on my side Alyssa Van Guilder,
left, trusts wholesaler Stephanie
Demick to ‘be her eyes’ and select
the perfect products for her shop.
Fall in Love
with your wholesaler all over again
Florists who adore their wholesalers reveal what wins their love and money.
By Katie Hendrick
PHOTO BY ED KARJALA
> It’s easy for florists to play the field when it comes to sourcing their product. Temptations lurk at every click of the mouse, every offer for a lower
price with a quicker delivery. And judging by the shrinking number of
wholesalers — 900 outlets today, compared to 1,200 in 2002, according to
the Wholesaler Florist and Florist Supplier Association (WF&FSA) — this
loss of monogamy hurts.
But there are some, like Alyssa Van Guilder, who shirk the discounts obtained by buying direct, following the adage that you get what you pay for.
The owner of Apotheca Flower Shoppe in Goffstowne, N.H., demands quality above all else. And to make sure she gets it, she knows exactly who to
call: Stephanie Demick, her wholesaler just down the road.
“I trust Stephanie at Carbone’s to be my eyes,” Van Guilder said. “She
sees what comes in, she knows what looks good, and she knows what we
are looking for because she has taken the time to know.”
Although she may be in the minority in choosing a wholesaler over the
seductive deals of buying direct, Van Guilder is not alone. We spoke with
several florists who buy the bulk of their fresh product through their local
wholesaler. Their overriding reason? Their counterparts are trustworthy,
enthusiastic and personally interested in their businesses — and lives.
Sound like the stuff of a romantic comedy (i.e. a little too pie in the sky)?
Florists wanting to duplicate that chemistry can forget the mood lighting.
Just tell wholesalers what you want.
The magazine of the Society of American Florists (SAF)
25
> Fall in Love with Your Wholesaler All Over Again
hue and me
Wholesaler
Stephanie Demick
trains her eye on
the colors that
fit the palette of
customer Alyssa
Van Guilder’s
Apotheca Flower
Shoppe in
Goffstown, N.H.
1. Get Up Close and Personal
Wholesalers whose retailers are singing
their praises may be taking a cue from
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King
and I,” by “getting to know (and like)”
their customers.
“Our number one priority is getting
to know our florists,” said Heidi Fatula,
a salesperson with Hillcrest Gardens in
Paramus, N.J. She does that by reading
clients’ Web sites and blogs and looking
for articles that might pertain to them.
Doing so, she said, gleans vital information about florists’ proclivities and
clientele, as well as personal tidbits like
birthdays and anniversaries, which she
can use to show she cares.
“There’s nothing better than hearing the surprise in their voices when you
know they saw your name on caller I.D.
and expected a business call, then you
wish them ‘Happy Birthday’ instead,” she
said. “We’ve also found it makes a heck
of a difference to make road trips and
actually travel to their stores.”
Demick, a salesperson for RJ Carbone
Floral Distributors in Bedford, N.H.,
26 echoed this need for in-person visits. “It’s
so crucial in our business to see our customers’ shops,” she said. “It’s really the
only way to understand what we can sell
to them — seeing exactly what they use
and where we can fit in. Not to mention, it
can teach us what else is out there.”
Apotheca Flower Shoppe is among
her most frequent visits. Situated in an
1860s train depot, the shop is also part
general store and part café, complete with
wireless internet and open-mic nights.
From perusing Apotheca, she’s
learned Van Guilder’s emphasis on color
palettes and love for anything distinctive.
“I know, for instance, if I called to say I
got in some shocking blue hydrangea,
she’d be the first customer to want to try
it,” Demick said.
In New Paltz, an hour north of
Manhattan, Marisue Traina’s store,
Under the Magenta Moon, requires one
of Fatula’s longest drives. Physical meetings aren’t always feasible, so Fatula and
Traina communicate by phone or e-mail
daily, if not more frequently. Although
flanked by rural communities, New Paltz
FLORAL MANAGEMENT | MAY 2010 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG
is “a funky little college town with a taste
that runs along the same lines as what’s
popular in NYC,” Traina said. “She’s always making sure I get the best flowers
I can,” as well as modish supplies fitting
her customers’ preferences, which Fatula
understands.
In Dayton, Ohio, Bruce Hastings,
manager of Cleveland Plant and Flower
Company, implemented quarterly roundtable forums and barbecue cookouts
(and introduced a friendly feline mascot
named Oliver) to bond with his florists
and assess their concerns. Kathy and Bill
Ardle of Schneider’s Florist travel from
the neighboring town of Springfield to be
active members of the CPF community.
