Headlines

Weekend Today Gives Flower-Buying Advice

"Every industry has their dirty little secrets, even the sweet smelling floral industry." So began Weekend Today's first in a series of reports on "Tricks of the Trade: A Guide for the Consumer."

Reported by the show's consumer affairs reporter, Vera Givens, the 3-minute segment featured the insights of New York wholesaler David Marchini of George Rallis Inc. Acknowledging that some florists might strip outer petals on roses to hide the fact that a rose might be past its prime, Marchini advises consumers to check for bloom firmness and overall health of the flower, saying, the "leaves can tell you a lot about a flower." He also advises to "buy early in the week" and, when you can, buy locally grown.

When it comes to buying online, New York designer George Vallo, of Portafiori Flower, tells Givens it's impossible for a florist to keep in inventory everything that's featured online, so consumers who want to make sure they get what they order should tell the online retailer "exactly what you want and don't want" in the arrangement.

Givens also conducted her own "unscientific" comparison test by ordering two $50 arrangements, one from a local retailer and another from an online retailer. The arrangement from the local retailer was noticeably larger, with more focal flowers. Givens acknowledged that "convenience isn't always the best route" and that flower quality depends upon the florist actually creating the arrangement.

Givens defended misconceptions about "rip-offs" at Valentine's Day, saying it is a case of supply and demand. Her final words of wisdom for best buying practices for busy times like Valentine's Day: Order early, consider buying short stems vs. long stem and, "if you can do it," order a color other than red.

While the segment does expose some negative floral experiences, SAF's Jennifer Sparks, who contacts the media in cases of negative publicity, says that overall it's a balanced  piece. "The way we decide whether or not to respond to the media is we check to see if there is a balance to the story," says Sparks, vice president of marketing. "In this case, while they used some sensational tactics to capture consumers' attention, overall the content of the story was favorable to the local florist."

See how florist Erlene LeBorgne of Rosemont Floral in Portland, Maine, talks about the segment to consumers, on her blog.   

--Kate F. Penn
kpenn@safnow.org

 
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Forty-Three Make the AIFD Cut

Forty-three of 111 candidates who participated in the American Institute of Floral Designers' (AIFD) Accreditation Evaluation Session (AES) in Palm Springs, Calif., were successful in their quest, AIFD announced Friday.

The AES provides the Institute a forum in which candidates seeking to become accredited members of AIFD are evaluated by an international panel based on 10 points of professional floral design, including mechanics, balance, color, theme, line and creativity.

"To receive the AIFD accreditation is a very prestigious honor awarded only to those who are able to achieve a successful AES evaluation and who have indicated their desire to help promote the art of professional floral design," noted AIFD President Tom Simmons, AIFD, of Palm Springs. "AIFD has high standards, and even though we are very anxious to grow membership, we will never lower the standards we have set for Accredited Membership. AIFD strives to hold the bar high and motivate designers to achieve that mark."

The candidates who were successful in their AES evaluations will be inducted as members of AIFD during the 2008 Symposium that will be held in Chicago July 3-8, 2008.

During an AIFD AES, candidates have a four-hour window in which they receive flowers and materials and must create five designs (funeral, base arrangement, flowers-to-wear, bridal, and designer's choice). AIFD Communications Manager, Eric Grammer, says candidates do not know the specific type of design for each category -- for example, a standing easel in the funeral category -- or the provided materials until right before they begin their designing.

Twenty-nine of the 43 accredited designers were from the U.S., eight from Korea, two from Mexico, two from Canada, and one each from Indonesia and Puerto Rico, Grammer says. According to AIFD, the U.S. state adding the largest group to AIFD was California, with 15, followed by Arizona with three. AIFD has approximately 1,500 members worldwide

--Kate Penn
kpenn@safnow.org

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Royer's Buys Rothermel's

Royers's Flowers & Gifts, based out of Lebanon, Pa., is growing its operation once again after its recent purchase of Rothermel's Florist & Greenhouse's business operations in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Greg Royer, president, says David Gelsinger, owner of Rothermel's, had decided to close up shop after more than 20 years in business and came to him about purchasing Rothermel's customer list and phone lines.

Royer said Gelsinger had been working long hours and long days for many years and decided it was time to step away. He sold the property to another business and the operations to Royer's.

