October 13, 2017 at 3:48 p.m.
Flower power: 'Petal It Forward' event warms hearts
Flower power: 'Petal It Forward' event warms hearts
By Kayla Thomason-
Forth Floral staffers stationed themselves at the Rhinelander Post Office and handed out two carnations to passersby, one to keep and the other to give away to someone else.
The recepients of the flowers were thrilled to receive the unexpected gift.
Kim Fischer smiled as he received his carnations.
"It kind of surprised me, it was very nice," he said, adding that he planned to give the flowers to his wife and granddaughters.
"I've done business with Forth Floral a long time and I always enjoy walking in there," he added.
Forth Floral has been doing business with Rhinelander residents for over 100 years. Owner Ruth Hempel said she decided to take part in the Petal it Forward event as part of the store's 117th anniversary this week and noted that research shows flowers boost people's spirits.
"There's all kinds of studies done on how flowers lift your mood, make you more creative, make you feel healthier, so they just want to draw attention to that," she said.
Harry Hayford was another recipient of the carnations.
"It was a very nice gesture," he said. "I think they're doing a good thing."
Amanda Taylor was delighted to get the carnations.
"I think it's very nice, and if I give it to someone else they will also have a smile on their face," she said, adding that she was thinking of giving the second flower to her mom.
Karen Sackett, administrative assistant at Forth Floral, enjoyed surprising people with flowers and spreading a little joy in the community.
"I think it's wonderful, I like to see the smile on their face," she said, adding that she wholeheartedly believes flowers have a positive impact on people and that's why she has been working at Forth Floral for nearly 30 years.
"I think it's amazing, just amazing, how many family businesses have been around that long," she said, referring to the store's 117-year history.
Passed from mother to daughter, Forth Floral has spanned the lives of four generations of women.
"Forth Floral is very much a place like a farm. It's multi-generational, with grandmothers, mothers and daughters working together," Hempel told the River News in 2011.
History
In 1900, Hempel's great-grandparents, Peter and Lena Philipp, immigrated from Luxembourg with dreams and determination, noted Ruth. Trained in horticulture, the couple dreamed of starting a greenhouse. Rhinelander was a rough and tough logging town, but the young couple's dream of a greenhouse was nonetheless rooted on North Brown Street as Philipps Greenhouse. And the business blossomed and flourished, despite the difficult early years, including a devastating fire.
It was 1928 when Peter and Lena's daughter Julia with husband, Arthur, took over the operation and renamed it Forth Floral. Hempel's grandparents ran the shop into the 1970s.
"I remember coming in after school and my mother and grandmother would both be here," she recalled fondly. "And now, my kids come in and see me here and help out."
As the town grew, so did Forth Floral. In 1958, daughter Leona and husband Marv Schumacher came into the business.
For three decades, Hempel's parents carried on the tradition of Forth Floral.
Hempel, who graduated college in horticulture and business, was welcomed into the businesses in 1988. Joined by husband Henning Hempel, she became the fourth generation daughter to take the businesses from the hands of her mother.
Forth Floral continues to bloom today with modern floral techniques fit for every occasion - weddings, graduations, anniversaries, birthdays, funerals and more. The retail store and greenhouses have been rebuilt and updated as the years have gone by, creating a spacious shopping area and 20,000 square feet of greenhouses - all at the same location it all began 117 years ago.
Being fourth in the line of the successful women of her family, Hempel noted she has a great sense of pride.
"We've been here all these years. The world has changed so much, it's nice that some things don't," she said. "Having been able to work with my mother and my grandparents is a nice feeling."
Hempel credits much of the businesses' success to that of her longtime and dedicated employees.
"We are very family-oriented," she said. "What's nice about a business that has been here this long, through rough times like the Depression, is that we can look back and say, 'We made it through.' With the tough economy these last few years, I hope we can look back and also say, 'We made it.'"
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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