18 



The Florists* Review 



Jdnk 23, I'J-.'l 



Karl P. Baum. 



t(i uiiliiii'ilii! .1 i^iic\ :i lice, whi'ii :t s:ili's- 

 im:iii"> lust i-nili;i \ (II' to l■i^(• to tlic occa- 

 sidii is iKit liall sii ct'ticiu/ions as a IV'W 

 words Cidin tiic licail of the husiiU'ss 

 liiiiiscll. It is always tlio part of tliat 

 iiiili\ idual. no ipiatliT how liij; the lnisi 

 iii'ss or how much n's|ionsiliil it y or au- 

 thority lie may (li'lf;iat(' to othi'rs, to In- 

 still the •• t roulih' shoot cr. " ' to In' oil 

 dock when sdiiirt hiiiji ^^(ic's wroiiy so 

 thai lis his ix|iiii( lice and skill In- may 

 mi'i't the situation Jiiost idfoi't i\'fly. If 

 ho is iicf^liycut iii this ]iart icular. h-av 

 in;; this iiu |iiirl a lit duty to less aldi' 

 hands wiiilr iir .^ors to the hall ^^ailii'. 

 it will not III' hint; holoiT he ]iays tin- 

 |icnalty of his ni';^li'ri. 



Tin- stdli' (if the |-'iids(diiiian Thiral 

 <'o., in the looii in Chica^io, liirnislics an 

 i'xani|ilc ol i((n\ I'liicncc; thf manager's 

 desk is lic'iiiiiil a ]iartition of jjlass and 

 marhli' \vlii(di s( ircns it from tlio jmli 

 lie. hut \ct allows a \ icw of the entire 

 store. Another cxamiile. where sjiace 

 is nut so restricted. iii;iy wtdl he that 

 of the !•;. Wiellhdelier Co., ill llie liort li 

 side residence disf rid of < 'iiiea^fo, where 

 tliere is .'i )iri\;ite roum idV the short 

 corridor tii.it le.ids troiii the s.alesrodiii 

 to the workroom. .M.aiiy other e\.i mples 

 mieht lie citeil similar to tiies,- uell 

 known stores. 



Business Office. 



The ollice in whii li is done tin- ( leiical 

 Wdili df liodkkee|iine, d is]i,-it ( h i lie ;inil 

 receix in;; m.ail anil t eleei-;inis, etc, 

 m,-i\- lie more reiiidte frdiii the s.-iles 

 I'dom: Sdmetilne^ it is dii a ilitferellt 

 tlddr. .'IS in I'eiin's sture, in Bos- 

 ton, and in (irimm \ (ioily's. in St. 

 Louis, as ill other places where upst.-iirs 

 space is a\;iilalile and e;isil\- .icce^ 

 sihie, while ;;round tloor .area is (-(istly. 

 In sonic stores the cashier's ia;;e i-* 



more nearly .i room and it house.s the 

 jiroprietor 's desk, the hookkeeper and 

 maylie one or two jiersdiis eiif^ayed in 

 ( lericil work. This does not iii\i' the 

 proprietor the iiriv.acy and ipiiet he 

 occasionally reipiires, th(iii;;li it has its 

 com pen sat in;; coiix'enieiice. 



In any style of arraiid('inent. the 

 (dlice should iie as neat, as orderly and 

 as pleasant for the ^vorkers as the sales- 

 room is for rustoiners. Look at the 

 illustration on paeje 17, showiiij;- the 

 main oltice of Haiim "s lloiiie of Flowers, 

 at Kno.wille. Teiin. The room is more 

 sjiaeious than most llorists' ollices, yet 

 there is no reason why others should he 

 less neat tli;iii this extreiiudy ;;()od ex- 

 ample of wh.'it su(di ;i place may be. 



Properly Planned Workroom. 



.\s important as a convenient and 

 W(dl ordered ollice is a properly idaniieil 

 workroom. A restricted store area often 



c pids the use of s])ace partitioned olf 



from the salesroom for this purpose. 

 Then, too often, there is an overtlow 

 into the front of the store. Oceasion- 

 .-illy one even sees work lieln;;- done on 

 ;i counter in full view of eustoniers, a 

 pr.-ictice not calculated to raise the 

 tone of the store, flower buyers expect 

 no more td see a funeral jiiece made in 

 their jireseiiee than to see .a seamstress 

 ,it work at a sewin;;- machine in the mid- 

 dle of a modiste's shop. 



