Cub Scouts Support Fran’s Flowers in a Season of Change

Fran Morello, proprietor of Fran’s Flowers, has sold Christmas trees, wreaths, and Channukah candles in Natick for “north of 37 years,” he said. Formerly located in the parking lot near Building 19, at the intersection of Routes 9 and 27, Fran’s Flowers has moved to the parking lot of the AMC off Route 9 while Building 19 undergoes renovation.
Among Morello’s many regular customers have been Natick Boy Scouts. He provides candles and wreaths to the Scouts to sell for their annual fundraiser.
The Boy Scouts, famous for their loyalty and good deeds, also appreciate those qualities in others. “Fran has always been helpful, always been dependable,” said Eric Laub, Cubmaster of pack 310. “Fran provides the wreaths at cost to him. They come in pallets.”
According to its website, www.natickpack310.org, this sole fundraiser is the pack’s main source of income, providing the scouts with money for activities, books and badges.
The Cub Scouts honored Morello by presenting him with a plaque at their monthly meeting at Memorial School on October 19th, when they kicked off their annual wreath and candle sale. Laub said the pack wanted to find a way to show gratitude and support. “Fran has delivered thousands if not tens of thousands of these wreaths to Natick doors. Most of his clientele is local to Natick, and they moved him across from the AMC where they usually pile the snow. It looks like a tough business,” Laub said.
The scouts try to deliver the wreaths the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Morello was optimistic about the change. “It’s 40 feet from Framingham,” he said, “but it’s still in Natick. The town has been instrumental in making sure a small independent business was taken care of.” In particular, the zoning board and economic development committee have been “very supportive in having Fran’s stay around.”
In response to the Cub Scout ceremony of appreciation, Morello said, “I have no idea why they wanted to honor me. I don’t know what I did. My small part is to get the wreaths in their hands.”
Most of the wreaths are made in New Brunswick, Maine, and other maritime communities. “There’s not a lot of people who make wreaths anymore,” Morello said. “It’s a lost cottage industry. In the old days, people would fish in April, harvest blueberries in July, make wreaths in the fall. Working in Natick, I’ve seen things change. The good news is the scouts are still selling wreaths, and I’m still getting them to them. There’s really no magic to it.”
Except the magic of the season.
Morello plans to return to the Building 19 lot in spring 2018. “Weather permitting, we open at the vernal equinox March 20. Lucky we have good customers and good karma.”