Georgia BIOS:     The House of Flowers
   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
   Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
   Congress.Copyright status not determined.
   
   0001
   
   Life History
   
   Jones Flower Shop
   
   Miss Willie Jones
   
   Cor. Clayton and College Ave.
   
   Florist.
   
   Grace McCune
   
   Feb, 21-1939
   
   Feb. 25-1939
   
   The House Of Flowers
   
   Opening the door of Miss Smith's flower shop, I entered a room which
   was more like aflower garden, than a room. There was flowers of every
   variety, the cut flowers were arranged around the room, in large
   baskets and pots of blooming plants were arranged on tables at the
   windows and on a table in the center was a long table, on which was
   vases of cut flowers as well as some of the pots of flowers. Several
   large [palms?] arranged around in the room added much to the
   attraction of the room. One end of the room was taken up with two
   large frigidaires which was filled with cut flowers of every kind. A
   large settee, and two large chairs was placed so that [DEL: cutomers
   :DEL] customers and visitors might enjoy the flowers as they waited.
   
   Miss Smith was waiting on two boys, and as I waited for her to finish
   with her customers, I couln't help but hear the conversation. The boys
   wanted her prices on [DEL: corsanages :DEL] corsages for their girls
   to wear at a dance. She gave her prices on different kinds of flowers,
   and they finally [decided?] on orchids. Asking if she could have them
   ready in time for the dance the next evening. After assuring them that
   they would be ready and delivered in plenty of time, the boys went
   out.
   
   She then asked what she could do for me. I explained my visit and
   asked if she would mind telling me something about her business, as I
   was told, she had the most popular [DEL: shope :DEL] shop in town[,?]
   "well you will have to come back in the work room with me, she
   replied, for I have some orders to get out that came in the morning's
   mail. But they are just cut flowers for their friends who are in the
   hospitals.
   
   I asked if she got very many orders that way, Oh, Yes, she said, "I
   get them most every day, and you know I [DEL: appreciat :DEL]
   appreciate them, and am proud of these 00022orders, for it [makes?] me
   think that my customers have confidence in me. Why some times, I get
   the [order?], saying just send an order for me, telling the price, but
   not what kind of flowers they want. For instance this one that came
   this morning, it is from a woman from in a near by town, and she did
   not even say what she wanted, except, please send a three dollar order
   of flowers for me to a [DEL: freind :DEL] friend that is in the
   hospital there.
   
   "that just leaves it up to me, and I try to do the best that I [DEL:
   [?] :DEL] can, [and?] fix them as I would for myself. And for this
   order, which is for a woman, I am sending pink [carnations?], as I
   think they are lovely in a sick room, and too this is [an?] easy order
   to fill, for the woman that is sick is a very good customer of mine
   and I know that carnations are her favorite flowers.
   
   "And very often I have new customers come in and tell that some of my
   old customers sent them to me. And I appreciated that, and I try to
   let them know that I do appreciate it. I have a very nice customer
   [DEL: [? ? ? ? ? ?] :DEL] who has sent many new customers, and through
   her conections with several faternal societies, has thrown quiet a bit
   of business my way. I had an opportunity not so long ago to let her
   know that I appreciated all this.
   
   "She lost her brother in another town. I had a good many orders to
   fill for that funeral. But when she called me and ask me to fix her
   flowers, I ask if/ I might fix just [what?] I wanted to fix. She
   [readily?] gave consent, saying, I have never been disappointed in you
   yet. And the casket spray that I fixed, using all white flowers, was
   really lovely, and I wanted it to be that way. But I was not expecting
   the messages that I received regarding that spray. One was from the
   Undertaker in charge of the funeral. And he wrote me a card saying,
   that they were often asked 00033bythe families that they served to
   order flowers for them. And that all the flowers that came from my
   shop were so lovely, and the casket spray was the [DEL: loviest :DEL]
   lovliest spray that they had ever handled. And he wanted to know if I
   could fill orders for them. And that was from a much larger town than
   this one.
   
   A customer came in and she went out to wait on him. As I waited I
   looked around the work room. It was not a large room and a long table
   with high stools around it was where she was working. Built in
   cabinets held supplies of everything that she used in her work, and a
   long rod at one side of the table held both wax and tissue paper that
   she used in fixing up the flowers to send out. One large cabinet with
   glass doors held a supply of [DEL: tule :DEL] tulle in all colors and
   shades. And a large desk, [showed?] that she also used this room as
   her office.
   
