125 years and counting

Five generations contribute to floral business’ long-running success

BY KRIS BEVILL

When Alvin T. Shotwell opened a floral landscaping shop in downtown Fargo in 1888, the city was young and growing and in need of trees A T Shotwell Floral and Nurser y Store supplied the need and grew his business along with the town, eventually adding several small greenhouses as the floral shop expanded His son joined the company in 1908 and the business changed its name to Shotwell Floral Co. The floral shop continued to thrive and evolve with the community for the next several generations of family members, sustaining a gas explosion at one of its locations and several other location changes along the way

Today, 125 years after Alvin opened Shotwell’s doors, the $2 million company has consolidated its four previous locations into one large store in south Fargo in an area that Alvin surely would never have envisioned one day becoming a bustling part of the sprawling community Other aspects of the business have changed as well Trees are no longer a primary product for the company Instead gift products and online ordering have become new areas of focus. But one thing has remained constant throughout the business ’ s long run family leadership

J.D. Shotwell serves as vice president of the company and is the fifth generation to have an inter- est in the floral business He says he grew up in the business but never felt like he had to take part in it or that he would one day take it over. Instead, his family, for at least the past three generations, has maintained the mentality that the business would be taken over by the upcoming generation only if they expressed an interest in doing so “It was one of those things over the years I kind of fell in love with and decided that’s what I want to do for a living,” he says

J D has been seriously involved with the business since about 1993. His father, John, remains owner of the business and is still somewhat involved in the business “He’s a worker,” J D says “He loves to work, he still loves his job. If he wants to work forever, I’m going to love it ” John’s wife, Annette, is also involved in the family business and serves as president of the company There has never been a time in the business’ 125-year history where the family considered closing, J D says “We’ve been very fortunate to have a strong family focus on the business ”

J D says the floral industr y has changed drastically over the years and especially over the past 15 years as online ordering has become more commonplace and customers have dictated changes in the store’s offerings. As a result, the company ’ s gift shop has grown significantly in square footage while the greenhouse portion of the business is not as strong of a contributor to the bottom line as it once was In the future, J D envisions embracing technology to better serve customers and continuing to focus on making the south Fargo shop a destination location While the offerings may change over the years, the company remains firmly committed to providing top-notch customer ser v ice, a focus which J D believes is to be credited for the company ’ s longevity. “Quality and customer service are the two basic things that help small businesses,” he says “I think as long as you can stay that way you can be successful in the community.” PB

Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag com