Kim Dillon. For more information, call them at 203.878.8588 or visit them online.


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