I attended a seminar at ADAC the other day, hosted by the nice folks at
Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. It was a nice event, focusing on
entertaining. Not one, but 2 of the speakers mentioned "picking up
flowers at Trader Joes."
I'm probably in the Minority on this, but I just don't buy my flowers
from a grocery store,...for several reasons, in fact. Although
convenient, I simply have never seen the freshness I can get from my
neighborhood flower place, FLORAL PARK.
At Floral Park, James is always there to guide me on his most-recent,
freshest, flowers. On occasion, he'll cut me a deal on something he's
not-moving, and I so-appreciate his expertise and advice. He's got a
small shop, but I can ALWAYS find something beautiful in his cooler.
The whole experience reminds me of buying flowers in France, or, for
that matter, from a sidewalk florist in NYC. For me, who has NEVER
bought a "bouquet" at Kroger nor Publix, ....just putting flowers on a
rubber conveyer belt at the cashiers is odd-in-itself,...call me crazy
(you wouldn't be the first).......
Like James, I have a LOCALLY-OWNED business. So there's that reason.
But I ask, "At what price do we pay for CONVENIENCE?" To wit: the
other week, I was at a client's house. They showed me a sofa that they
bought "on sale" at the Mall. They were just there, the sofa was on
sale, it was convenient. It never occurred to them to call me to
discuss such an expensive purchase. Easy-Button. There and Then.
Convenient. But was it an intelligent purchase? Let's just say that I
could have proposed an AMERICAN-MADE, 8-way hand-tied-spring sofa (yes,
it would have taken 6 weeks......which, to many people, is not
CONVENIENT).....but it would have been made with better fabric, been
constructed better, and would have lasted longer. .....AND: it would
have cost $800-1000 LESS from EITHER Lexington or Bernhardt. I didn't
tell my client this, simply complimented them on their new sofa, and
took that mental note.
Many times, even a past-client might have the IMPRESSION that something I
offer would be more-expensive. Most times, that is NOT the case. MY
job is to SAVE YOU MONEY,.........without making MISTAKES.
What do you think? Have you ever made a mistake for CONVENIENCE SAKE?
Floral Park
775 Trabert Ave NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
775 Trabert Ave NWUSGAAtlanta30318
(404) 367-0200
I look forward to hearing from you, as always.
...Mark.
