Street signs may be newest honor for century-old florist that counts Guggenheim as an early fan

Fred Falconer likes to say he was born into the flower business his grandfather started a century ago in Port Washington.

Now the name of his family business that has passed through three generations may be permanently affixed to a street sign to designate the two blocks from Main Street to Bernard Street on South Maryland Avenue as "S.F. Falconers Way."

North Hempstead Town officials have scheduled a public hearing for April 22 to consider adding the honorary street name.

"I feel honored," said Falconer, 74, who has spent his entire life in Port Washington, except for two years of Army service from 1966 to 1968.

Falconer said he knows of three other family-operated businesses in the hamlet that are older than his. Austin F. Knowles Funeral Home was established in 1905, Alper’s True Value Hardware in 1911 and Shields Hardware in 1917, according to the businesses.

Falconer remembered his grandfather, Simon Frederick Falconer, as "a stern Scotchman" who worked in suits and ties.

Simon Falconer emigrated from Scotland to the United States in the early 20th century and found work in Jericho and later at the Harry Guggenheim Estate in Sands Point as its head groundskeeper, according to Ross Lumpkin with the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society. The organization awarded the shop a historic designation in 2019.

"He must have been politically savvy and a model employee, for when he decided to resign and go into business for himself, he departed on very good terms," Lumpkin wrote. "So good, in fact, that Harry gave the young entrepreneur his wholehearted support."

Two of the three greenhouses on site came from a Guggenheim donation, said Falconer, who took over the business when his father, Frederick Falconer Sr., retired in the 1980s. Lumpkin said Guggenheim also sent the florist more business.

Town Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte said the shop’s longevity and its historical value are "beyond breathtaking."

"The greenhouses that he uses today came from a gift from Harry Guggenheim," Dalimonte said. "They are still there. That’s history. I still can’t get over that. … This is just phenomenal."

Dalimonte also praised Falconer for his generosity and community involvement. She gave one example of Falconer offering about 100 blue-and-white bows last summer to be tied up on lampposts to cheer up high school seniors when in-person graduation was canceled due to the pandemic. For years, Falconer also has been putting up wreaths at the train station during the holiday season.

"No one pays him to do it, but he just does it," Dalimonte said. "… He’s an all-around amazing person who cares about the community."

The street naming petition was started in January by the Port Washington Fire Department, of which Falconer’s father and son, Scott, of Huntington, were members. Falconer has been an active member for 48 years.

"It’s not too often that we would have a father that’s a 50-year member [and] a son coming up on 50 years of service," said Christopher Bollerman, a former chief and member of the department’s board of directors. "They own a business in the community for 100 years. It’s not too often something like that happens."