April 2, 2014 at 3:32 p.m.
'I Buy Local' Spotlight
'I Buy Local' Spotlight
Name of business:
Forth Floral
Owner(s):
Henning and Ruth Hempel
Address:
410 N. Brown St. Rhinelander, WI 54501
Phone:
(715) 362-7600
Website:
www.forthfloral.com
Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/forthfloral
Hours:
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Type of business:
Florist and greenhouse
When business opened:
1900
What makes Rhinelander special?
Rhinelander is in an area with an abundance of nature. It is the commercial center of the Northwoods with excellent educational, transportation and recreational facilities. It also has a strong arts community.
What types of products or services do you offer?
We are a full-service flower shop with a greenhouse. We grow most of our blooming and garden plants on-site, and many of our fresh-cut flowers as well.
What are some of the challenges your business faces?
Our biggest challenge is keeping our business vibrant and competitive in the face of rising overhead costs. It is extremely expensive to keep the greenhouse going through the winter. Another challenge faced by florists around the country is online order gatherers that pose as local florists. These order gatherers take your floral order posing as your local florist. The order is then transferred to the local florist, but the order gatherer takes a percentage of the order. The customer usually ends up paying much more than if he had just called his local florist or found his florist's own website on the web.
What aspect of your business makes you most proud?
What makes me most proud is that our business is still here after 113 years. Our business was started by my great-grandfather and great-grandmother right here on Brown Street in 1900. Our business has been passed down through the daughters, which is very unusual. I'm also very proud of the beautiful plants that we produce in our greenhouses. We have a very good grower!
What benefits can your business offer for consumers who buy local?
When the community supports us by buying local we are more able to give back to all the organizations, clubs, churches, groups and fundraisers that ask for our support. We try to be as generous as we can to support our community events.
What is your business relationship with the community?
Our business relationship with the community has been as the local florist and greenhouse in Rhinelander. Over the years we've helped generations of families with flowers for all the milestones of their lives, births, weddings and funerals.
What makes your business stand out?
Our business stands out because we are a family-owned business that has been here for many generations.
What products or services do you offer that are unique?
We grow almost all of our blooming plants and garden plants here locally. We grow the plants that are appropriate for our climate. Many of our fresh-cut flowers are grown here too. At this time of the year we have beautiful iris, tulips, anemones, ranunculus, freesias and daffodils. You simply can't get flowers any fresher than right out of the greenhouse.
What is your personal relationship and involvement with the community?
We try to be good neighbors in our involvement with local organizations and our church.
Why do you think it is important to buy local?
It's important to buy locally to help support your local businesses. The money stays here in the form of wages to our employees and it allows us to give back to the community.
Do you have any special events planned in the near future?
We have a couple of events coming up in the next weeks:
A garden party 2 to 6 p.m. April 11. Special prices throughout the store and bedding plant plugs and cuttings will be available for sale.
Pictures with the Bunnies will be April 12. We'll have bunnies at the greenhouse to have your child's picture professionally taken. Call to reserve your time.
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