Josh Jones is third-generation family at Linda’s Flowers — the business was founded in 1977 by his grandmother, named Linda, not-so-oddly enough — and is both happy and proud to say that he has never held another job. Flowers are his passion, and to demonstrate his skills, Josh created a high-concept arrangement during his presentation this week. Working “live without a net”, and without band-aids, Josh put together a beautiful showpiece in ten short minutes. Watch the slideshow below for the step-by-step.
The secret to success in the flower business, according to Josh (who is a great “josher”, ha ha) is this: Flowers die, and people have to buy more! Humorous as that may be, it’s also true, and Linda’s Flowers is “the best in the bloomin’ business.” As recently as 2000, Linda’s placed in the Top 500 of FTD florists, worldwide, and followed that up by moving up to the Top 250 by 2004. Their current ranking as of 2012 is #117 — in the world! And speaking of worldwide, we learned that most of the flowers Josh uses come from Central and South America, as well as local greenhouses when in season. Josh and his co-workers put out anywhere from 20 to 70 arrangements per day!
Of course, Linda’s Flowers is not the only family business, as Karl’s Bridal and Karl’s Tuxedos are also conveniently located in the same store at Fort and Battlefield. Very convenient, in fact, for planning weddings, as prospective brides can have a consultation with Josh about floral arrangements, then take a short walk to the other side of the store to try on gowns! And Karl’s keeps all their tuxedos in stock and right on hand in the store, so there is never an “order and wait” period. Adjustments can be made on-site as well. The bridal store was opened back in 2001, and was recently consolidated from three separate locations for that very reason of convenience to the customer.
When he’s not building bouquets, Josh likes to spend his free time on “anything to do with cars”, in particular working on rebuilding his ’69 Chevy Nova. As a member of Business Power Network since April of this year, Josh would really like to see us add some additional professions that he could work closely with, such as a photographer, a wedding planner, and a convention center. And we are very happy to have such a nice, funny guy as Josh, and such a solid, dependable business as Linda’s Flowers! If you’d like to see what Josh can do for you, stop by the store at 1255 W. Battlefield, or call (417) 883-6861. You can also order from the web!
Linda’s Flowers: www.theflowerweb.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LindasFlowersSpringfield
Google+: plus.google.com/113691406315486041070/about