“They’re our friends — our family,
really,” Bill Ardle said, praising his wholesaler for listening to his concerns and
taking his feedback to Washington during
events like SAF’s Congressional Action
Days. “We know they really care about
us. Their lobbying efforts mean a lot.”
Besides targeting florists’ needs, getting personal forges camaraderie and a
support system when life gets hard.
Holly Nash, owner of Flowering
Fashions by Haring in Ithaca, N.Y., received a pair of lady’s slipper orchids
from Katy Miller, manager of Dillon
Floral Corp. in Bloomsburg, Pa., when
her mother passed away. “We’re people
to them, not just business acquaintances,” Nash said. “Katy gives good
hugs,” chimed in Don Jayne, co-owner
with his wife, Linda, of Jayne’s Flower
Shop in Waverly, N.Y., another one of
Miller’s clients.
2. Be Dependable
Alas, no amount of kindness can make
up for orders that arrive late or are
sub-par. It goes without saying that top
wholesalers consistently get things right.
When Demick entered the wholesale business about 10 years ago, she
encountered a 40-year-veteran florist
who shared his initial wholesaler woes.
“(The florist) said he had one option for
buying roses, and if they came in with
limp necks, he couldn’t call for credit
— he had to make them work. He said
they glued, wired, did whatever they had
to. If a flower came in showing brown
spots, you plucked and peeled,” she said.
“I really respect those florists who can
work with anything, but they absolutely
shouldn’t have to.”
To ensure none of her customers experiences similar horror stories, Demick
personally scrutinizes the flowers in RJ
Carbone’s cooler before she fills an order.
“We’re all accountable for our own
sales, so if we see something not up to
standards, we’ll pull it off the sales floor,”
she said. “It’s like having four quality control managers in the cooler each day.”
“The most important thing I’ve heard
from retailers is to check each and every
flower before we send them out,” Fatula
said. Like Demick, she inspects every
flower she orders. She also moves product
to a separate section of Hillcrest’s coolers when it is not the absolute freshest.
“Sometimes, with funerals, for example,
cost is really more important than quality,
so we’ll take those orders from this slightly
older (but still saleable) supply. We have
constant rotation in our refrigerator.”
Her diligence does not go unnoticed.
“I sell flowers. If they are not of good
quality, no matter how beautifully I design them, they will not sell,” Traina said.
“My business and my reputation rest
atop the product Heidi provides me.”
Nash, too, described quality assurance as a reason she uses Dillon.
“Usually with Valentine’s Day, florists
have to replace roses because there’s
so many and the weather’s so cold,” she
said. “But for three years running, we
haven’t had to replace a single rose. Not
one out of a thousand. That really says
a lot about who we’re buying from.” The
fact that the roses come in stripped and
conditioned from Dillon — not necessarily so when buying direct from the farm
— is well worth the extra cost to Nash.
“They do what they say they’ll do,
period,” Jayne said. “I know that when
I order something, it’s going to be usable and it’s coming in on time.” Both
he and Nash credit this reliability to
meticulous organization.
“They keep records of what I buy,
so they’ll give me a list of what I bought
When You Have to Have ‘the talk’
Money can be an uncomfortable topic,
even for the closest of couples. But
ignoring it — not telling your wholesaler
you’re going through tough financial
times — can lead to rough patches
further down the road. A little communication, however, usually yields a lot of
compassion. “We understand it’s hard
to pay bills, so we’ll act as a bank—hold
checks, extend a little more credit,”
wholesaler Heidi Fatula said. “But it’s a
trust thing, so we appreciate florists not
taking advantage of our leniency.”
To avoid becoming a freeloader, keep
your wholesaler’s interests in mind:
1. Tell them in advance: A heads
up allows a proactive approach.
Wholesalers can scout out the most
cost-effective product for you or,
perhaps, negotiate an extendedpayment plan. It’s much less
stressful for all involved to prepare
for problems than clean them up.
2. Be willing to compromise: Prove
you will do the best you can and
offer a down payment. “It’s very
hard when customers just say, ‘I
can’t pay’,” Fatula said. “At least put
down something. That way we’re not
struggling to pay our vendors and the
client has less to make up later on.”
3. Give your wholesaler a pricepoint: Let your wholesaler know
what funds you’re working so
you can avoid overspending.
