In Philadelphia’s West Oak Lane neighborhood, a flower shop has been quietly marking life’s most important moments for 55 years, and it’s still very much a family affair. 

Paul Beale’s Flowers was founded on May 1, 1971, by Paul Beale Sr. and his wife, Altermese.  

Before opening the shop, Paul had spent 15 years managing Stein’s Florist in Philadelphia, a trade he first learned in Virginia before moving north, writes Violet Comber-Wilen for Billy Penn at WHYY.  

Together, the couple built their business on a straightforward philosophy: deliver excellent service and let your customers do the talking. 

More than five decades later, the shop is still standing and still in the family. 

Paul and Altermese’s daughters, Paulette Beale Harris and Carolyn Beale, now handle the day-to-day operations, from customer orders to inventory.  

“Business is business and family is family, and fortunately, we found a way to blend them all together,” Beale Harris said. “And my mother and father wouldn’t have had it any other way.” 

Meanwhile, Paul David Beale Sr. and his son, Paul Beale Jr., carry on the family tradition of floral design. 

The business has adapted through decades of change in the neighborhood, in the industry, and in customer tastes.  

Anthuriums and birds of paradise have given way to hydrangeas, orchids, lilies, and peonies, but the Beales’ commitment to service has never wavered. 

Generations of Philadelphia families have returned to the shop for prom corsages, weddings, holiday arrangements, and sympathy flowers, milestones that mark the full arc of a life. 

Paul Beale Sr. passed away in 2020 and Altermese Beale followed earlier this year. But the business they built together continues, guided by their example and carried forward by the family they raised. 

Read the full Billy Penn at WHYY feature to meet the family that has kept Paul Beale’s Flowers blooming through five decades of change in Philadelphia. 

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