Five Floral Businesses Mark 100 Years Of Success

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Society of American Florists celebrated the longevity of five floral industry businesses with the SAF Century Award during SAF Amelia Island 2015, the association's 131st Annual Convention in Amelia Island, Florida. Presented on Sept. 12, the honor recognizes companies that have been in business for 100 years or more.

"Each year at the SAF convention, all of us interact with fellow business owners who have determination, vision and grit," said SAF Awards Committee member Lori Wheat, AAF, of Lafayette Florist, Gift Shop & Garden Center in Lafayette, Colorado during the awards presentation. "But to sustain that for 100 years or more is truly an impressive feat."

The 2015 Century Award honorees are:

• Allan's Flowers in Prescott, Arizona
• Brown Floral in Salt Lake City, Utah
• Evans Flowers and Greenhouses in Peabody, Massachusetts
• Furst Florist & Greenhouses in Dayton, Ohio
• Ye Olde Yardley Florist in Yardley, Pennsylvania

About Allan's Flowers

Founded in 1914 by George Allan Sr., Allan's Flowers is an award-winning, full-service retail florist in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

In 1914, the Allan family moved to Arizona from New Jersey, where they had operated a flower shop. They quickly opened their Prescott shop and built greenhouses to grow flowers.

Over the years, they began selling flowers to shops around Phoenix via the Santa Fe Railroad. They relocated their retail shop several times around the Prescott area, serving local customers and processing orders from FTD via Western Union.

In the 1930s the family tore down its greenhouses and focused exclusively on the retail shop, relocating the business to South Cortez Street in 1948. There, they expanded their retail lines and gave new life to a walk-in, refrigerated beer box from a bar on Whiskey Row, turning the unit into a storage cooler for flowers.

The business moved outside of the family after George Allan Jr. left the business. Throughout the years, it has been led by a number of people, including Norma Orr, Linda LeBlanc, and Rakini and Jim Chinery, who purchased the business in 1999.

In 2010, the business moved to East Gurley Street, into an old Dairy Queen building complete with a drive-thru window. Two years ago, the Arizona State Florists Association inducted Allan's Flowers into the Arizona Floral Hall of Fame.

About Brown Floral

Brown Floral was established in 1915 and was initially run by Leon Brown. Around 1926, Brown recruited his wife, Leone, to join him in the day-to-day operations. She told him she would work with him — not for him — and that was the start of a business partnership that thrived for more than five decades.

Along with cut flowers, the Browns built a popular nursery; customers would come from all over Utah to purchase bedding plants and trees. Indeed, many local families still have fond memories of shopping for their Christmas tree at Brown Floral.

In 2010, current owners Rob Johnson and Tracie Drage purchased Brown Floral. Neither Johnson nor Drage had any floral experience, but they immediately recognized the opportunities presented by such a beloved legacy business. They brought their enthusiasm for sales and marketing to the table and began focusing on business-to-business work.

Within three years, the business had tripled in size and reclaimed its position as one of Utah's leading florists.

About Evans Flowers and Greenhouses

Dennis and Michele Feld are the fourth family to own Evans Flowers and Greenhouses, which was founded in 1875 as J.M. Ward and Co. Floral Design in Peabody, Massachusetts. The Felds purchased the business in 1984 from Fonda Poole, who took over from Howard Evans in 1971. Evans, who bought the business himself in 1941, gave the shop its current name.

Still situated in its original location, Evans Flowers was once home to 15 greenhouses and a barn, which was used for the shop's delivery carriage and team of horses. The last of the original greenhouses is now used for displaying plants.

Today, Evans Flowers and Greenhouses continue to provide high quality fresh flowers and plants to customers for all occasions. The award-winning business has been voted "Best Florist" locally for 18 straight years, and has been honored by many organizations, including The Knot, which recently inducted Evans into its "Best of Weddings" Hall of Fame.

About Furst the Florist & Greenhouses

For 110 years, Furst the Florist & Greenhouses has proudly served customers in and around Dayton, Ohio. The family-owned business is committed to offering only the finest floral arrangements and gifts, backed by service that is friendly and prompt.

Joseph Furst arrived in the United States from Germany in the early 1900s and quickly founded Furst the Florist in 1905. For years, he made his living selling flowers at the local farmer's market and growing flower crops in his area greenhouses.

At one time or another, all of Joe's children worked in the business, and his son, William ("Bill") Furst, took over in 1939. At that time, the business' primary crops included poinsettias, mums, spring plants and vegetables. Bill's son, William Furst Jr., who also goes by Bill, took over in 1970.

Today, Furst the Florist & Greenhouses includes a thriving full-service retail shop, wholesale division and production greenhouses. The staff of 75 includes members of the family's fourth and fifth generations.

About Ye Olde Yardley Florist

George Cadwallader established Ye Olde Yardley Florist in 1914 at 175 South Main Street in Yardley, Pennsylvania. Cadwallader grew his own flowers in greenhouses pulled into town with a horse and wagon and heated with hand-shoveled coal.

After Cadwallader's death in 1954,Yardley Florist was sold to Bill Breece, who had an annual Christmas exhibit in the 1960s that drew thousands. He regularly held shows, demonstrations and gave lively classes on floral design. After his son's death in Vietnam, Breece sold the business to Jerry Delaney who later sold it to Susan Gorka, a former shop bookkeeper and the current owner, in 1992.

Through the years, the business has received many awards, including a Certificate of Special Recognition by the United States Senate, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Patrick Toomey; a special citation from state Sen. Steven Santarsiero; admission to the Congressional Record and a presentation of a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol by Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick; and recognition from Teleflora for "100 years of dedicated service." It has also been noted that Yardley Florist has consistently been voted Best Florist in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The Society of American Florists is the leading organization representing all segments of the floral industry. SAF is proud to provide marketing, business and government services to its members, including growers, wholesalers, retailers, suppliers, importers, educators, designers and allied organizations. The association was chartered by an act of Congress in 1884.

Source: Society of American Florists