ARSONIST STRIKES FLORIST FLOWER SHOP TORCHED JUST BEFORE BIGGEST DAY OF YEAR.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer LANCASTER - Four days before one of florists' busiest holidays an arsonist torched a landmark downtown flower shop. At the gutted Palmdale-Lancaster Florist shop, family, friends and other volunteers pitched in Wednesday to help owner Randy Poitevint and his wife, Stephanie Gile, move into a vacant neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. office to get through Mother's Day. ``We're getting help because everyone knows how important Mother's Day is to a florist,'' Poitevint said. ``Valentine's Day Valentine's Day: see Saint Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day Lovers' holiday celebrated on February 14, the feast day of St. Valentine, one of two 3rd-century Roman martyrs of the same name. St. and Mother's Day make up half my business but Mother's Day is the most important. Not everybody has a lover on Valentine's Day but everyone has a mother.'' Poitevint's Mother's Day supply of flowers arrived Wednesday, just hours after the fire, and is being kept at competitor Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Florist, whose owner offered his help. The blaze broke out about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday when someone smashed a rear window and poured in a flammable liquid Generally, a flammable liquid means a liquid which may catch fire easily. In the USA, there is a precise definition of flammable liquid as one with a flashpoint below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. , then ignited it. The fire gutted the shop, breaking windows and blackening black·en v. black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens v.tr. 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. the adjoining sidewalk. Flowers, dozens of stuffed animals
A stuffed animal is toy animal stuffed with straw, beans, cotton or other similar materials. Some stuffed animals are very old – home made cloth dolls stuffed with straw go back to at least the , greeting cards See e-card. , balloons and other merchandise were destroyed. Flowers in coolers survived. The fire also destroyed records of flower orders, primarily for upcoming weddings. The owners are asking that anyone who had an order for any upcoming event come in with their receipt. The building where the shop has operated for 17 years is owned by the city, which recently bought the property intending to tear down to demolish violently; to pull or pluck down. - Shak. See also: Tear the structure and eliminate an awkward traffic arrangement at the intersection. City officials helped Poitevint move Wednesday into what had been an insurance office at 1008 W. Lancaster Blvd. ``I have to say, the city stepped up to the plate when I made the frantic phone call to them this morning,'' Poitevint said. Palmdale-Lancaster Florist was actually due to move out March 1 into a new store at 1649 W. Ave. J but construction delays made it extend its stay. After hearing of the fire, Chris Spicher from Antelope Valley Florist volunteered the use of his coolers for the couples' ``live'' inventory. ``I used to sell flowers to Chris, wholesale, 20 years ago and we're kind of competitors but he came over and offered his help,'' Poitevint said. ``It really shows you the spirit we have here. They're good people.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Randy Poitevint surveys the damage an arsonist did to his Palmdale-Lancaster Florist shop early Wednesday morning. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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