AU Florist - Hackensack's Neighborhood Florist

When you walk into AU Florist on Main Street, you'll spot the R.C. Gorman paintings first, then the 1944 Polish painting from Rob's grandmother. Over 70 pieces of art cover these walls. Customers settle into chairs while Rob and his team work, sometimes just watching, sometimes sharing their own stories about the vintage Judy Garland magazines or asking about that wooden triangle a regular painted for us.

Rob stumbled into floristry back in the early '80s working a part-time job at a friend's shop, mostly cleaning and driving. Then the regular designer called out sick. Orders everywhere. His boss was panicking. Rob grabbed a knife and made a dozen roses that shocked everyone, including himself! His boss wouldn't let him leave after that. Two years later Rob opened AU Florist!

The 5 AM alarm still goes off every morning. Rob heads to the wholesale markets, handpicks everything, makes his calls to suppliers. His lead designer has been here 25 years now. She knows exactly what Rob's looking for. Valentine's Day and Mother's Day? The whole family shows up. Ten people in the shop, everybody working, everybody exhausted, everybody coming back next year!

Small weddings keep us busy year-round! Other shops want $5,000 minimums. We just want to make your day special. Rob learned that from Thomas G. Gentile Funeral Home, who took him under their wing when he started. They're family now. Same with the operators at Hackensack Hospital who call us by name. Earl Jones Funeral Home too.

Yesterday's flowers? Rob won't sell them. Rob points customers to this morning's delivery instead. Always has, always will.

Some interesting orders come through here! Weekly $10 bouquets for the customer who painted that triangle on our wall. Arrangements for famous relatives. Sunflowers for Saturday Night Live. But mostly it’s Hackensack families marking life's moments. Births at the hospital. Services at the funeral homes. Weddings in local churches. Nearly 40 years of being part of this neighborhood's story.