2\2 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



JUXE 14. 1006. 



and sizes, permit of frequent rearrange- 

 ment of the store. The lighting is from 

 covered incandescents in the ceiling. 



At the left, as shown in the view 

 from the street, the entrance being in 

 the center of the picture of the interior 

 of the store, is a conservatory, without 

 which any retail florist suffers more or 

 less handicap, according to the character 

 of the business he undertakes to do. 

 In this case the conservatory is 25x52 

 feet, set back eight feet from the build- 

 ing line and one of the most attractive 

 architectural features of the place. The 

 house ordinarily shelters the large palms 

 needed for decorations, much of this 

 class of work being done, but at Christ- 

 mas and Easter it is invaluable for han- 

 dling the business in flowering plants. 



The Workrooms. 



At the right at the rear of the sales- 

 room is the oflBee, a handsomely fur- 

 nished room in which the accounts are 

 handled, with wide mahogany roll-top 

 desk for the proprietor, a big safe, filing 

 cases and a brass railing behind which 

 sits the cashier, A rear door leads to 

 the room where orders are put up. At 

 the left of the office is the cut flower 

 case, which is iced from the rear, and 

 then comes the telephone room for cus- 

 tomers. Most of the store talk is done 



In the middle of the room is the zinc- 

 covered table, with drawers beneath for 

 wire, thread, tinfoil, toothpicks, etc., a 

 handy place for everything, and every- 

 thing in its place. On a low shelf under 

 the table are made-up boxes ready for 

 use. The stock of boxes is in the cab- 

 inet at the left, with the crepe paper, 

 Porto Eican matting and similar arti- 

 cles. Another cabinet holds vases. Near 

 the door to the flower case is an iron 

 pan for hardy cut ferns. The order 

 clips, twine, tags, wrapping paper, etc., 

 are shown in the picture. The sphag- 

 num moss, wire frames and similar ar- 

 ticles are in the basement, 30x60, cool 

 enough to serve for storage of cut 

 flowers and often used for holding back 

 lilies, etc. A sink at the rear of the 

 workroom affords a convenient place to 

 ' procure and dispose of water. Counters 

 supply places for packages prepared for 

 delivery. Not an unnecessary step need 

 be taken. 



Perfect order and absolute cleanliness 

 are the rules. There is nothing extrava- 

 gant, but it is hard to see how another 

 dollar might have been expended and a 

 hundred cents' worth realized. A neat 

 gold sign over the door has been added 

 since the photograph was taken, as it 

 seemed to be the one omission. 



Neat window displays always are the 



John T. Mttir. 



on a phone in the office. Between the 

 telephone room and the cut flower case 

 is a passage to the workroom, from 

 which access is had to the lavatories. 



The workroom, as shown in the pic- 

 ture, is about the handiest place possi- 

 ble to imagine. There are four en- 

 trances, from the area in the rear, 

 from the conservatory, from the store 

 and from the office. Numerous windows 

 afford good light. 



rule. A May window was composed of 

 a high bank of marguerites in pots, at 

 the base of which was a slope of Bos- 

 ton ferns interspersed with a few S. A. 

 Nutt geraniums, the bright trusses of 

 which were very effective among the 

 green. Mr. Muir says it was really surpris- 

 ing how many marguerites were sold as 

 the result of that inexpensive window 

 display, the plants being of his own 

 growing. 



A Bit of History. 



The Muir establishment is the second 

 oldest in Chicago, the business having 

 been founded in 1865, by Samuel Muir, 

 himself the son of a Scotch gardener. 

 The first location was at Thirty-third 

 street and South Park avenue, then 

 called Kankakee avenue. Greenhouses 

 and a residence occupied this site, then 

 well outside the city, and here John T. 

 Muir was born, IWarch 26, 1869. In the 

 early days, Samuel Muir had a retaU 

 store at 121 Lake street, being burned 

 out in the big fire of 1871, The store 

 was re-established on Congress street, 

 between Michigan and Wabash, where 

 the Auditorium now stands, the Inter 

 Ocean building then occupying the cor- 

 ner of "Wabash and Congress. This stand 

 also was destroyed by fire. The next 

 location was on Wabash, but subsequent- 

 ly the store was removed to 2205 Mich- 

 igan. In the meantime the South Park 

 avenue property had been sold and the 

 greenhouses located at Fifty-fifth and 

 Center. The store at 2205 Michigan 

 was sold to J. T. Anthony, who con- 

 ducted it a number of years in connec- 

 tion with greenhouses at Thirty-fourth 

 and Prairie. 



It was in 1883 that Samuel Muir lo- 

 cated at 3530 Michigan avenue, within 

 a few blocks of his first stand. Here he 

 continued until the day of his death, 

 January 12, 1895. In the fololwing 

 year the son, John T., took charge of 

 the estate. The old place on Michigan 

 avenue is still operated, and is doing a 

 steadily icreasing trade in spite of the 

 natural withdarwal of patronage by 

 those living nearer the new and more 

 attractive store. It is a circumstance 

 which speaks well for the general proa* 

 perity of the retail trade in Chicago. 



It is worthy of note that every move 

 of the Muirs, who have until now occu- 

 pied leased stores, was in a southerly 

 direction in direct line with the growth 

 of that section of the city, which now 

 stretches miles beyond the new location, 

 of itself nearly two miles south of the 

 site on the outskirts chosen forty years 

 ago. The greenhouses have never been 

 used for the extensive production of cut 

 flowers, but rather for bedding stock 

 and other plants for retail sales. There 

 was a time when Muir sold 4-inch gera- 

 niums at $2.50 and even $3 a dozen, and 

 it didn't cost as much then as now to 

 grow them, but nowadays so many more 

 are sold that at less than half the price 

 the profits amount to a greater sum. 

 Mr. Muir is devoting his whole energies 

 to the business and finds it a consider- 

 able task to conduct both places. He 

 figures on eventually taking one of the 

 offers he frequently receives for the old 

 store and greenhouses, and concentrating 

 his business at Forty-seventh street, 

 where there is, or might easily be made, 

 all that a man need ask for in the retail 

 florists' line. 



SPRINKLING CUT FLOWERS. 



Is it best to sprinkle flowers for ship- 

 ping, or funeral designs, with water be- 

 fore leaving the store? Or is it a wiser 

 plan to omit it? G. F, C. 



This question cannot be answered too 

 dogmatically. It is a matter of expe- 

 rience and judgment. For instance, if 

 your design contained camellias, garden- 

 ias, or orchids it would be unwise to 

 sprinkle them, especially heavily. Neither 

 do carnations or sweet peas relish a 

 sprinkling. Eoses are refreshed and re- 



