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May 1, 1913. 



The Florists' Review 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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THE TREND OF THE TRADE. 



Helpful Competition. 



In The Review of March 20 there 

 V as an interesting article on "The 

 Trend of the Trade," and as this is a 

 subject of great importance to all, it 

 no doubt has been read with interest 

 and has also given rise to many opin- 

 ions for and against the views which 

 were expressed there. 



There is no doubt as to the large 

 amount of stock to be handled; so 

 large that it might be said to be in 

 excess of the demand. This is not so, 

 however. At any rate, the demand 

 may be increased. This has been done 

 and is being done from day to day. 

 Yes, the stock is here and we must sell 

 it and we are going to sell it. 



The wholesaler who opens new re- 

 tail stores is working along one line 

 which should meet with success. It 

 must not be a combination of whole- 

 sale and retail business, however, but 

 strictly a retail store, buying from the 

 wholesale department. Then will re- 

 sult honest competition, and every com- 

 petitor of this kind is boosting busi- 

 ness. Cut flowers at retail must be sold 

 ut retail prices and there is no reason 

 why any retailer should fear the com- 

 petition of the wholesaler with his re- 

 tail store; nor should he consider him 

 a menace. Of course, a small town 

 will furnish only a certain amount of 

 trade, but there are so many of the 

 public who are not educated into flower 

 buying that our opportunities are prac- 

 tically unlimited, provided we push on 

 carefully and intelligently along the 

 proper lines. Find the right field and 

 then develop it, and it will work to the 

 advantage of aU. Every new store, 

 handled properly, makes new business 

 for itself as well as for competitors. 



The Get-together Spirit. 



Intelligent advertising is no doubt 

 one of the best business getters and it 

 not only gets business for its own store, 

 but for the others also. That is one 

 of the best reasons why the get-together 

 spirit should be encouraged and an ad- 

 vertising campaign pushed along in 

 every way possible. 



Special sales are also a great help in 

 the retail trade. They are also a help 

 to the wholesaler. He can unload in 

 time? of gluts and the retailer reaches 

 new customers. Sooner or later their 

 taste for flowers will be cultivated and 

 they will want the flowers whether 

 there are special sales or not. The re- 

 sult is increased demand. 



Why should we complain when the 

 department stores take up a refail 

 flower department! It is the same 

 thing over again. Every competitor is 

 making new trade and the result will 

 simply be that the public who are not 

 buyers at present will become buyers 



part of the department store trade is 

 developing new customers. 



Stock That Discourages Bujring. 



We do not want a cut price cam- 

 paign, but a system of business where- 

 by a decent profit may be made; neith- 

 er do we want the stores which sell 

 unfit stock. Selling sleepy and unfit 

 stock will discourage buying and such 

 stock should not be handled at any 

 price. 



Let all work together. Get together 

 and advertise. Persuade your custom- 

 ers to attend our exhibitions. Get them 

 acquainted with plants and flowers and 

 the names of the different varieties and 

 there will be many who will show new 

 interest, all to the profit of our pro- 

 fession. Assist the local flower shows, 

 and if the small towns have no shows, 

 start them. The public will fall right 

 in and help you. Help them by exhibit- 

 ing. We do not realize our possibili- 



intensively as he might. He also ques- 

 tions whether or not the startin^f' of* a 

 downtown retail store would pay. 



As The Eeview invites comment, I 

 will give a little of our experience. 



Eight years ago this spring we bought 

 an old greenhouse establishment in a 

 town of 3,600 people. The best year's 

 business, previous to our taking charge, 

 was $2,000, which included a little out- 

 of-town trade to nearby towns. Within 

 two years we were obliged to rebuild, 

 which we did, putting up 10,300 feet 

 of glass at the edge of town. We also 

 started at that time a downtown retail 

 store. Last year we moved into a larger 

 store, to accommodate increasing 

 business. * ' 



Our last year 's business totaled a lit- 

 tle more than $6,600. From present in- 

 dications it will go close to $7,500 this 

 year. We consider that pretty good 

 for a town of 3,600, made up almost 

 entirely of that much derided class 

 known as ' ' retired farmers. ' ' 



Not every town of this size will sup- 

 port a downtown store, but certainly a 

 city of 10,000 will, if it is backed by 

 business ability, with lots of push and 

 hard work. L. B. Hill. 



PAUL BLOME'S STORE. 



An attractive store is considered one 

 of the most important factors of the 

 present-day methods of merchandising 

 cut flowers. While exterior display to 



j fgittn^nl^. 



View in the Store of Paul Blome, Chicago. 



ties and can only get what we are en- 

 titled to by putting our shoulders to 

 the wheel and working in unison. Stock 

 will be produced in plenty. Our prob- 

 lem is to dispose of it. 



Louis J. Reuten: 



^eventually. " ^ he flowe i;^ ^^ai ness ,^-^0^ 

 overdone, by any means, anoaTarge 



DO YOU OET WHAT'S DUE? 



There has just come to my attention 

 an article published in The Review of 

 January 16, und€#ilAfe title, "Do You 

 Get What's Duel" The writer of the 

 article states that his sales run from 

 $10,000 to $12,000 per year in a town 

 oflOjOO^nhabitants, and he wonders 

 wBetnernels farraiug his territory as 



attract the eye of the pedestrian is a 

 sales force in itfeelf, it must be backed 

 up by proper inside display. Usually 

 there are more possibilities offered for 

 working out of ideas for interior dis- 

 play than for window or sidewalk ar- 

 rangements. The photograph repro- 

 duced here shows a display window and 

 the new Buchbinder white enamel dis- 

 play refrigerator installed by Paul 

 Blome at his North Clark street retail 

 shop, Chicago. The refrigerator is so 

 placed that it is the first thing that 

 catches the eye of the prospective cus- 

 tomer when he enters. Its conetruction 

 affords a maxim um of display, the idea 

 being worked^ul^SO tuat as mtrch ghwA 