Manager Bruce Hastings is thrilled
to say that the Dayton Cleveland Plant
& Flower does not have a significant accounts receivables problem — which he
partially attributes to a tongue-in-cheek,
but spot-on serious sign they post in the
shop that reads, “For your convenience,
we accept dead green presidents, checks
and credit cards. There are also two
ATM machines located within minutes of
us.” It shows “there are really no excuses
for not paying us on time,” he said.
“We’re a business. We need good cash
flow. The same goes for florists, so they
understand and respect that.”
For more on how to stay (or get
back) in your wholesaler’s good financial
graces, see “I Due: Vow to Keep Talking
When You Can’t Keep Paying,” available
at www.safnow.org/infotogo.
FlowerBuyer
1/3 Vertical
2.25” x 9.625”
p.27
The magazine of the Society of American Florists (SAF)
27
> Fall in Love with Your Wholesaler All Over Again
retailers say, “my
wholesaler doesn’t
just sell me flowers,
my wholesaler helps
me succeed by...
“…always being dependable, tracking
anything down and spoiling us rotten
with cake on Valentine’s Day!”
—Candis Smith Collins (on Johnsen’s Wholesale in Beaumont, Texas)
“…providing hands-on workshops
and design shows showcasing the
latest trends and cutting edge designs. The most recent one had Cory
Brown AIFD and Fitz in for a Prom
program. They taught shops how
to use oasis glue and the new jewel
wristies and gave tips and hints
on getting more prom business.”
­— Lorri Grasso Kunian (on Jacobson
Wholesale in Boston, Mass.)
“…being my best friend and advisor.
He’s cheaper than therapy.”
—Susan Eicher (on Paul’s Wholesale, Washington, D.C.)
wholesalers say, “my
retailers make my job
easier (and enjoyable!)
when they...
last year for Valentine’s Day, Easter
or Mother’s Day, for example, so I can
study it and decide if I want new products or different amounts. And it also
encourages me to get my order in early,”
Jayne said.
3. Talk To Me.
“What I really love about Stephanie
is that we speak the same language,”
Van Guilder said of her sales associate
at Carbone. “She knows that color nuances have a huge impact on a flower’s
contribution to a design, and she takes
the time to make sure our ‘pink lily’ is the
right kind of pink. I can call her and just
say, ‘Stephanie, can you bundle me up
something I’ll love?’ and she can do it.”
Is Demick’s insight due to clairvoyance? Hardly. It’s a result of recurring
and thorough conversations and from
e-mailing photos back and forth.
“A challenge we sometimes deal with
is when customers make up names for
what they want,” Demick said, such as
“fans” (teepee), “sea grass” (bear grass)
and “fried eggs” (cremons). “It can make
for some funny conversations. But we’ll
discuss it until we all understand. The
Internet has definitely helped us figure it
out together.”
The Internet, however, can’t do much
to satisfy the “too difficult” retailer who
returns a product because “the leaves are
turned the wrong way.” In these situations,
Fatula said communication is the best preventative way to keep both parties happy.
“We tell customers exactly what
they’re getting — the grade, the physical
appearance, the day it comes in — as
detailed a description as we can give,”
Fatula said. “The more communication
you have regarding the product, the less
errors you’ll have.”
One way to eliminate secondguessing: a color guide, like the one used
by Dillon. To ensure continuity when
describing colors, Dillon uses a printed
chart, which they give to retailers, with a
swatch of each shade and its name. “It’s
a simple thing, but it makes a big difference,” Nash said. “What we perceive as
certain colors doesn’t necessarily translate the same to the next person. A lot
of people call azaleas red, for instance,
when they’re really fuchsia.”
Clear labeling also pays off when orders come in, too.
“Cleveland Plant and Flower makes
sure to mark all the wedding flowers so
they don’t get mixed in with everything
else,” Bill Ardle said. “That eliminates a
lot of stress for us.”
“…give us those ‘special’ and wedding orders with a little lead time.
That way we can source it from
the best grower and ship it in the
most ideal and cost effective way.”
—Kevin Priest, Cleveland Plant and
Flower Company, Parma, Ohio
“…let me select even a few funky
items for them. We have an insane
amount of inventory. My eyes are
there looking at it, my nose is there
smelling it and my hands are touching it. We know what rocks at any
given time. Let us do our job. I promise you, if you show me you trust
me, I will pay you back with amazing
product.” —Mark Miller, Baisch &
Skinner, St. Louis
“…are familiar with the supplies
they use on a daily basis.” —Diana
Shull, Reeves Floral Products, Inc.,
Woodstock, Ga.
