68 



The Florists^ Review 



Junk 1, 192'J 



THE RETAIL STORE 



A PAGE OF HINTS AND HELPS 

 FOR THE RETAIL FLORIST 



FLOWERS FOR THE LIVING. 



Funeral flowers are purchased for a 

 person only once. For few persons are 

 obsequies performed twice. But flowers 

 may be bought for one living any num- 

 ber of times. To make flowers the req- 

 uisite of the living rather than the 

 dead is, therefore, to increase our busi- 

 ness manifold. 



Carrying out that idea, M. H. Lock- 

 year, of Evansville, Ind., has devised 

 ouvclope stuffers to embody a message to 

 customers. Here is one of them: 



Don't 8cnd lue flowers when I lie oold «n<l llfi-- 

 lene, 



As If it were a duty. 

 When I've no voice to tliank you for your gift 



Nor eye to look upon their l)eauty. 

 Hut give them to me now, before 'tis night. 



While I CRn smell their fragrance, 



Touch their petals, hold tliem in my hand. 

 And look upon their colors bright. 

 Not when I've passed away, 

 lint send my flowers today. 



As an antiphone to the preceding 



verse, Mr. Lockyear has the following 



also : 



It is not Htrange, but plain to see, 

 (lOd made the flowers, for you and uie; 

 I will not wait till you are dead, 

 rtnt send these flowers today iusteail. 



WINDOWS CAN INCREASE SALES. 



"I've noticed one characteristic about 

 most successful florists that to my mind 

 has Ji deal to do with their success," 

 said ;i keen observe': the other day. 

 "Every man of them hiis a mania for 

 borrowing ideas tliat will increase sales. 

 For instance, I believe it is impossible 

 tor it florist to walk down State street 

 in Chicago, Fiftli avenue in New York 

 or Chestnut street in Philadelphia with- 

 out borrowing at least one sales-making 

 policy from the big dojijirtincnt storo^i. 

 This is tlie sales \ahie of attractive 

 window displays. Few merchants today 

 deny tlif iinixirtaiice of attractive win- 

 dows, wlicther they sell boots and shoes, 

 refrigerators or flowers. 



"However, it is my observation that 

 florists, as a class, have not developed 

 tlieir windows as highly as have mer- 

 chants in other lines. One thing that 

 has held florists' window displays be- 

 hind is the cost of fixtures that are 

 usuall>' necessary to ])roduce striking 

 effects. Sucli fixtllr(^s, wlien at all elab- 

 orate, increase the overhead of the store 

 prohil)itively. " 



For this reason a recently introduced 

 line of metal flower ])Oxes, procurable 

 in half a dozen different finishes and 

 sizes, has found favor with a number 

 of florists wlio have keen eyes for at- 

 tracting the passer-by and enticing him 

 or her into the store. These boxes — as 

 well as similarly made hanging baskets 

 and jicdestals — are not only inex])ensive 

 for store decorations, but also are sold 

 at a ]>rofit to customers. Some florists 

 re]tort tliat women who previously re- 

 fused to grow flowers in the house were 

 s(dd first on the box and then on the 

 flowers to fill it. The manufacturer of 

 these metal boxes claims to have over- 

 come .'ill drainage and irrigating difficul- 



ties heretofore experienced with metal 

 flower boxes. 



The boxes can be set off their stands, 

 which are collapsible. They fit in well 

 with a variety of attractive window 

 displays and can be removed to the 

 sales floor to good advantage after serv- 

 ing in the window. This has helped to 

 overcome the window fixture cost, as the 

 boxes are carried as merchandise and not 

 as overhead. 



There is undoubtedly a growing incli- 

 nation among florists to devote more 

 thought and time to their windows. 

 Such care as is given this important side 

 of the store is generally quickly ap- 

 parent in the increased sales which re- 

 sult. 



INSURING YOUR OWN SUCCESS. 



