16 



The Florists^ Review 



Mat 15, 191». 



intense at the hour preceding dawn, 

 so the darkness of failure takes on its 

 gloomiest hue at the hour when the sun 

 of success is about to rise. 



Business suddenly began to pick up. 

 Penn's perennial smile and consistent 

 courtesy, which the darkest hour of im- 

 pending failure failed to extinguish, 

 proved his greatest asset, for its effect 

 on the men of finance who stopped occa- 

 sionally to buy a buttonhole bouquet was 

 so pleasing thatf they retaliated by di- 

 verting a portion of their business from 

 the established bon-ton florists farther 

 uptown to the smiling chap who would 

 not quit when things where breaking 

 badly for him. ' 



Fenn's First FubUdty Campaign. 



A short while after this turn in the 

 tide of fortune, Penn first conceived the 

 idea of advertising. A customer walked 

 into the store one morning and, as Penn 

 smilingly greeted him, said, "Penn, 

 what are you going to soak me for a 

 dozen carnations today t" This ques- 

 tion set Penn to thinking and he asked 

 why the man expected to be soaked. 

 The answer received convinced Penn 

 that in order to disabuse the minds of 

 the people of the idea that flowers were 

 a, high-priced luxury, it was necessary 

 to advertise. 



Now, to some of the florists then exist- 

 ing such a departure from the accepted 

 methods of merchandising appeared un- 

 ethical — something to be eschewed as 

 undignified and unbe^tting the calling. 

 Penn 's faith in its effic&cy as a business- 

 getter, however, was such that he laid 

 plans for an advertising campaign that 

 called for a fixed charge against the 

 business for maintenance. ]k9'~recog- 

 nized the fact that spasmodic attempts 

 to attract public attention would prove 

 abortive and he determined to keep his 

 name and his merchandise continually 

 before the public eye, so that eventually 

 the thought of one would give rise to the 

 thought of the otl^r. 



The Besults of His Advertising. 



His faith in advertising was soon vin- 

 dicated. Customers, instead of being 

 separated by intervals of hours, became 

 numerous enough to necessitate the hir- 

 ing of help and the securing of delivery 

 facilities and larger quarters, for it was 

 apparent that persistent advertising 

 would result in business far in excess 

 of that thought possible by most retail 

 florists of that time. 



A location was secured on Bromfield 

 street and it was there that Penn built 

 up his business to an extent that en- 

 titled him to claim the leadership in 

 point of volume of retail sales in New 

 England. Billboards, street car signs, 

 newspapers, both secular and religious, 

 were the principal mediums that he used 

 in keeping his goods before the public 

 eye. "Penn service," "Penn value," 

 "Penn quality," were the slogans con- 

 tinually used, until by force of repeti- 

 tion they became indelibly imprinted 

 on the public mind. 



In order to accommodate the rapidly 

 growing business, a change to larger 

 quarters again became necessary several 

 years ago. An opportunity to obtain a 

 lease on one of the most desirable loca- 

 tions on Tremont street, Boston's popu- 

 lar thoroughfare, was offered Mr. Penn 

 and, despite the enormous yearly rental, 

 he was quick to secure a lease for a 

 long term of years. 



A Palatial Store. 



He decided that the largest retail 

 flower business in Boston should have 

 as its home the finest store, and money 

 was spent with lavish hand in interior 

 decorative work. Completed, the store 

 was a wonder. From the lighting fix- 

 tures to the automatic refrigerating 

 machinery, it represented the best that 

 money could purchase and stood as a 

 fitting monument to Penn, publicity and 

 progress. 



Not content with attaining the 

 heights of his own aspirations in devel- 

 oping a business that brought him from 

 obscurity to prominence, from penury to 

 opulence, Mr. Penn has been glad to 

 lend his experience and knowledge in an 

 endeavor to make easier his fellow flo- 

 rists' progress over the same road that 

 he traveled on the way to success. As 

 chairman of the S. A. F. publicity com- 

 mittee, h^e is giving freely his time and 



The Editor is pleased when 

 a Reader presents his ideas 

 on any subject treated in 



As experience is the best 

 teacher, so do we learn 

 fastest by an exchange of 

 experiences. Many valuable 

 points ure brought out by 

 discussion. 