28 petal pow-wow Regular face-to-face conversations keep retailer Alyssa Van
Guilder, left, and wholesaler Stephanie Demick, right, speaking the same language.
FLORAL MANAGEMENT | MAY 2010 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG
And, while it may seem basic, keeping
customers’ cell phone and home numbers
handy (and, in reciprocation, releasing
their own for after-hours emergencies)
projects security. Also, florists say, just
checking in regularly speaks volumes.
“I hear from Dillon’s over the phone
three times a week from each one of
their departments — plants, cut flowers
and floral supplies,” Jayne said. “That’s
how we’ve become like close friends.”
4. Demonstrate Integrity
Although precision should always be
a goal in the wholesaler-retailer tango,
nobody’s perfect. When an order goes
awry or just won’t work, these muchadored wholesalers are upfront and address it immediately.
“I only buy top-quality flowers, so if
a wholesaler can’t sell me that, I expect
them to tell me,” Nash said. “It doesn’t
mean I won’t come back to them for a future order. But if they misrepresent their
product and don’t send me what I want,
they won’t get repeat business.”
Once, after ordering a bunch of
alstroemeria for a function at Cornell
University, Nash was appalled when it
came in DOA. When she confronted the
driver (the wholesaler’s son) about her
entirely dead order, he had a tantrum,
jumped in his truck and drove away.
“We never heard from them again,”
she said.
Unsatisfied customers of Cleveland
Plant and Flower have 24 hours to state
their grievance, “but we always honor
requests for credit,” Hastings said. “It’s
impractical to photograph every flower
or require evidence for a complaint. Plus,
we know most of the people we’re dealing with, and they’re honest, so we give
them the benefit of the doubt.”
Hillcrest follows a similar approach,
although there, the window for returns is
48 hours.
RJ Carbone, on the other hand, prefers to document the problem, which
helps them determine if the flowers had
a physical flaw or if a florist merely had a
change of mind.
“It’s important for us to see the
issue, and our vendors deserve to see
it, as well,” Demick said, adding that all
returns should occur with the next delivery. “We like to supply pictures to our
vendors so it allows
them to work out
any kinks with their
farms. If they have
don’t have the feedback, what’s to stop
the problem from
happening again?”
RJ Carbone supplies customers with
a credit memo in the
case of returns so
“there aren’t any lingering questions of,
‘oh didn’t I send back paramus pair “Practically a partner in my business,” is
that lily?’ It makes
Marisue Traina’s (left) description of her wholesaler, Heidi
the entire process
Fatula (right), assistant sales manager at Hillcrest Gardens in
easier on everyone,” Paramus, N.J.
Demick said.
“We’ll try to be fair, even if it’s a mat“I keep abreast of wedding and reter of buyer’s remorse, and offer a pertail trends by reading magazines and
centage off,” she added.
going to as many trade shows as I can,”
Even if there’s no real solution, just
Demick said. “When I go, I tell vendors,
attempting to right a wrong makes a
‘I’m a buyer. I want to be sold. You just
difference.
have to tell me what’s new and why it’s
“That’s the thing about having a regood.’ I’m willing to try new products, I
lationship with your wholesaler versus
just have to know about it.”
ordering direct,” Traina said. “You have
Passion and expertise are two
someone to advocate for you. Heidi will
qualities Demick views as absolute job
alert her president and review policies.”
requirements.
For example, Traina mentioned in
“If you want to snag retailers like
passing that she always receives delivermine,” she said, of her inspired and
ies late in the day because of her disparticular customer base, “you can’t
tance from the warehouse. Now Fatula’s
bore them.”
working on a focus group to get Traina
On Tuesdays, when product arrives
her flowers sooner.
at Hillcrest Gardens from California,
“I never specifically asked her to do
Fatula strolls through the cooler and
that,” Traina said, “but she picked up that
ranks her favorites flowers. Each week,
it was a burden for me.”
she e-mails her clients the “Heidi’s top
On the flip side, wholesalers also defive” list.
serve honesty from their clients, which
“I love the list,” Traina said. “It shows
has been more forthcoming due to the
her enthusiasm and informs me what’s
recession, Demick said.
the most attractive.” She finds this same
“Never before have I had so many
fervor whenever she attends a Hillcrest
retailers say, ‘I can’t afford that’ or ‘I only
design show.
have $200 to spend.’ We appreciate it!
