On Tuesday, within 24 hours of John J. Gotti's death, Dennis Rigas put the staff on high alert at his flower shop in Richmond Hill, Queens.
"We first got the call about two days ago and they told us that they didn't know exactly when, where or how," Rigas said. "We did not know when or where, but we have been on alert for two days."
For florists who specialize in funeral arrangements, few occasions are as momentous as the death of a mob boss. And the passing of Gotti, the so-called Teflon Don, was nothing short of a historic event. At times like this, an arranger's reputation can extend to the stuff of legend or be shattered in an instant. For Rigas, it meant having a special team in place and closing down his shop to all other business.
Rigas was at the wholesale market early on Wednesday when his wife, Maryann, reached him with the urgent news. He rushed back to the shop, Dennis Rigas Floral Creations.
"We cut off things with the outside world and made sure every piece was there early at 1 o'clock," he said. "There was no stopping. There was no going to the bathroom. There was no eating lunch. There was no talking."
By the end of the day, Rigas and his team had assembled three huge gates of heaven arrangements -- made with orchids from Hawaii, Charlotte roses, Acapulco lilies -- each with hundreds of flowers. "We make the frame out of wood," Rigas said. "Then every flower is put in an individual tube of water and then we create it with our imagination."
They also designed a broken heart made of carnations, roses and orchids, and a cross of chrysanthemums, roses, anthuriums and orchids. There were also some 50 sprays and baskets. "The gates of heaven is a very important piece for Italian people," Rigas explained. "It's a very expensive piece."
Asked who had placed the orders, Rigas said he'd rather not say. "They are special people we have known for our whole life," he said.
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