OCTOBEK 30, 1913. 



The Florists' Review 



11 



PUTTING LIFE 

 INTO THE SHOW WINDOWS 



The Retail Florist gets the most out of that valuable asset, 

 the show window, by giving an individual touch to displays 



HEN a salesman has been 

 talking in a general way 

 about the excellence of a 

 certain article, he suddenly 

 stops short and says, 

 "Now I'll give you a con- 

 crete illustration." Then 

 he tells you of a particular case, or, if 

 it is possible, he gives you a demonstra- 

 tion of the point he is trying to prove. 

 If it is the beauty of the article that 

 is in question, he shows the article and 

 reproduces the peculiar circumstances 

 under which it is used, so that you may 

 judge. The salesman that is able to 

 produce the concrete illustration is 

 usually the one who gets first to your 

 checkbook, for he is the kind that con- 

 vinces. 



Now a window that presents con- 

 cretely a beautiful display of flowers 

 for a certain purpose and in a certain 

 style is the kind that gets to other peo- 

 ple 's checkbooks, because they are con- 

 vinced that the florist who shows that 

 kind of flowers and decorates a window 

 in that fashion is the man to sell them 

 flowers and do their decorating. Other 

 people's checkbooks are in the same 

 place yours is, and you have to go 

 after theirs by the same route that 

 others go after yours. It is matters 

 of this kind that convince us that the 

 Garden of Eden was in Missouri. 



A Window Is a Salesman. 



The difference between a window in 

 which are placed a few vases of flowers, 

 a pot plant or two, 

 and a few greens, 

 and a window in 

 which a concrete 

 idea in the flower 

 line is presented, is 

 the difference be- 

 tween two kinds 

 of salesmanship, the 

 salesmanship that 

 lets the customer 

 come after tliG flow- 

 »'rs and the salesman- 

 ship that goes after 

 the customer. The 

 first window means 

 to the passer-by no 

 niore than flowers; it 

 means flowers in 

 spring, summer, 

 autumn and winter, 

 but it never means 

 any more. A gar- 

 den, too, means flow- 

 <^rs; a florist's win- 

 'low should be more 

 than a garden. It 

 ■should present the 

 idea of flowers to 

 ^ell and, more con- 

 •Tetely, it s h o u f d 



.present a certain kind, or style of flow- 

 ers to sell. 



If a customer comes into your store 

 and asks in ah undecided sort of way 

 what 3^ou have to sell, you find out 

 for what purpose he wants flowers and 

 immediately show him the best kinds of 

 the season for his need. You would 

 never, in reply to his inquiry, uncon- 

 cernedly utter the single word * ' flow- 

 ers. " Why not? Because, you re- 

 spond at once, it is too indefinite. That 

 is the trouble with too much window 

 decorating; it is too indefinite and pre- 

 sents to the passer-by no concrete rea- 

 son for buying. The man in the street 

 is, in a way, always an undecided, yet 

 possible customer. Upon glancing at 

 a window of the indefinite type, a per- 

 son passes on without any definite 

 thought in his head about the stock; 

 when he reaches the end of the block 

 he will not even remember having 

 passed a florist's shop. You would fire 

 a salesman who had not more effect 

 than that on possible customers; well, 

 that is what ought to be done to the 

 old, indefinitely decorated window. 



What G^ets the Public. 



As an illustration of the kind of win- 

 ilow that gets the attention and the 

 purchases of the public, no better can 

 be given than the window reproduced 

 on this page. The first glance tells 

 you it is a bride's window. The main 

 figure, the center of the scheme, is the 

 beautiful young bride, on whose waxen 



A Window that Held a Crowd in Front of the Reck Store in Kancat City. 



cheek the manufacturer put the tint 

 of roses. In her hand is a bouquet 

 that shows what the florist's handi- 

 craft is capable of producing. Vases 

 of orchids, baskets of mums, valley, 

 etc., show the splendid stock from 

 which the florist is prepared to supply 

 the young man with ammunition to 

 win his bride. To the right are a few 

 plants, doubtless intended to hint to 

 the married man that he should buy 

 those for his wife in order to fulfill 

 the second half of the quotation on the 

 card that they "lived happily ever 

 after. ' ' 



Requisites of a Good Window. 



This is, however, only one window 

 scheme of its kind, and there are as 

 many more in the florists' fertile brains 

 as there are fish in the sea. With the 

 many new features in decorations 

 brought out each autumn by the supply 

 houses, and with the increasing re- 

 sources furnished by the numerous elec- 

 trical appliances of one type or an- 

 other constantly devised by inventive 

 geniuses, the possibilities of window 

 decoration are becoming greater and 

 greater. The modern show window, 

 with its ample space, many mirrors, 

 excellent lighting, and other conveni- 

 ences is a valuable asset. 



Other lines of business are utilizing 

 this asset and makiAg it a prime fac- 

 tor in selling. It is no exaggeration 

 to say that the florist has at hand the 

 materials for the finest windows of any 

 trade. It is a fact 

 that special win- 

 dows got up by flo- 

 rists, such as have 

 been shown from 

 time to time in the 

 pages of The Review, 

 have made strong im- 

 pressions and exerted 

 a powerful influence 

 on the public from 

 the sidewalk side of 

 the windows, and 

 this influence has re- 

 acted to the tremen- 

 dous advantage of 

 the florist who has 

 taken the time and 

 care necessary to 

 decorate the window. 



The main requisite 

 is the use of a cen- 

 tral idea, a figure 

 that draws attention 

 and makes a definite 

 impression on the be- 

 holder. The sim- 

 plicity of the deco- 

 ration is a point in 

 its favor, for it pro- 

 moWs its definiteness. 



