After nearly 80 years, Flowerland marquee needs help

Sometimes the messages are heartfelt: "We All Need Peace and Beauty." Sometimes they have a political edge: "Less Ballroom. More Rose Garden." Often, they are clever or humorous: "Got Panic? Get Botanic."

Since she took over the Flowerland nursery on Solano Avenue in 2008, Carly Dennett has regularly shared witty and spirited phrases on the Flowerland marquee.

"I love the marquee — it's one of the first things I noticed when I moved to Albany," said Miriam Cron, a resident who likes to walk from her home to shop and get coffee at the nursery.

The messages — a collaborative effort between Dennett, her family members and coworkers — typically have three components: gardening, humor and politics (although not too political, she hopes).

"We have a text stream going and we are always riffing, trying to come up with something," she said.

The marquee is an Albany tradition that goes back decades. Dennett and the nursery's previous owner both believe it dates back to Flowerland's construction in 1947 at 1330 Solano Ave.

But recently the sign began to lean and was taken down for restoration. It may be the first time in nearly 80 years that the messages have disappeared.

Bob Wilson, the previous owner of Flowerland, recalls the marquee being there when he took over the business from the original owner, John Pleich (who once grew plants for the nursery on what was then open land on Tevlin Street).

"The sign was there when I bought Flowerland in 1976 and I think John put it up around the time he built the nursery," said Wilson, who grew up in Albany and recalls going to the store with his mother during his childhood.

Wilson kept up the tradition, changing the marquee messages about every two weeks. In addition to displaying jokes, he used the sign to announce community news like school sports scores and graduation ceremonies.

Occasionally, regular customers passed away and a message on the marquee would honor their memory. A message Wilson particularly remembers was dedicated to a boy who often came to the nursery with his father. He had cancer for some years and died at age 14.

"Customers always loved the marquee," Wilson said. "Sometimes people would take pictures of it and send them to former residents who had moved away from Albany. The sign has done a lot of good here."

Dennett wants to get the marquee restored and back in place, but the process is costly.

"Marquees are rare in the world today, like drive-in movie theaters," said Dennett, "but they can take up a lot of space, so they are treated like a building. We are required to rebuild the foundation, hire an engineer, get permits and make it earthquake-safe."

Because of the marquee's long history in the community, the city has offered a grant to help rebuild it if construction is completed soon, Dennett added.

But that will not cover all costs, so Flowerland has launched a GoFundMe campaign. So far, about $15,000 of the $34,400 goal has been raised.

Dennett is grateful the community is responding and hopes to reach the full goal, given that costs for the marquee are so much more than a typical business sign.

"So much messaging is online now," Dennett said. "This is a beautiful, simple way to put out a message to the community — something people can look at, share and have a conversation about."

Cron also hopes the marquee will come back. "It brings a lot of personality to the street," she said. "I love that it's funny and gives me a laugh."

Karen Sorensen is a local historian who has authored two books and numerous articles on Albany history. As a member of the Albany News Project, she donates history articles to Albany Scanner in support of the publication.

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