19:11 EST Monday
http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2002/12/02/daily4.html
Katz name, logo bloom again at KC floral shop
Katz Floral Design is rekindling a piece of local business history at its new location in south Kansas City.
The floral shop's grand opening is Monday at 8019 State Line Road. The new location contains about 1,800 square feet and employs about 10 people, said Gregg Katz, company president.
Katz and his wife, Heather, vice president, took over the operations of Al Manning Florist at 7837 Wornall Road in 1997. Her grandparents owned the business, which was facing financial troubles.
In January 2000, Gregg and Heather Katz changed the floral shop's name to Katz Floral Design. On Aug. 1 of this year, the shop partnered with Ball Food Stores, which operates 29 area Hen House and Price Chopper stores.
"In return for them displaying our logo in all of their stores, we provide them with the ability for their customers to send flowers anywhere they want," Gregg Katz said.
His great-grandfather was Ike Katz, who co-founded Katz Drug Co. with his brother Mike in 1910. The company grew to own about 30 Kansas City-area stores and about 60 total in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.
Skaggs bought Katz Drug Co. in 1973, and Osco bought the chain from Skaggs about two years later.
Gregg Katz is using the distinctive logo of his great-grandfather's business and its name recognition to boost attention to his floral shop, he said.
"We've already seen it by virtue of the fact that probably 50 percent of the walk-in business at this new location haven't been people looking to buy things — it's been people who saw the logo and wanted to come in and reminisce a little bit," he said. "We've created a museum of Katz items, original store items, that adorn the entire wall behind our register, and a lot of people just come in to say 'I remember this' and 'I remember that,' so we're hoping to capitalize on logo recognition."
Before they started at Al Manning Florist, Katz was running a home-based computer support business, he said, and his wife was working at Sprint Corp.
"We don't hide the fact that this wasn't our profession of choice," he said. "We had to take it over because this is what supported my wife's grandparents, but I became fascinated with the job after the first year."
Kansas City's floral business is competitive these days, Katz said.
"More so than I ever could've imagined," he said. "I've been quoted as saying I thought a flower shop was just a bunch of hokey people standing around making flower arrangements. Well, if 1-800-FLOWERS, FTD, Martha Stewart and Hallmark are all in this game also, obviously there is a market there. So we're not just competing with the local flower shops, but we're also competing with the nationwide wire services who have got very deep pockets to advertise with.
"So it's pretty competitive, but I'd like to say that florists work well with each other because we all depend upon each other. One flower shop can give everyone a black eye if they're not living up to FTD's standards."
http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2002/12/02/daily4.html
Katz name, logo bloom again at KC floral shop
Katz Floral Design is rekindling a piece of local business history at its new location in south Kansas City.
The floral shop's grand opening is Monday at 8019 State Line Road. The new location contains about 1,800 square feet and employs about 10 people, said Gregg Katz, company president.
Katz and his wife, Heather, vice president, took over the operations of Al Manning Florist at 7837 Wornall Road in 1997. Her grandparents owned the business, which was facing financial troubles.
In January 2000, Gregg and Heather Katz changed the floral shop's name to Katz Floral Design. On Aug. 1 of this year, the shop partnered with Ball Food Stores, which operates 29 area Hen House and Price Chopper stores.
"In return for them displaying our logo in all of their stores, we provide them with the ability for their customers to send flowers anywhere they want," Gregg Katz said.
His great-grandfather was Ike Katz, who co-founded Katz Drug Co. with his brother Mike in 1910. The company grew to own about 30 Kansas City-area stores and about 60 total in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.
Skaggs bought Katz Drug Co. in 1973, and Osco bought the chain from Skaggs about two years later.
Gregg Katz is using the distinctive logo of his great-grandfather's business and its name recognition to boost attention to his floral shop, he said.
"We've already seen it by virtue of the fact that probably 50 percent of the walk-in business at this new location haven't been people looking to buy things — it's been people who saw the logo and wanted to come in and reminisce a little bit," he said. "We've created a museum of Katz items, original store items, that adorn the entire wall behind our register, and a lot of people just come in to say 'I remember this' and 'I remember that,' so we're hoping to capitalize on logo recognition."
Before they started at Al Manning Florist, Katz was running a home-based computer support business, he said, and his wife was working at Sprint Corp.
"We don't hide the fact that this wasn't our profession of choice," he said. "We had to take it over because this is what supported my wife's grandparents, but I became fascinated with the job after the first year."
Kansas City's floral business is competitive these days, Katz said.
"More so than I ever could've imagined," he said. "I've been quoted as saying I thought a flower shop was just a bunch of hokey people standing around making flower arrangements. Well, if 1-800-FLOWERS, FTD, Martha Stewart and Hallmark are all in this game also, obviously there is a market there. So we're not just competing with the local flower shops, but we're also competing with the nationwide wire services who have got very deep pockets to advertise with.
"So it's pretty competitive, but I'd like to say that florists work well with each other because we all depend upon each other. One flower shop can give everyone a black eye if they're not living up to FTD's standards."