"It's located in a market area that was growing for us, and we decided it would help accelerate that growth," Royer says.

Currently Royer's already has a location in Mechanicsburg, and with the purchase of Rothermel's business operations, they can direct Rothermel's former customers to the Royer's location.

"It will help increase our sales to our Mechanicsburg store, and our sales in that marketplace as a whole," Royer explains.

Royer's currently has 16 locations in Pennsylvania, which includes two Stephenson's Flower Shops, which were at one time owned by Gerald Stevens Inc., a retail consolidator that eventually failed. Royer's itself was owned by Gerald Stevens from 1998 to 2001, and the family regained ownership when Gerald Stevens filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Royer's also owns four retail shops in Columbus, Ohio.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

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Teleflora Thinks Pink

Teleflora's featured bouquet in October will be "Purely Pinks." Twenty percent of the purchase price will go to BCRF.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Teleflora has committed to raising a minimum of $100,000 for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF).

Teleflora announced its ongoing partnership with BCRF, a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to funding clinical and genetic research, on Sept. 5 via press release.

"Teleflora strongly embraces the concept of giving back ... BCRF works hard to achieve a noble goal and we are proud to demonstrate our committment to the fight against breast cancer through the gift of flowers," said Shawn Weidmann, president of Teleflora, in the press release.

As part of this partnership, Teleflora will feature a different bouquet on Teleflora.com every month, each highlighted with a BCRF pink ribbon.  Every time a featured item is purchased, Teleflora will donate 20 percent of the purchase price to BCRF, with a commitment of raising at least  $100,000.

While the partnership with BCRF is new, last year Teleflora gave 20 percent of the "Give Pink" bouquet sales to the American Cancer Society, as well as provided floral arrangements to 12 cancer centers around the country during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

1-800-Flowers.com also offers several products, such as the The Pink Ribbon Bouquet®, and the  Lenox® Gift of Knowledge Vase™ and Bouquet™, where a portion of the proceeds goes to breast cancer research and education foundations. In addition, FTD.com offers a "Breast Cancer -- Stomp it Out" necklace. Dogeared, the company that makes the necklace, donates 100 percent of the item's profits to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Read more about an Illinois florist promoting breast cancer awareness with an open house and fundraiser at his shop, next month in Floral Management's October "Hands On" Column.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Newsmakers

Wholesalers and Florists Will "Survive"

Bringing together like-minded members of the floral industry was the motivation behind a recent gathering where Premier Floral Distributors (PFD) joined wholesale and retail florists to discuss how to "survive" the challenges in today's industry. 

The three-day annual sales seminar, which took place at Seagroatt Floral Company in Albany, N.Y., in July, had teams of wholesalers and retail florists working together to discuss industry challenges like communications, transportation logistics and competition, in a "Survivor"-themed event.

"We're all trying to survive," says Katy Miller, PFD executive director and vice president of sales and marketing at Dillon Floral in Bloomsburg, Pa. "We're doing it by trying to be more successful and by training employees to be more successful. [At the event] people had a lot of fun while learning at the same time."

Surrounded by jungle decorations, and competing for Survivor giveaways, attendee teams were asked to discuss a number of different possible real-life industry situations.

Shelly Pritchett, general manager of Flowers Central in Daytona Beach, Fla., says the teams worked together to develop useable solutions that everyone was able to take home. She, herself, learned the importance of communication within Flower Central itself. She now puts out a daily information sheet for all employees letting them know what's going on within the company on that particular day, along with an inspirational quote.

"I felt the conference was tremendous," Pritchett says. "As a group, PFD is trying to pull wholesalers closer into the survival of the florist as well as the survival of the industry's independent wholesaler. Working together is a 'win win win' situation. The wholesaler wins, the florist wins and our customers win."

This was the first year PFD, a cooperative group of wholesalers who work together to source, promote and market floral products to their retail customer base, invited retail florists to the event. Miller says she's glad they did because it helped both wholesalers and florists develop a better appreciation for each group.

"It was extremely successful," Miller says.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

 
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Florist Celebrates 50 Years

On Wednesday, Sept. 12, Onalee Czapla will celebrate her 50th anniversary -- of floral design, that is. But that number doesn't seem to faze her. "Somebody said [the work] keeps me young," she jokes.

