12 



The Florists' Review 



FfiBKLrAHY 26, 1914. 



rying orders to "Sceery" from all parts 

 of the world. Orchids, gardenias, lilac, 

 violets and roses arranged in the bottom 

 of the window showed the kinds of 

 floral valentines that could be sent to 

 places far and near. 



WISCONSIN RETAILER'S STORE. 



Situated in a city that is both the 

 capital of the state and the seat of the 

 state university, the Eentschler Floral 

 Co., at Madison, Wis., has a double op- 

 portunity for handling a high-class 

 trade. To make the most of it, the 

 company recently opened a new store 



tor & Ice Machine Co. This concern 

 also installed a one and one-half-ton ice 

 machine, which cools the present equip- 

 ment and will take care of a large stor- 

 age refrigerator in addition. 



TWO KINDS OF ADVERTISING. 



We have noticed for a long time that 

 The Eeview persistently advises florists 

 to advertise in the newspapers, as, for 

 instance, in the issue of February 12, 

 pages 13 and 14, in the conversation 

 between Messrs. Brown, Smith and 

 Knoble. Smitli asks Knoble if news- 

 paper advertising will reach the flower- 



Newly Fitted Store of the Rentschler Floral G>., at Madison, Wis. 



which in design and fittings is one of 

 the handsomest and most up-to-date in 

 the atate. The latest introductions in 

 store fittings give it distinction. The 

 system of indirect lighting which has 

 been installed softens, without decreas- 

 ing the clearness of, the effect. A tile 

 floor also helps the appearance of the 

 interior. 



All the woodwork is of oak, stained 

 a forest green, with white marble trim- 

 mings. The ceiling is crossed by oak 

 beams, stained to match the woodwork. 

 The side walls are paneled and fitted 

 with full-length plate mirrors. There 

 are two large, glazed wall cases, a mar- 

 ble-topped working counter and a re- 

 frigerator display counter for showing 

 small cut flowers, as well as a desk for 

 the convenience of customers, with 

 plate-glass stationery compartments. 

 These are well shown in the illustration 

 giving a view of the front of the store. 



Across the rear of the store is a large 

 refrigerator display case with three full- 

 length doors. The interior is lined with 

 French plate mirrors except for the top 

 and floor, which are of white enamel 

 and white tile respectively. At one end 

 are five large drawers for the storage oi 

 ferns and violets. The refrigerator, as 

 well as the art glass partition above it, 

 may be seen in the illustration showing 

 the rear of the store. Back of this par- 

 tition is a large workroom, entered by 

 a rear door, so that supplies do not need 

 to be carried through the show room. 

 The store fixtures, as well as the refrig- 

 erator and refrigerator display case, 

 were furnished by the United Refrigera- 



buying public. Knoble asks in return, 

 "Did you ever know of a florist who 

 started advertising, who stopped!" 



In answer to Mr. Knoble I will tell 

 him of a man who came here from 

 Minnesota and bought out a greenhouse 

 business. He started out to show us 



old mossbacks how to run a florists ' 

 business. He ran advertisements in the 

 three daily papers, covering a 4-inch 

 space; then he cut prices. In about two 

 years he opened a store. He seemed to 

 get business, but after a time he got 

 into financial troubles, failed, tried 

 working for other concerns and finally 

 died in the insane hospital without pay- 

 ing his printer's bill. 



Two florists entered the business and 

 advertised in the three daily papers. 

 They got a good trade without cutting 

 prices, but could not keep going. Too 

 much advertising did it. Again, an- 

 other man started a store and ran ad- 

 vertisements in all the papers. He is 

 now in the Binghamton insane hospital, 

 while the florists who never advertise 

 run greenhouses and, in our case, have 

 two stores and have no big advertising 

 bills to pay. It looks to us as though 

 the writers have an advertising scheme 

 to sell. J. C. Bigelow & Son. 



There are several reasons for printing 

 the foregoing communication. One is, 

 to assure Bigelow & Son that neither 

 Mr. Knoble nor Mr. Seligman has ad- 

 vertising schemes to sell; The Review 

 did not suppose it necessary to explain 

 in the article, but Mr. Knoble is one of 

 the most widely known retail florists in 

 Cleveland, at present president of the 

 Cleveland Florists' Club, and Mr. Se- 

 ligman is a ribbon salesman, interested 

 in the success of his customers, the re- 

 tail florists. Each believes, with The 

 Review, that the way to sell goods is 

 to tell possible buyers what one has to 

 sell. 



Bigelow & Son are well known and 

 successful florists at Utiea, N. Y. Their 

 standing entitles their views to respect- 

 ful consideration, but the fact is they, 

 and many others, base their opinion on 

 wrong premises: Advertising is not 

 wholly responsible for any man's suc- 

 cess, nor wholly responsible for any 

 man's failure. The same lack of judg- 

 ment that would lead a man to over- 

 advertise would lead him to other busi- 

 ness extravagances, and the same dis- 

 crimination that would enable a man 

 to pick out the one or two best adver- 



Large Refrigerator Across Rear of the Store of the Rentschler Floral G). 