   Miss Smith came back in her work room laughing and said "poor boy this
   is the third time he has been today to look at those red roses.
   Tomorrow is the birthday of his girl friend, she will be twenty, he
   said and he wants to send her twenty red roses. But red rorses are
   rather exsensive this time of the year. But he will get them yet, he
   wants them so bad.
   
   "Last week I had a large order for [DEL: corsarges :DEL] corsages for
   the [DEL: Valintine :DEL] Valentine ball, they wanted sweetheart
   roses. I had a time trying to get them, but finally I found one place
   that said that they could send me all I wanted. I ask them to send
   them at once. They came in the morning, that I was suppose to have
   them ready in the evening. And when I unpacked them, I found a card
   saying that they were sorry, they did not know that were out of
   sweetheart roses when I gave the order, but that they were sending the
   large roses and hoped that I might be able to use them.
   
   "It was to late to try anywhere else, and too I had tried everywhere.
   
   00044
   
   and couldn't find any? And I just had to make the small roses out of
   the large ones. Yes it was a job, but in this kind of work, you come
   up against all kinds of jobs, and the work is when we have large
   orders to fill, we sometimes work day and night to get them out on
   time, for that is one thing we have to do, and that is to be prompt in
   getting out orders for flowers.
   
   I asked her how long she had been in this business? "most all of my
   life she replied. But I have only been in business for myself sixteen
   years. It was a hard pull, but I have [DEL: [?] :DEL] made it from a
   very poor beginning to what I have now. But you know I spent all of
   this morning in mailing checks for every bill that I owe. Of course I
   should have done it yesterday, but I was [DEL: jus :DEL] just so busy
   that I didn't have time.
   
   But [DEL: [?] :DEL] to get back as to how I started. I have loved
   flowers all my life, and we always had lovely ones at our home. My
   father was not what you would call wealthy, but we had a good living
   and a large home. There were six of us children, and we were all in
   school, when my father lost most everything he had except our home, by
   going on notes for his friends. And that has been a lesson to me in my
   business.
   
   "We children had to stop school and go to work, and that is [DEL: [?]
   :DEL] when I [DEL: realy :DEL] really began to know that we could make
   money out of our flowers One of my sisters and I worked with the
   flowers, and we soon had a large greenhouse built for the hot house
   flowers. And every bit of our ground at our home was planted in
   flowers. We built up a good business, of [DEL: [?] :DEL] course there
   were many things that we had to learn. But we were both determined to
   see it through, and we are both at it yet.
   
   "A few years later, we built a [DEL: swiming :DEL] swimming pool on
   our place and [DEL: built :DEL] a [DEL: danceing :DEL] dancing [DEL:
   pavilon :DEL] pavilion. This was soon a very popular place in the
   summer 00055for swiming and [DEL: danceing :DEL] dancing as well as
   picnics. We kept the pool [DEL: the pool :DEL] cleaned out and had
   cemented it. It filled from a large spring. And we were making good
   with it as well as our flowers business. But she got to where most of
   the work was left to me, and the break came very soon after that.
   
   "One after noon she was entertaining the Community Club. The boy that
   worked for us and I was cleaning out the pool, as we had it rented for
   the evening to one of the social groups for a picnic and [DEL: swiming
   :DEL] swimming. I was so tired, just give out, for we had even
   scrubbed the cement bottom of the pool.
   
   "I had just finished and was sitting down on the bank to rest, when
   she came walking up and ask me what I was doing, resting I said, for I
   am [DEL: realy :DEL] really tired out. She said well if I hated the
   country as bad as you do, I would get out of it. If you don't like
   this, why don't you get out and go in [DEL: busines :DEL] business for
   your self. This made me mad, for I had worked so hard to build up our
   business and it realy belonged to both of us together.
   
   "But that is when I decided I would get out and see if I could not do
   better, and that is where I started. A friend of mine and I went into
   the business together. I came to town and rented a small place. That
   made my sister so mad for she did not think that I would get out, and
   she she did everything in her power to stop me. Even went so far as
   tell the telephone Co. That they could not install a phone in my name.
   Or my place of business.
   
   "I went to see a lawyer about this, he ask if the Smith Flower Co.
   which was the way that we listed in the directory, was incorporated. I
   told him it was not. Then he said, there is no way in the world or by
   law that she can keep you from haveing a telephone in your name. And
   he called the telephone co. It wasn't very long until they were there
   to install my telephone.
   
   "We had built a large greenhouse together, and I thought she would
   00066let me use that, at least for a while, and we had a car that we
   bought together to deliver our flowers. In fact I had [DEL: realy
   :DEL] really paid more in the car than she had . But bless your [DEL:
   soule :DEL] soul, she went up in the air, wouldn't even let me use the
   car to deliver my orders until I could get one.
   
