This century-old NYC family business achieved the American Dream

Emman Smallberg Flowers is a century-old custom fabric flower manufacturer based in New York City's garment district. The company was founded in 1916 by Morris and Sam Schmalberg, Polish immigrants. Adam Brand, the current fourth-generation owner, defines the American Dream as the opportunity to work hard without requiring a college education or professional credentials to achieve a good life. The business eventually passed to Adam's grandfather Harold Brand, who immigrated to the US in the 1940s as a Holocaust survivor who lost everything during the war. Adam's father Warren joined the business full-time in 1977, and Adam himself entered the company in 2010. Warren has been gradually stepping back since 2019, with Adam now overseeing daily operations. The company produces custom fabric flowers for diverse clients ranging from high-end fashion designers like Vera Wang (currently ordering 200 oversized flowers) to major television productions such as Bridgerton and The Gilded Age. The factory contains over a thousand flower molds, many over a century old. Production involves creating petal cutouts and adding floral details using traditional iron presses and hydraulic presses. Interestingly, smaller flowers are more labor-intensive and costly than larger ones. The business has evolved to include direct retail sales, with individual customers able to purchase flowers ranging from $10 to $50 each. Adam emphasizes that the highly customized nature of the work makes automation impossible, as every client requires different specifications.