Bartz Floral's third-generation owners, David and Jeanie Bartz (left), are celebrating the Grand Island shop's 75th year in business in 2008.
Independent/Barrett Stinson
Bartz Floral employee Pam Anderson trims an emerald leaf to be used as a floral background in the shop's work area.
Independent/Barrett Stinson
Along with fresh plants and flowers, Bartz Floral also sells a wide selection of silk flowers and gift items < including these angel-related pieces.
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After being family-owned for more than seven decades, Bartz Floral is celebrating "75 years of spring" this year.
The business that began with a woman selling plants off her front porch has grown into a South Locust Street staple for Grand Island residents.
And in recognition of the shop's 75th anniversary, the Nebraska Floral Society will host a floral design show in Grand Island this summer. The official date and location are to be determined, said David Bartz, who owns Bartz Floral with his wife, Jeanie.
The show is considered "quite an honor for Bartz," he said, especially after the shop's humble beginnings and long history.
Since it was founded in 1933, the business has burned down, was destroyed by a tornado and relocated along South Locust Street numerous times.
But it has maintained success for 75 years because of its commitment to quality and customer service, David said.
"My grandparents set a standard of very high quality when they first started," David said. "I think we have the longest-lasting, freshest flowers available, and we take a tremendous amount of pride in what we do."
Carl and Catherine Bartz, David's grandparents, began Bartz Floral in 1933 on South Locust Street near the Wood River and what is now the Super 8 Motel.
The Bartzes' business had an icehouse and a greenhouse, along with rumors of bootlegging, David said. In the 1940s, it was destroyed by fire and moved north on South Locust Street near the present-day Skagway south.
In 1955, David's parents, Dale and Delores Bartz, purchased the shop. Its greenhouse became the largest in the state but was eventually sold in 1966 because of Dale's failing health. The shop moved one block west in 1967 and then relocated again to its present location at 2224 S. Locust St. in the mid-1970s.
In 1979, Deanna and Jerry Duering, David's sister and brother-in-law, purchased the shop from their parents. The building was destroyed by tornadoes in June 1980. The Duerings ran the business out of Snow's Floral Co. until the new shop was completed in 1981.
David and Jeanie purchased the shop from Deanna Duering in August 2001. While their backgrounds were in sales and property management Jeanie continues to focus primarily on property management today the couple wanted to keep the floral shop in the family.
"I like the pride of business ownership," David said.
As they gained ownership, the Bartzes also seized the opportunity to leave their own mark on the business.
"When we bought the shop, we also modernized it," David said.
"It's like buying a house, and you want to make it your own," Jeanie added.
The couple redecorated and rearranged the store's interior, where they now sell silk flowers, bath and body products, figurines, stuffed animals and many other items in addition to fresh flowers.
The designers have added high-style and European-style arrangements to their repertoire in addition to the traditional floral arrangements.
The shop has also started sending complimentary coffee mugs filled with flowers to community members who have a major anniversary, birthday or other milestone.
"I've always wanted to give back to the community," David said.
And his efforts have paid off in a personal way. As the shop provides floral arrangements for customers who are at some of life's most significant moments, David said, he and his employees feel they become part of their clients' families.
"I have never been in a business where we received so many thank-you cards from customers," he said.
To remain competitive and keep up with current trends, the shop's nine employees frequently attend floral design shows and refer to trade magazines.
With an in-house master designer and two Nebraska Academy designers, Bartz works to make each of its arrangements one-of-a-kind, David said.
As they look to the future, David and Jeanie are searching for a fourth-generation owner for the business possibly their daughter.
They'd like to retire within the next 10 years, and if they can't find a family member to pass the shop along to, they may sell it or close it.
If it does continue in the family, David said, he'd like to keep working at Bartz, even after his retirement.
"I think I will always be involved in the business, because I love it," he said. "We'll run it as long as we can, because it's such fun."
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