Czapla currently works at Design Originals in Shenandoah, Iowa, which is owned by sisters Melinda Kirby and Lori Smith, who Czapla met in the mid '70s. Sept. 12 officially marks the designer's 50th anniversary, and Kirby and Smith will host an open house tonight to honor Czapla and her achievement -- they have even put an ad about it in the newspaper, and invited florists and wholesalers she has worked with over the years.

Czapla got her start in floral design in 1957, when she helped make corsages for Mother's Day at Bill's Floral in Shenandoah. "I stayed on [after that]. It was just a little bitty two room [store], but we did enormous business," she says.

She worked at Bill's Floral for almost 16 years, before becoming a manager at Shenandoah Floral. Kirby and Smith began working for Czapla in 1973 and 1978, respectively.

"We helped out part time," Kirby says. "She was more like family than a boss. She taught us ... good work ethic. If there was work to be done, you stayed and did it ... you don't see that anymore."

In 1995 Kirby and Smith opened their store, and hired Czapla. "I have been at Design Originals almost 11 years," she says. "I am just interested in flowers. I like to be around them ... it's an interesting business."

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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Tips

Blogs Gaining More Steam

Erlene LeBorgne, owner of Rosemont Floral in Portland, Maine, wanted to find a less formal  way to communicate to customers about what's new at her shop and in the industry, so in February 2006, she started a blog, or a Web journal.

"It humanizes you," LeBorgne explains.

After receiving feedback from customers as far away as Florida, LeBorgne started another blog on her site dedicated specifically to weddings.

Though LeBorgne says it's hard to gauge specifically how many new customers she has gained since starting the two blogs, she is certain that it has driven more people to her Web site and thus increased her customer base.

LeBorgne isn't alone. The Wall Street Journal reported in August, that small business owners are increasingly turning to blogs as a marketing tool to drive more people to their Web site, post information and solicit customer feedback.

For example, Allison Nazarian, founder and president of Get It In Writing Inc., a small marketing copywriting firm in Boca Raton, Fla., told the Wall Street Journal, the company draws as many as 150,000 unique visitors a month to its site, as compared to the 100 they received before starting a blog in 2006.

"A blog can help you ... establish your credibility and expertise, and that is what encourages people to click and buy," says Debbie Weil, an author and corporate blogging consultant in Washington, D.C., in the Wall Street Journal article.

However, Weil also warns that it can take time before you start seeing results and "it's a fallacy to think you blog, and you sell."

To learn more about keeping tabs of the blogosphere, setting one up, ideas for content and tips for maintaining a blog presence, check out the Plugged In column in the upcoming October issue of Floral Management.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

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Believe It or Not

You Wouldn't Dream This Up!

Meg's virtual flower patch is artfully color-coordinated and arranged in an attractive geometric design to emphasize its similarity to real growing operations.

Yahoo apparently thinks there are some computer gamers out there fantasizing about life as a florist. They've added to their list of downloadable computer games (which includes "Enemy Territory," "Heavenly Sword" and "Super Smash Bros. Brawl") "Flower Shop: Big City Break," where users get to control how successful the main character, "Meg," will be in her newest business venture and ultimately achieve total world floral domination.

After airing her frustration with her shop at the corner of 'hustle and bustle' street in some unnamed downtown Metropolis, Meg sits down on a bench, opens up the newspaper to read the advertisement: "Escape the Big City -- Quaint Flower Shop for Sale on Sunshine Isle."

Meg packs up shop and leaves the whizzing taxi cabs behind to discover a world of opportunity on the advertised tropical island. The gamer's job is to aid Meg in developing her retail florist locations all over the large island. They must follow specific guidelines and help Meg plant flower seeds; watch them grow; scoop up the flowers; design an arrangement; charge the customer a certain amount; deliver the package; and, most importantly, get the money. Meg gets new items for her store, such as a new store counter, so she can serve two customers simultaneously, based on how speedy orders are created for the customer.

Sounds like real life, right?

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

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Flowers Fear Their Safety; Hire Mike Tyson as Bodyguard

We want people to be excited about flowers, but even we admit there is such a thing as too excited. Like, say, when you break the law to get your floral fix -- as the following two desperate souls allegedly did. 