In time with the current interest in 

 the finer points of business manage- 

 ment, covering, among other features, 

 the problem of cash and credits, Joseph 



The E<Utor U pleased when 

 a Reader presents his ideas 

 on any subject treated in 



As experience is the I>e8t 

 teacher, »o do we learn 

 fastest by an exchange of 

 experiences. Many valuable 

 points are brought out by 

 discussion. 



Good penmanship, spelling and 

 Krammar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WE SHALL BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM YOU 



Harris. s])eaking for Joseph Harris & 

 IJro., of Shamokin, I'a., makes the fol- 

 lowing opportune statement and sugges- 

 tion regarding the successful operation 

 of a florist's business: "For making 

 money in the florists' business, first of 

 all watch your credits. Show me a flo- 

 rist whose accounts on the ledger are 

 gilt-edged and you have a successful 

 florist. This man will pay his fellow 

 man. A man who does a business of 

 ,$l."),flOO a year cash is a better business 

 man than the one who does $30,000 and 

 has $1. 1,000 on the books, of which he is 

 not sure. Joseph Harris & Bro. pride 

 themselves on their system of cash and 

 credits. We have been in business twen- 

 ty-five years and have not lost $250. 

 This, we think, is a real record. 



"We do not believe in overbuying. 

 We would rather be short at times on 

 supplies and stock than overbought. 

 This holds good in building green- 



houses. There are florists who are build- 

 ing poor. We do not buy anything that 

 we cannot pay for. If we desire to 

 buy and cannot pay, we go to the bank 

 and borrow in order to }iay our bills. 

 Some will say that they have no credit 

 at the bank. Then work and make 

 credit! Do not buy pleasure when you 

 cannot afford it. I have failed to see 

 the board of directors of any bank of 

 our acquaintance who would not extend 

 credit to an honest, hard-working man; 

 nor have we met a man of this type who 

 is not a success." 



Joseph Harris & Bro. own, besides 

 tlieir concrete-reinforced store, 15,000 

 feet of glass at the greenhouse estab 

 lishment at Springfield, Pa. The entire 

 range is equipped with concrete benches, 

 which were installed in 1900. Since 

 that time the firm estimates it has 

 saved 125,280 feet of lumber, which 

 would otherwise have been used for 

 bench construction. It might be said 

 here that the firm is a pioneer in the 

 construction of concrete greeahouse 

 benches. 



And the company does business. Last 

 Easter 16,000 bulbs and plants were 

 handled at retail. Better than 660 de- 

 liveries were made in three days, using 

 a Stanley steamer truck, one Ford truck 

 and a horse and wagon. The company 

 is located in a hilly country, which calls 

 for thought on the delivery question. 

 But the firm has thought this out, just 

 as well as it has thought out its window- 

 decorating, an example of which was 

 shown in the May 11 issue of The Re 

 view. 



KNAPP VS. SAYRE, PA. 



The equity proceedings of J. B. 

 Knapp, Sayre, Pa., .-igainst the borough 

 of Sayre, which were to have been ar- 

 gued before Judge Maxwell at Towan- 

 da, Pa., May 16, were continued by 

 agreement of the attorneys until a later 

 date. It was understood that the coun- 

 ty .iudge would hear both sides of the 

 question at that time and determine 

 whether he would continue the prelim- 

 inary injunction or discontinue it.' A 

 preliminary restraining order was issued 

 May 12 by Judge Maxwell, enjoining 

 the borough or any of the police officers 

 from interfering with .7. B. Knapp in 

 Ihn display of merchandise in front of 

 his Packer avenue flower shop. This 

 aciion came after the borough police 

 had taken a quantity of flowers .ind 

 plants from in front of the florist's 

 store. Mr. Knapp was also jdaced un- 

 der the charge of maintaining a com- 

 nron nuisance and was held for appear- 

 ance in the countv court. 



FORT SMITH'S NEW FLORIST. 



A retail and wholesale florists' depart- 

 ment has been opened to the public of 

 Fort Smith, Ark., at the store of the 

 Arthur G. Lee Seed Co., 211 Garrison 

 avenue. 



The new department will be in charge 