“They give you dinner, samples and
We don’t want people to spend beyond
special sales. They bring in top designers
their means. In the end, it will only come
to tell you trends because, after all, flowback to bite us,” Demick said.
ers are a fashion, too,” she said. “And
when you go home, you’re energized
with a lot of new ideas. It’s invigorating.
5. Teach Me What You Know
You see these things in magazines, but
As florists’ liaison to growers and breedit’s another thing to experience it live.”
ers, wholesalers are privy to what’s
Beyond the flowers themselves,
fresh, what’s hip and what’s cost-effecthere are numerous lessons these covtive — though not all share this wealth of
etable wholesalers teach — from retail
knowledge. Good wholesalers do their
homework and teach their clients.
> Fall in Love with Your Wholesaler All Over Again
who’s going steady?
wholesaler
Stephanie Demick,
RJ Carbone, Bedford, N.H.
+
Alyssa Van Guilder, Apotheca Flower
Shoppe, Goffstown, N.H.
wholesaler
Heidi Fatula, Hillcrest Gardens,
Paramus, N.J.
+
Marisue Traina, Under the Magenta
Moon, New Paltz, N.Y.
wholesaler
Katy Miller, Dillon Floral Corporation,
Bloomsburg, Pa.
+
Holly Nash, Flower Fashions
by Haring, Ithaca, N.Y.
Don and Linda Jayne, Jaynes Flower
Shop, Waverly, N.Y.
wholesaler
Bruce Hastings, Cleveland Plant and
Flower Company, Dayton, Ohio
+
Bill and Kathy Ardle, Schneider’s Florist,
Springfield, Ohio
Becky Arthur, iLiad Florals And…,
Troy, Ohio
trends to money management skills to
customer service tips — to help their
retailers succeed. Continuing education is a priority for Dillon Floral, which
they share with their retailers through
Dillon University. For a little more than
a decade, this free program has offered
courses like Internet basics, accounting issues and design, with instructors
including J. Schwanke, AAF, AIFD, PFCI,
and Bill Harper, AAF, AIFD.
In Dayton, Cleveland Plant and
Flower’s quarterly roundtables do more
than offer an outlet for florists to speak
their minds — they show them how to
build relationships with local funeral
directors (by inviting one as a guest
speaker) or how to partner with prop
designers when arranging flowers for an
30 warm relations Nothing turns a roundtable discussion around like a few
Hawaiian-print shirts and hibiscus wear. Meeting regularly with retailers and making
those meetings engaging is part of Cleveland Plant and Flower Company’s mission.
event. Fear of a recession triggered the
inaugural roundtable, in the fall of 2008,
which was themed a “financial survival
toolkit.”
“Bruce (Hastings) has even brought
in some marketing representatives so
we could improve the way we talk with
our customers over the phone,” Kathy
Ardle said.
In addition, he sends out a monthly
topic-specific newsletter, like in
February, how a little planning and
networking with local businesses could
make a “Sunday” Valentine’s Day a hit.
After all, he wrote, “What day does
Mother’s Day fall on every year?”
“He’s really looking out for us, because he wants us to do well,” Bill Ardle
added. “He’ll bend over backward for
any of his clients.”
Becky Arthur, owner of iLiad Florals
And… in Troy, Ohio, knows firsthand
Hasting’s benevolence. When she was
commissioned to do a wedding for a performer on Grey’s Anatomy, she delighted
at the chance for really elaborate designs,
but felt daunted by space constraints.
“Cleveland Plant and Flower listened
to what I was trying to accomplish, because weddings of that scale just don’t
happen in our area,” Arthur said. Besides
FLORAL MANAGEMENT | MAY 2010 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG
celebrity guests arriving in limousines,
the wedding featured an aisle covered
in rose petals and 6-foot-tall vases filled
with ‘Goddess’ callas, orchids, roses and
pussy willows.
To accommodate the mass of flowers she would need, Cleveland Plant and
Flower offered up their cooler and even
leant Arthur a key.
“They listened to everything I hoped
to accomplish and made sure every
single stem was spectacular. Then they
opened up their space to me,” Arthur
said. “Their service went completely
above and beyond. But it’s not just for
me. Bruce would do the same for any of
his florists.”
Sappy? Maybe. But this happy ending isn’t the stuff of fairy tales. Make it a
reality by taking a page (or eight) from
this magazine and having a heart to
heart with your wholesaler.
Katie Hendrick is assistant editor
of Floral Management magazine.
E-mail: [email protected]
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