More coniinoiil>- the workroom is at 

 the lia(dv of the store or. in city slio])s, 

 in the hasemeiit heiieath. The lislit, 

 airy s])aces lieneath the sidewalk serve 

 Weil for this ]iurpose and for store- 

 rooms, as in suidi stores as l-"leiseliinaii "s 

 and Lanj;e's, in Chicago. Often a lar;;f 

 quantity of work is done in a small 

 room that is widl e(|iiipiie(l and conveni- 

 ently arraii;;cd, smdi as at Mandrel's, in 

 the same city. Of course, an ice chest 

 of l.arde capacity is iieedeil wIkmi the 

 workroom is at a distances from the 

 salesroom, where, in such ease, only a 

 showcase is kejit. Not alw.ays is the 

 workroom siijijilied so fully with .all 

 the facilities that make for comfort as 

 the desiniiinji room ;it liauin 's Home of 

 Flowers, Knoxville, Teiin. This room, 

 ]iicture(l on the next pa;;c, is L'L' x L' 1 

 feet, contains a lar;je stora;je ic(d»ox 

 and has six outside windows to fur 

 nisli Wiiht ajid .air. The ]ihotoyra]di of 

 this room was taken at a Inisy time Last 

 t.all, when li.alf :i do/en hands were kejit 

 on the ;;o. The secrcdary-treasiirer and 

 ;ieneral iii;uia<jcr of the comjiany. Karl 

 T. Uaum. is )>artly seen hidiitul a Id;; 

 li.isket. o\ trseeiiiji the work. 



Suitable Equipment. 



(lood li<;litin;; should alw.ays he pro 

 \ided in the workroom, so that rihlions, 

 baskets and llowers of the correct 

 shades may be S(decte(l when occasion 

 reipiires. Am]de tdhow room should be 

 allowed, also, for the best desieiier is 

 hampered by Lack (d' sp.ace to do wurk 

 with e.ase and rapidity ;it the same 

 time. I'rd]ier \'eiit ilat ion is necessary 

 for both workers .ainl thiwers. <'ounter- 

 ol' the proper heielit are ;i iii.atter of 

 imjiortance, since a in.atter of a few 

 inidies can make considerable differonco 

 in the de;;ree of ciderity with which 

 wurk is done. To have sliiii])infj boxiv 

 at hand alw.ays when they are wanted, 

 bins should lie provided, so that thev 

 may be storeil according to sizes. 



Storage Booms. 



One of the least considered, though 

 most iin])ortant. of a ret.ail flower store '> 



(lei)artnieiits is the storage room i 

 rooms. The s|>ace reipiired depends upi 

 the nature and amount of work wliii 

 is done .at the store. When wire fraiie 

 and baskets are ])ainte(l and varioi 

 other siudi .jobs ]ierforined, tidditioii 

 sp.ace jiiid facilities are n^ijuired. Fi 

 this work a jiart of the stor.agc spa( 

 may be used, since it should not be don 

 ill tlii^ vicinity of the designing. IJsi 

 •ally an upjier tloor or a basement jir. 

 vides .sp.ace. Jt is advisable to partitie 

 this s]).ace. so th.at there is a definit 

 jd.ace for eaidi kind of stock. Haske! 

 will then be ke[)t in one room or se. 

 lion; ghassware, \ases, jardinieres an 

 (dlier ]i()ttery in another; ribbons .an 

 (hilfons in another, .and miscellaneoi, 

 su](]ilies ill still another, liacks, sh(d\. 

 or cases for storing sindi tilings systi 

 m.atically pay for tliems(dves in 1h 

 time save(| em])loyt>es and in the d.aii 

 age a\oided on the stock. Hacks fn 

 eacdi size of wire wreath, when it i 

 mossed and ready for the designer, ai' 

 exceedingly h.aiidy. One room slioul 

 be provideil for the storage -of the bii 

 decorative fixtures th.at are used onl\ 

 occasionally. These .are bulky object- 

 and, if left around where employee- 

 must work, are constantly in the way 

 A jiortion of the room devoted to thesi 

 (d).jects should be fitted n]) with a car 

 pouter's bench, so that small rejiair- 

 can lie made here in emjiloyees' leisiaa 

 time. The tlorist who thinks he is s,a\ 

 iiig nioiU'V by using these fixtures iinti 

 they are broken .and then reidaciii;.; 

 them by others is on the wrong tnrk 

 Tludr ap])earaiice would be imjiroved 

 and their life iiroloiiged by a little at 

 tentioii now and then. There is .alway- 

 some one .anuiiid the store who delight - 

 in the use of tools, and there are ])leiit\ 

 of odd hours when business is a litth 

 slack that may be devoted to that pur 

 ]iose. 



The view of b.asemeiit No. 2 at 



Charles L. Baum. 



