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
(404) 367-0200
I look forward to hearing from you, as always.
...Mark.
Mark, since I have met you I have realized how much money I have spent on convenience because something was there, I liked it at the moment but never considered if it fit size-wise or into the overall scheme of my home. I have also learned you can not substitute quality and even if you spend more money initially, you won't be buying another sofa in 3 years, you have something that lasts. I wish I had a nice floral shop in PTC, James sounds wonderful and kudos to you for supporting small business.
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