New-York tribune., 1905-12-19
SUCCESS as A FLORIST.
One Woman Tells of Hardships and
Rescards of Business.

..r. ,,o1, III. a beautiful business and just the
fbiss FOR women" said woman horisl WIZ -
-eeen:iy opened shop in this CITY, oul "s srr,.
ICES are deceptive. OF course, l enjoy 1t AHa'
- =. an, In If But I don't think there are
- x,on,sn who would either like it or succeed
81 It. Ito, which
few women have. and one must De pFepotSu ~
stand a siege Of several years before the business
resins TO nay That is the case N New to4 -
T. <-,sIa- 9laces II is different. In Walthan Mass
rs, s5co into nv business, and made sSuo IN h'e
years Int one can't DO that IN NeW-fofh'
.rrb,n there IS the buying. Unless one Is IN i'te
-4th the work one DOESN'T enjoy set'iiis uo"-
market ST O'Clock in the Ino'nlils, a" :. ~. ha
har5 bargains with dealers who all Try at ti'e oe
5-,,,g to do Won I'D just because you are WON
an The first morning 1 went to market "f0 -
only woman among five hundred men, 11
fs,,s.lzs and must confess that was oao-S ~
~. but soon got 70 know the ropes ana no" 'ii'
dealer who gets the better OF me VIII i0'A ~ 90
,,rsttv early in the morning
.s>co n isn't true that one has to go 10 ma heN
at O'Clock a. m. That is. the plant market mere
IS 6 flower market at s o'clock, out the y N -
better Still even that is pretty early anu
1ns il very Interesting ! would rather not haFe "
DO it every morning. When / get TO De suthcien.tS
important I suppose can make arrans senleii's WIN
growers TO have flowers sent directly to me on ap
proval as the big florists do. but meantline ai
irving 10 break in my colored boy to go 10 nafhee
for me occasionally. But will stil have TO carry
7,ost OF the responsibility, because in the flower
b,lsin~xe knowing how 10 buy is half the battle
Ton must rot only know good stuff when you see IT,
bur you must know just what ana how fnuch yo"
can sell. Your stock must just carry you thFoush
she Day ana you mustn't have anything left over
because il spoiIs your reput ion to sell old now-
.rs though a great many florists do 1t. Buying on
SATURDAY requires particularly good judgment Sun
dzv e the day when We do the most business, put
one must be particularly careful not TO nave tue
supply exceed the demand on that day' because
ANYTHING that is left over will be two days od on
Monday A rainy Sunday means dull business and
one must not have any flowers left over always
ss-, "a know bv instinct or some ether faculty
h.n IL js going to rain on Sunday, and have never
1niscslculate6 yet . ,
.,7-ls iong hours which the flower business neces-
si.etes are another thing that one doesn tHink %
when one looks into flower filed Wlndo". lheie
s. ne other business that know OF mat mas sucn -
I,,s- hours Here again you don't mino II IL you
love the work Otherwise it would De lntolei@pie'
mamong the minor discomforts are the spoli'
s,1 of YOUR hands and the frequency WIN WHICH
,,o. take cold don't like spoil my hands, ana
=, ,a>,;nz them rnanicured every day and taking
s,,a,1, rossble precaution manage to keep them
e, -ysttv good condition. But haven't yet learned
hoE 10 avoid taking cold from dabhlng IN wafer
.n6 iahaiing pollen s
''The qualities necessary to success III tIe li'Ne4
tusn,ss are taste and good judgment in buying
You can get on without everything else but LneSe
4go thinss YOU must have. 1 don't really know
y,,,rb anout business, and there are great many
-hinss i don't know about flowers nate po9k-
keeping and in Waltham never Kept any s pooKs =
.sf,1re L came TO New-Tork my husband mas done ~
Sor ne l don't know how TO take care Oh plants @
snd hsve TO hire some one that Goes know now
r1,f 7 5o know how to buy and Halter myself
hsv4 sons taste. love TO design noraI s1 arrsLeg
r-ents and think beat any man noIlsl ~
the city at tying bows Most OF them ne Mucous
bows. ,.,,. l. .,s
making bad debts. There is no business IN wnich
reopla run I'D more accounts that they dom ~
tend 10 nav than in tho flower business. They seem
TO regard the florist Ike The physician, IS legli-
mate prey. Sometimes people will pay eash tor sA
months, and then start an account Wtlch tthey
pay, transferring their patronage 10 another
florist when their credit is exhausted
NO. don't know any way that one can learn earn
The business. 1 born. l believe, with some
taste as regards the arrangement OF flowers. ana
I developed il in my fathers garden | was also
born with d passion for buying and selling ana II
took only q little experience TO develop that The
other things connected with the business don't
krov I hire some that does. and at present
am fortunate in having q woman assistant whose
father was florist. and who worked with him Tor
. gceE years.