   "I have always detested the idea of giving up anything that I had
   started. So the more she tried to stop me, the [DEL: hardier :DEL]
   harder I tried. But it was hard, I had to build me a greenhouse, and
   it cost me $2500. and buy another car, for those were two things that
   I had to have if I was going to stay in business. I soon started to
   building my own house, I would get a little done and have to stop and
   wait until I got more money. The contractor, said Miss Smith, let me
   go ahead and finish up the house, and then you can finish paying me
   later. But I would not do that, for I always like to see where I am
   at, and I did not know, they way my sister was trying to stop me, if I
   was going to be able to keep the shop going. This was in the fall of
   the year, and my [DEL: parnder :DEL] partner ask me if would not use
   some of his money to finish up the house, so that I could get in
   before cold weather, for I [DEL: need :DEL] needed some one to see
   that the heat was kept on in the green house. I saw that he was right,
   and did as he said, and I had it finished up to where I could move in
   before it got real cold. But I had him paid back, every cent by the
   early spring, and i made improvements on my home until I have a lovely
   eight room house, and modern in every way, except gas. Yes it was
   tough, but as my pardner said one day, when I was unusually blue,
   remember that old saying, you can't keep a good woman down.
   
   "But I have worked and made good and my people still impose [DEL: [?]
   :DEL] on / me. I have improved my property, and have several nice
   cottages 00077built. I have two young men working for me. One of them
   is my nephew. They are both married and I furnish them both a house,
   lights and water and I guess coal [also?], for my coal bill is
   seventeen dollars every two weeks. And I pay them a good salary, for
   this work is not like most any other kind of work. For we have to work
   all hours some times.
   
   "My nephew is supposed to help me here in the shop when he he is not
   busy out at the house, and especially to deliver orders. But half of
   the Time I do not know where he is at. His wife helps me in the shop
   when I am busy. But I sure do have to pay her. I am always doing some
   thing for them, but they do not offer to do anything for me, unless I
   pay for it.
   
   "They have two children, and I am always buying something for [them?]
   but they do not appreciate that. And I pay more bills for things that
   I never see, and he and the boy at the place do pretty much as they
   please. Why I have got in a rush and called out there for them, only
   to find they had gone fishing or hunting. They think that because Jim
   is my nephew, that they are [DEL: priviledged :DEL] privileged to do
   as they please. And use my cars to make these trips in and even charge
   the gas to me. I guess I am just to easy on them.
   
   But I Own my business myself now, and have had to move twice , to have
   more room for the shop since I started out in the small place. I have
   all that I can do. My sister thinks that I should do more for my folks
   than I do. but I can't see it that way. And don't see hardly how I
   could do much more, I do not keep any of them in the house with me, I
   tried that, but it didn't work, we could not get along. But I do
   furnish a home for one of my sisters, also one of my brother and his
   family, and help feed them of course my father and mother are both
   dead, and I think I do as much, in-fact much more than any of the
   rest, for the ones that I mentioned.
   
   00088
   
   "And they think they keep up with what I make, through my nephew, but
   I have learned not to let him know, for he will take no interest in
   the work, will not look after the shop at all. I know that I need to
   get out and take a trip or rest up, but bad as [DEL: [?] :DEL] I need
   it, I can't afford to just get out and leave it by its self.
   
   Another customer came in and as she went to wait on him, I [DEL: [?]
   :DEL] noticed some pictures over her desk. Two of them was lovely
   tinted pictures of little girls, and one of a little boy, that was
   still just a baby. But the one that attracted me most, was a picture
   of a small grave of a child, it was decorated in the christmas
   decorations, and a christmas tree all lighted up was by the side of
   it, with a large star in the top of the tree.
   
   Miss Smith came back in the room [DEL: smileing :DEL] smiling, and
   said "I told you so, the boy could not resist the red roses for his
   girl, he came back and ordered them, and now he is happy, and I hope
   that she will be just as happy when she gets them, as he is in sending
   them.
   
   Two more customers came in, both boys, One wanted [DEL: tailsman :DEL]
   talisman roses sent to a young girl, and the other wanted a pot of
   flowers for a sick friend. She was very considerate and explained
   about the different pot flowers and helped him to make his selection.
   And for more than an hour and a half she was busy with customers.
   
