8 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



Jlly 3 3, 1011. 



plants or cut llowiTs, but it ^vill bo 

 found -wt'll worth wliilr to lirinjf thoso 

 to the front. Tin) manv kcfp tho fern 

 dishes, tlie jiirdiniores, tlic li;iskt>ts and 

 the ribbons liiil froTu view. Is it a 

 custom holdinj,' over from the time tlo- 

 rists feared to (diarj^'e for the acces- 

 sories.' Nowadays we add to the jirici! 

 evervtliin^' wc add to the cost, and 

 then some, ami woidtl as soon think 

 of donating tlie Ihiwers as supplyinjr 

 the liasket and ribbon wJtliout making 

 the charge tiiat rcjiresents the usual 

 perceiitaj;t' of prcdit. If we are sellinji 

 the accessories, then why nut show 

 wliat we lia\ e for sale .' 



l!y all means j:et >ome attractis'e 

 eases and ilis|ii;iy your \\ai'es. Others 

 do it, and thev lind it increases sales. 



A GOOD MANTEL. 



'i'he acciim|ianyinL; illnstratinn is re- 

 jiroiluced 1i(im a |piii>to;ira]ih sliii\vin<f a 

 mantid decni-ation fur a weddiii;^, ar 

 ran^^i'd by Ji. M. Lea\itt, Idmira. X. 

 Y. The materials used were bldomiiiy 

 laurel, t'eiiis. ]ili(enix. kenlia^ and other 

 decoi:iti\e plants. 



A LIMIT ON ART? 



()iic of the ]iet theories ol' the I'etail 

 lloli>t of the old srliool lias been that 



he was not a nierclmnt but an artist; 

 that his jiiici's shouM be based, like 

 those ot' any other .artist, not on the 

 iinantity of his work, but on its merit. 

 But orjulually theie has oidw ii up a 

 suspicion that art may not be so mer 

 cliant.able as llowers. 



There still are nuiny llorists in the 

 larj^t-r cities Avho cater oidy to thoso 

 who are willing to |iay l.-irye prices, but 

 se\eral yeais ayo oiii' I lioiiL;lit t'ld leader 

 ol' the iiitistic si-IkioI ot' llower retailing 



contduded tliat it -would be as well to 

 ^•■t a p.art of the trade of those ])ersons 

 wlu) wish merely to buy llowers and not 

 woiks of art. To that I'ud he ojioned a 

 brjiiich establishment under another 

 name, and not so far distant but that 

 the two st(Ui>s wonhl seemintjly com- 

 pete. The venture was a success. 



At a still more recent date a high- 

 (dass retailer in another (dty determined 

 to try tho efft'ct of nmre popular jjiices 

 to secure the yiowth in business whi(di 

 f.ailed to come so lone as rcdailinc; was 

 conducted oil the basis ol' artistic ser\ - 

 ice and artistic prices. '(die way the 

 business since has erow ii has been one 

 of the mar\-els of the trade. 



()lher hieii-class retailers are lindine- 

 thai there is a limit on the business 

 \vhi(di eaii be done on the stricdly ar- 

 tistic basis; their sales are not im-reas- 

 iuy ill ]u-opoiiioii to the general in 

 crease in the flower business; they are 

 not yettin*,'' the natural iio rease in tlie 

 coiisiim]dion of llowers in tle/ir neieh- 

 liorliood. As one whose work is of thi' 

 hiehfst merit jihrased it: ''Our ]ieo]ile 

 come to ns when tlie\ want soinet hi lie' 

 really o'ood- -when the name (jii tlie box 

 counts t'or possibly as imudi as the 

 tlowei's inside — but when they want 

 llowers for their own use they often 

 stop at some other store siiiii<> store 

 that is Just wiiiniiie ifs reputation, 

 where the ser\ice may not be (|uite so 

 o()od. but wdiere it still is e(,n<l enouji'li. " ' 



The trouble at these lii)^h-(dass stores 

 is that expenses and \-olinne of sales 

 do not ke('p steji — exjienses mo\i' fast- 

 est. ,\11 th(> costs ai'o liieluM' — rents. 

 su]iplies. misetdhmeiuis and labor, es- 

 pecially labor. The capable help ex- 

 |>e(ds friMpieiit raises in waees. ami must 

 ha\'e them. f(u' temptin!.f ofi'iMS ar(> often 

 coniina- to them from stores that are do- 



Mantel Decoration by R. M. Leavitt, Elmira, New York. 



iucj increasing volume and which seek 

 to improve service, to the end that tho 

 increase in trade may keep on. 