Good penmanship, spelling and 

 fframmar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WE SHALL BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM YOU 



talent in spreading the gospel of adver- 

 tising. As he expresses it himself, he is 

 willing to go anywhere or do anything 

 to convince the florists of the country 

 that the ultimate possibilities of the 

 trade can be reached only through the 

 magic power of advertising. 



Fenn's Work for the Trade. 



In response to an invitation from the 

 Buffalo Florists' Club, he recently ad- 

 dressed that body on "Advertising as 

 a Means to Develop a Bigger and Better 

 Business." As a tribute to his fame as 

 a publicity expert, delegations from 

 Toronto, Ont., Rochester, Cleveland and 

 intermediate towns were present. He 

 approached his subject in a direct and 

 convincing manner, holding the un- 

 wavering attention of his audience. He 

 imparted enthusiasm and inspiration to 

 every one present and the applause that 

 greeted the conclusion of his speech au- 

 gurs well for the success of individual 

 and cooperative advertising in Buffalo 

 in connection with the national cam- 

 paign. 



An opportunity was had the following 

 day to get an insight into Mr. Penn as 

 a man, when, as guests of Emil Brucker, 

 Jacob Wieaie and Charles Cramer, Mr. 

 Penn and myself were taken on an auto 

 trip to Niagara Falls. The chief point 

 of intere^ to me was his utter lack of 

 pretentiousness. He modestly under- 



rated his own accomplishments, stating 

 that what he has done anyone can do. 

 Yet, judging from views he expressed, 

 his real work is just commencing. 

 Greater returns to the grower, more 

 sales and consequently more profit for 

 the retailer, all made possible by the 

 increased demand that will result from 

 continued national advertising; also the 

 complete solidarity of the florists, mani- 

 fested by every florist in the country 

 having membership in the S. A. F. — 

 these are Mr. Penn's present ideals. If 

 ability may be judged by past accom- 

 plishments, it is safe to say that his 

 labors toward the attainment of these 

 ideals will aid greatly in placing floricul- 

 ture on a higher plane. 



FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY. 



Fenn Optimistic. 



If events of the present are any cri- 

 terion of what our profession has in 

 store for us, then we can live in a con- 

 tented state of mind as to the future 

 and its developments. 



In the last few months it has been my 

 privilege to ramble to various parts of 

 the country, to attend our recent meet- 

 ings, and to have the pleasure of visit- 

 ing various greenhouses and retail and 

 wholesale florists' establishments. I 

 must give the highest praise to those 

 with whom I have come in contact, both 

 from a standpoint of liberality of busi- 

 ness ideas and generosity of heart in 

 looking after the inner wants of the va- 

 rious members of the several commit- 

 tees that have gathered at our business 

 meetings. 



Cooperation Everywhere. 



Genuine praise is due the members 

 of our craft in such cities as Buffalo, 

 Detroit, Cleveland, New York and Cin- 

 cinnati, who have always been on the 

 job, ready to assist our committees in 

 their various undertakings and to make 

 our work as easy and pleasant as possi- 

 ble. This must be a result of the new 

 idea of general cooperation by all, for 

 the greater development of broader con- 

 tact, following a better understanding 

 of the unselfish task our publicity cam- 

 paign is performing for the trade gen- 

 erally. This means more sales for flo- 

 rists throughout the couiltry. 



The way in which we of the commit- 

 tees have been received, as a body and 

 as individuals, proves that the national 

 publicity campaign has a wonderful fu- 

 ture ahead of it. 



Cincinnati's Record. 



The florists certainly are "realizing the 

 possibilities of publicity. At a gather- 

 ing just held in Cincinnati, where only 

 a few days ' notice had been given, prac- 

 tically every man in the room gave a 

 voluntary subscription and became a 

 member of the S. A. F. Incidentally, 

 some became life members. This is only 

 an incident to prove the encouragement 

 our publicity campaign is getting from 

 the florists generally. 



Now a word of thanks to the Buffalo 

 Florists' Club for the invitation to ad- 

 dress a meeting of the organization 

 held at the Statler hotel. The banquet 

 tables were decorated with flowers and 

 flags. The occasion shall not be forgot- 

 ten — at least not by me — for a long, 

 long time. The attendance was fine and 

 the interest shown in the cause of pub- 

 licity was a source of genuine pleasure 



