Fritsche the Florist of Washington Square

The mid-July air was soft and balmy as the sun beamed down on the roses man (he whispers, “Roses, roses” at passers-by). Martin Fritsche sits quietly on the pavement by Schwartz Plaza — something he does to avoid the dense crowds in Washington Square Park. And he has a lot more to offer than just roses.

Next to Fritsche was a black, steel utility cart embellished with hand-picked flowers. Today, he showed up with deep purple-red allium, small creamy-white blooms of sweet alyssum and baby-pink flowering dogwood.

He had few personal belongings with him, including a revised edition of The New American Bible and the RD-666 Sunflash 3 Band Radio — an old-school portable device that comes with a Bluetooth boombox.

Fritsche wore a pewter-green Carhartt long-sleeve shirt and camouflage cargo pants with a silver chain dangling from the right pocket, and black cap-toe oxfords. He accessorized with an orange beret, which covered the roots of his golden dreadlocks that were held into a ponytail. Fritsche is 69-years-old, but he blends in with the hundreds of NYU students who walk along Washington Square South every day.

For $5, he will make customers a fresh bouquet and offer a sweet conversation.

“I don’t know why I don’t sell in the park. I can’t deal with the excitement there. It’s not competition. I’m a very good salesman – they used to call me Goldilocks because my hair was long and gold,” Fritsche said. “But I’ve always loved NYU. The students are very good to me ... they bring me cakes and food and they ask me if I have lunch.”

Fritsche’s flower corner is a tranquil oasis from the park, which has over time become territory for highflying skateboarders, vendors and tourists, among others.

“I see him a lot when I’m on my way to class, so I’ll try buy some,” said Justin Chiu, a rising senior at NYU Stern. “He’s quiet and nice and doesn’t disrupt the space.”

Street Credibility

If Fritsche had his way, he said he would be in upstate New York, where he could plant or live with a nice dog and go to the lakes. He values nature and peace of mind. But he wasn’t always like this.

When Fritsche first emigrated from the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean to New York City in 1983, selling marijuana was profitable for him in terms of money, women and street credibility.

“I used to do it when I first came with my long hair and my youth for chicks. You know, chicks would want it and I would go get it, and then I would be able to get chicks like that,” said Fritsche. “Now I’ve given up chicks a few years now, maybe seven years, so I lost the thrill for weed, even if it’s legal.”

Having hustled around in lower Manhattan for the past 40 years, Fritsche has experienced the ins and outs of the characters or activities that once fueled the grittiness of Greenwich Village.

“I love the Village,” said Fritsche. “Since the day I went into the park, there were nice crowds. We played soccer, we had big radios playing reggae music, and I had good fun here because I could relax and chill out.”

“He’s there every day, maybe he takes a day off once a week,” said a security officer at NYU’s Bobst Library who requested anonymity. “Actually, another security guard told me he’s seen him for around 30 years now, selling flowers or whatever he can.”

“I Lost the Taste for It”

But Fritsche got arrested far too often for selling marijuana. Each time he was caught, he would pay a fine of roughly $120 – more than double the amount he makes each day from selling flowers now.

“I was tired of selling weed because it wasn’t thrilling anymore. I got tired of getting arrested for a little bag of weed,” he said. “I don’t smoke it. I don’t sell or buy it. I lost the taste for it.”

In 1998, Fritsche moved to New Haven, Connecticut, and he dated a girl there who introduced him to the concept of selling flowers.

“Connecticut is strict with weed, so she showed me a guy that sold a lot of flowers,” said Fritsche. “I guess she dumped me, so I came back to New York. But I used to sell at a lot of graduations and recitals and it was nice at Wesleyan College, Yale, Quinnipiac.”

Faith and Prayers

After his ex-girlfriend broke up with him, Fritsche turned to faith and prayers.

“God would protect me from danger, from violence, and not to let me think of sex and fornication or even weed – throw all that behind my back,” he said.

Since Fritsche moved back in 2003, he has decided to live so simply that he does not even own an apartment. He lives in the home of his only sister left in South Jamaica, Queens.

“I doubt I could support myself really on flowers ... like paying rent. This is just for me to eat,” he said. “I don’t have a phone or cable. My bills are only food and laundry to keep myself clean.”

Selling flowers reminds Fritsche of the Caribbean. As the youngest of 11 children, Fritsche often reminisces about his mother’s passion for planting.

“We had a nice piece of land along the house. My mother would plant yams and bananas and bougainvillea, hibiscus and anthuriums,” he said. “We would go into the garden and take the slugs cause they would eat the plants. I loved to see the way the hibiscus opened up, or we would wash our hair with aloe vera.”

Go-Getting Salesman

The demand for Fritsche’s flowers may not be as high compared to his weed, but he has not lost his touch as a go-getting salesman.

“I have some people, mostly Mexicans, who bring in flowers from Ecuador and Mexicans who grow flowers in New Jersey,” Fritsche said. “There’s a wholesale flower place on 28th Street, but I try to get the best bargains for the best flowers.”

Before Fritsche’s 70th birthday, which will be in February, he hopes to save up enough money to finally go home to the Caribbean. He said the flowers could not survive the winter months anyway.

“I just want to live clean, end my days gracefully and clean regardless of my past,” said Fritsche. “I want to practice what I preach. I want to live clean and godly.”

For now, Fritsche is like a classmate who doesn’t go to class.

“I just walk here every day, and I see him selling flowers,” said Stella Hong, a rising third-year at NYU. “Why not buy some? I think it’s my third or fourth time.”

“I’m so careful with the customers, especially the students ... I know NYU will kick me out of here if I make one mistake,” Fritsche said. “So, I always ask them things like what they are studying, tell them to keep up the good work, and try to pass your exams.”

Whether it’s the first day of school, Thanksgiving break, or finals season, he will be there to show support.

“I’m chilling in the Village,” Fritsche said. “Yeah, yeah, I like the Village.”