"The old theory of charging for tho 

 florists' artistic abilities," said an ex- 

 pei'ieiiced ;iiid thoroughly cajjable de- 

 signiM-, in a discussion the other day, 

 "is like a lirecracker on the fifth of 

 ,Iuly — either exploded or incajiable of 

 being turned into money. Nowadays we 

 ilon't soil art — we noil flowers and 

 throw in the art. along with the box. 

 There .are ;i certain number of ])eople 

 who will |)a>' the cost of exelusiveness, 

 of high class ser\ ice ;ind all the iiici 

 ilentals whiidi go to make the measured 

 sueci'ss of the hightoned store, btit it is 

 a fa(d that the number of this class ot 

 llowiM' buyers is iiicriMsiiig nowhere 

 nearly so fast as the number of those 

 who will bii\' llowers at niodtuate ]udcos 

 .-iiid accept nioderatei\ good service. It 

 is ;i fad. ;ilso Wiutliy of calid'ul 

 tlioiiglil. that the expense id' iloiiig 

 luisiiiess does not iiu-rease in jiroportion 

 to the iiieroaso of the \i)liie of business. 

 Ill (dlier words, when one does only a 

 small tr.aile he must inevitably charge 

 higher prices than where a business ot' 

 soxcral tiiiKVs the \iiiiinio is done. Con 

 seipiently. the store doing tho large 

 vdltimo can afford to give (irst-class 

 sorxice. including all the artistic touches 

 that first cl.-iss service implies. ;ind do it 

 without making any appreciable idiarge 

 for the service. 



'".More .ami more each year tho flower 

 business is getting away frotn the idea 

 ot' soiling service and is building upon 

 \ho theory of sidling llowers. When one 

 sells enough llowois the ohl margins 

 ot' )ii()lit become no longer necessary, 

 and thoso llower biisinessos are growing 

 f.astest today whiidi are based on the 

 liieory of large sales .and small ]ir(dits. '" 



I'ood f(U' thought in that. Is there ;i 

 limit on art.' Is it scutum' reached than 

 the limit on the sale of flowers.' Or is 

 there any limit on Jlower selling.' 



STORAGE FOR CUT FLOWERS. 



\\'i_' contemplate Imilding .an ollice and 

 ^.alesroom this se.-ismi ;iiid are in ;i 

 (|u;iiidary as to which will pro\c the 

 better method ot' stcu-ago for our cut 

 llowers. Wr li;i\c these two plans in 

 mind: To build ;i nd'rigerator of sut- 

 licient size iu one end of the room, oi 

 dig a coll.'ir about eieht feet doi'i* and 

 use this instead. < .in anyone in the 

 trade who may ha\e had some oxperi 

 eiice along the-ci. ]ii_:cs give Us any in 

 formation :is to whii h plan \\ill ]iro\(' 

 the more s;it ist'actoiy the year through.' 

 ( iiir experience li;is jiccu th.at llowers out 

 of' .a let' riiierator ilo not keeli so loiii^ 

 .a ^ lliosc I'nuii .a cool cellar. < In the 

 other hainl, ,at this season of the ye.ai 

 llowers gel -ot't and lot olV sooner in .a 

 eell.ar th.aii in ,a reirigerator. ('oiiM 

 Villi oll'i'l- any sllggi'st ions ;is to l he best 

 in.aiiiier of \ eiit i hit i i:g a (]ee|i cellar 

 Would \oii siiL;L;est a cL'tneni bottom in 

 it .' ' L. 



Tlie ini|iiiiy docs i!,,t give suflicient 

 information ,as to the eirciimstancos in 

 the present case to alVord a basis foi 

 id her tliiin ;i general reply. I'siially it 

 is as the corres|M)ndeiit says: tho flowers 

 keep better if stored in a cellar, so long 

 as the cellar is eoid enough. The trouble 

 lies in that the cellar m;iy nid keep 

 siilliciently cool in hot weather; if it 

 does, you can not beat it, either for 

 care of the stock or for cost. As for the 

 <-oncrete floor, it jirobably will be nee 

 ossary l)ecause of the use of water in the 

 coll.ar. but 1 think a concreted cellar al 



