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"TAKE THE ELEVATOR 



AND SAVE ONE-HALF" 



The application of a general merchandising idea to the tuandgcincnt of a 

 floner store conducted ivilh unusually low overhead cx/it'iisc. How a Chicago 

 retail florist, operating one store in which the service is ol the most costly char- 

 acter also has built up a successful separate business on the Ion prices basis. 



PSTATKS store motliods as 

 tlie iiu'uiis of selling- flow- 

 ers liavc been adopted by 

 a Cliieaso florist aiul, at 

 tlie close of a year's l)usi- 

 iiess, the innovation is a 

 ^^n\ SMceess, declare tiie men 

 C J qI) back of the enterprise. 

 — 'I I'lider the name of the 

 Oliio Floral <'o., a store 

 was openeil on the second floor of the 

 Ohio buildinii;-, at the corner of Wabash 

 avenue and Conj^ress street, in May, 

 191(5, an advertisint>' caiu|iaii,ni was 

 launched and ])reparations were made 

 to expend considerable money, if neces- 

 sary, to discover Avhether or not a 

 second-floor store in the business sec- 

 tion, sellinjT (lesij^ns, cut flowers and 

 plants at low jn'ices, would lie a money- 

 maker. 



"Take the elevator and save one- 

 half" has been the slofjan of the com- 

 pany's advertising, both in daily news- 

 papers and on the windows of the store. 

 While this was not original — many 

 clothing and other classes of merchan- 

 dising concerns have made the jdirase 

 familiar — it was unique in the retail 

 brancdi of the florists' trade. Wreaths 

 at $- and sprays at 

 $1.50 were tho leaders 

 announced in ])racti- 

 cally all of the adver- 

 tising. Aside from a 

 small card on tho glass 

 door at the entrance to 

 the building, there was 

 no opportunity for the 

 pedestrian to know 

 that there was a flower 

 store in the building. 



A Good Location. 



The location has an 

 u n u s u a 1 advantage, 

 however, in that its 

 windows, of w h i c h 

 there are many, are but 

 a few feet away from 

 the elevated platform, 

 from which thousands 

 of persons daily take 

 and leave trains to 

 and from their homes. 

 The firoximity of the 

 elevated structure also 

 creates a disadvantage, 

 as it ]>artially shuts off 

 the pedestrians' view 

 of tlie windows from 

 the streets. 



Upon tlie windows 

 are painted in large, 

 bright red and white 

 letters the name of tho 



company, its business slogan, "Take 

 the elevator an<l save oneliall','' 

 "Wreaths $l2, sprays $l.r)()." "Your 

 money's worth or your money back," 

 all of which savor of the department 

 store. The large expanse of window 

 space on both Wabash avenue and Con- 

 gress street permits a striking display. 



To attract business to a store so situ- 

 ated jiersistent advertising was neces- 

 sary. The first announcements of the 

 opening of the store l)r(iught liusiness in 

 such nieagcr volume that the first 

 wi'(dv 's receipts did not come near pay- 

 ing clerk hire. The second week was 

 better; at the end of the year the store 

 is jia^'ing expenses. 



Appeals to the Thrifty. 



This store and its method of attract- 

 ing customers have demonstrated that 

 flowers are, in truth, a necessity at one 

 time or another to all the people. Its 

 sales are made almost ex(dusively to 

 persons who, by reading the advertis- 

 ing time and again, have the store name 

 and location imjiressed upon their minds 

 and who remember, when flowers are 

 neeiled, that it is the l»est [dace to 



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Applying the Upstairs Store Idea to the Retailing of Flowers. 



supply their needs for less money. 

 ('onse(pieutly, weddings, funerals, 

 celebrations of any kind that usuallv 

 call for flowers or dt>sigus in the homes 

 nV those who wish to buy as cheaply as 

 possible mean business for the Ohio 

 I'loral Co. The jnnchases are made 

 when flowers are <'oiisidered a necessity, 

 and not usually for the grat ificaticm of 

 a love of flowers. 



Cut flowers and designs are tlie jiriu- 

 cipal stock sold at tliis store. Klaborato 

 lMni(|uets and baskets make no ajtpeal 

 i<i tlie thrifty jiersons who trade there. 

 i'etted jdants also sell \\A\ and there 

 lia\e been several calls for hedding 

 plants and in one or two instatn-es homo 

 owners have sought shrubs and trees. 



\a\\\ prices for stock are made ])os- 

 sible by the smaller rent a second floor 

 locatiiiu comiuaibls in eonijiarison with 

 the street level store in the same neigh- 

 borhood; less expert help is needed, as 

 there is little out-of-theordinary work 

 to be made up; buyers are less exacting 

 as to the attention they receive and 

 sales ar(> made rai)idly; supplies cost 

 less, as in most cases the inirchases 

 nier(dy are wr.appeil in ])aper ami taken 

 buyers, tiius (dinuHating 

 delivery cost, ;ind there 

 is no loss from bad ac- 

 counts, all sales being 

 I'nr cash. 



Sells Good Stock. 



1 1 ini^ht be supposed 

 that a store ibdng such 

 a business wouM be an 

 outlet for ])oor stock 

 only. Such is not tho 

 c.'ise, it is declared. 

 The best stock that 

 can be sold at the 

 prices asked and leave 

 .1 --mall margin over 

 tlie wholesale cost is 

 the policy of the store. 

 Patrons of the estab- 

 lish :nent are given the 

 advantage of the de- 

 cre.'iseil cdst of doing 

 biisiuess, wiiich is fig- 

 ured to bo only two- 

 thirds u hat it is in a 

 street level store of tho 

 same general charac- 

 ter. 



Making a success of 

 this venture re(|uired 

 liatience, that cniality 

 which is best described 

 as gaineness in the faco 

 of continued money 

 loss, and, last, but most 

 important, a consider- 



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