Arizona native Christopher Billie, 37, was arrested Aug. 31 on an auto burglary charge after stealing flowers from a hearse, reports the Associated Press. Funeral directors at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Flagstaff watched Billie, reportedly intoxicated, as he opened the door to the vehicle, climbed inside and started grabbing flower vases. The mortician detained Billie at the scene until the police arrived.

Megan Harrison, 28, of Durham, N.C., was spotted by local police on the night of Aug. 28, arms full of petunias and geraniums, reports The News & Observer. When police asked where she had got them, she first said they were a gift, but quickly confessed to digging them from the property of two local businesses. Since spring, dozens of residents and businesses around downtown Durham have reported flowers being stolen from their properties.

Police officer Kimberly Schooley took Harrison to the scene of the crime, charged her with misdemeanor larceny and re-planted the flowers herself. "I asked her to do that," said supervising officer, Cpl. Marianne Bond to the Observer. "We can't hold the plants as evidence."

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Mark Your Calendars

California One Step Closer to Banning Deceptive Listings

As of Sept. 6, California legislation, A.B. 1282, which bans floral or ornamental products or service companies from misrepresenting their geographic location, is awaiting the signature of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ann Quinn, executive vice president of the California State Floral Association, is asking florists to contact Gov. Schwarzenegger and show support for the legislation. "I would really encourage all retail florists to fax a letter to the governor asking for his signature on [the bill] to prevent geographic misrepresentation in the floral industry," she says.

Go to CSFA's Web site to get more information and view a sample letter.

SAF also sent out an action alert on behalf of CSFA, stating: "It is crucial that the Governor receive as many letters as possible," and asking members to contact his office and show support.

Read more about the California deceptive listings bill.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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There's Still Time ...

... To pre-register for SAF Palm Springs 2007, held Sept. 26-29 at the La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, Calif. You won't want to miss the three action-packed days of powerful education sessions, networking opportunities and top- notch entertainment. Get more information, download a registration form and brochure or register now!

Also, don't forget the annual SAFPAC Golf Tournament at SAF Palm Springs 2007, held at the breathtaking PGA-West Mountain Course at the La Quinta Resort & Club. This is your chance to hit the links, have some fun and strengthen the industry's voice, too! All registration fees go directly to SAFPAC, and are used to support members of Congress who support our industry. Download the registration form and fax it back to SAF at (703) 836-8705.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Regular Features

Product Spotlight -- SAF's Flower & Plant Care: The 21st Century Approach

It's back-to-school time ... employees included! Give your staff a refresher course in care and handing with SAF's Flower & Plant Care: The 21st Century Approach. It covers everything from feeding and hydrating, to temperature control, sanitation and much more. Use it to extend the vase life of your flowers and keep your customers happy. For more information, contact SAF member services at (800) 336-4743; memberinfo@safnow.org. Prices are subject to shipping and handling fees.

Member Prices
Care and Handling binder and CD-ROM: $54.95
Care and Handling CD-ROM: $39.95
Care and Handling binder (available in English and Spanish): $29.95

Non-Member Prices
Care and Handling binder and CD-ROM: $79.95
Care and Handling CD-ROM: $59.95
Care and Handling binder (available in English and Spanish): $44.95

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Talk on the Forums

In a recent post on SAF's Discussion Forum, a member says she saw a product that holds water in sealed bag (so it does not spill in customer's vehicles). She would like to offer this option instead of water tubes, and was wondering where to find them. Another member states her shop has used "Arrive Alive" packing, (triangle pieces of foam wrapped around the bottom of the stems then placed in plastic baggie) for several years, and it can be ordered through The John Henry Company. Weigh in.

Also on the Forums:
Roses
Outside displays

Back-To-School Promotions Not Popular With Florists

Almost 90 percent of readers responding to the previous week's e-poll said they do not market back-to-school arrangements. Ten percent said they do.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Christmas Most Popular Holiday for Home Decoration

Halloween is the second most favorite holiday for decorating one's home, surpassed only by Christmas. Sixty-six percent of Americans decorate their homes for Halloween compared to ninety-one percent at Christmas. The top six holidays for home decoration are shown in the figure below. The survey compared a dozen holidays and the results ranged from Christmas to Cinco de Mayo, for which four percent of Americans decorated. The survey was conducted in 2004 and the authors report the results are unlikely to vary much by year.

Top Holidays for Home Decoration

Source: Unity Marketing, 2007

--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

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