   And as she finished with the last ones, a rather poorly dressed boy
   came. She was just as nice to him as she had been to the others
   showing him over the shop and all her flowers. After he left she said
   I wish that I knew who that boy is. I am so sorry for him, he comes in
   00099most every day just to look at the flowers, he is realy a lover
   of flowers. And I imagine he can't afford to buy them. I often give
   him a bunch of flowers. He is more like a child than a man.
   
   As she finished making a record of her orders, I asked her about the
   pictures of the children, [DEL: [?] :DEL] especially of the grave.
   "They are my nephews children she replied, and this one, taking down
   the picture of the largest child, is the one that is buried in that
   little grave. She was my favorite, I love them all, but she just
   seemed to think more of me. And she was killed accidently by a truck,
   just a few weeks before Christmas. This was a few years ago, "And she
   did love her Christmas trees, and we keep one at her grave during the
   season, and brightly lighted, as she always wanted hers to be. She was
   such a bright child, and every one loved her.
   
   A man came in and she went to see what he wanted, but he was a
   salesman, and she told him she did not need anything. He ask about
   pots, she said no, I don't need a thing. He said aren't you ever going
   to forget [DEL: abo :DEL] about that old order. I told you that I was
   not in need of anything she replied. He thanked her and went out.
   
   She said, "I wish that he would stop coming in here, he gave me a
   dirty deal one time on an order, and I can't forget about it. It was a
   rather large order, just hundreds of pots for one thing, pot of every
   size for we use so many of them, but the order ran into several
   hundred dollars and he just over charged me on everything I ordered. I
   received a price list with the shippment of goods.
   
   I guess I should have reported him, but I didn't, but I do not give
   him any more orders, and he does hate to miss the large orders that I
   give. For in buying things that I need all the time, I try to buy in
   large orders and watch to see that I do not run out of anything. For I
   have a 0010I0place at the house where I can store a good many [DEL:
   [XXXXXd?] :DEL] things.
   
   "But I am beginning to believe that I am going to have to stop that or
   have it changed some way. And she laughed, "you know I always buy my
   foliage in large quanties, not less than a hundred pounds at a time.
   Well I keep that at the house also and just bring it in as I need it
   And just before christmas, I had just about used up what I had here in
   the shop.
   
   "I knew that I would need more in [DEL: makeing :DEL] making up my
   christmas baskets I called the house and told the boy to bring me in a
   supply. He called me back in few minutes, and [DEL: siad :DEL] said
   that there was none there. I was so sure that I told him to look
   again. But he couldn't find any. My nephew was here while I was
   talking to the other boy, but he did not say anything.
   
   "When I went home that night, I found that the boy was right, I did
   not have any foliage. I just couldn't imagine what in the world had
   gone with it. But right after christmas, I found out what went withit.
   My nephew said his wife sold more than a hundred dollars worth of
   these little christmas pots at the ten cent stores. and I knew then
   where my supplies went.
   
   "No they did not ever say anything to me about it. They never do. But
   still they don't pull as many things over me as they think they do.
   Yet they did get a cow stall built and had a cow in it before I knew
   anything at all about it. Jim that is my nephew, had built a high
   trellis between my house and the cow stall. She laughed and said "They
   feel so sure they will get all I have when I am gone, so I guess they
   think they might as well use it now.
   
   More customers [came?] in and she went out to wait on them, and when
   she came back she said, "this has been a rather dull day with
   me,0011IIbut I guess I need it, as I have been in a rush for several
   days. " She had been working on some orders as she talked, and having
   them ready, she called the house to see if Jim was there, so he could
   come in and make the deliveries.
   
   It was sometime before any one answered, and then it was his wife, and
   she said he was not there. Miss Smith called a [DEL: taxi[a?] :DEL]
   [taxi?] and made her deliveries. But she showed plainly that she did
   not like it. [DEL: [?] :DEL] Finally she said that is just the way it
   is most of the time. They think they can do me any way, but they will
   go too far one of these days.
   
   "Why last spring I had so much work that I wanted done out at the
   house, and I do not like to overwork / anyone. So I got a settled man
   to go out and help them out. And after he finished his work, he said,
   Miss Smith, I do not like to tell things, but you just don't know how
   things are going out there. When I went to work out there, they gave
   me some advice, and it was this, see nothing, hear nothing, know
   nothing. As Jim had been getting by, I must not tell on him.
   
   Miss Smith laughed and said, "I fired both of them last fall, for
   going off when I needed them very bad. They didn't think that I would
   do it. I sent for another boy to take their place. And do you know
   what those boys done? Well they went and told the boy that I had
   changed my mind, and when I came down the next morning to come to
   work, Jim was there waiting in the car, and the other boy was already
   at work trimming the hedges. They had a good job, and couldn't do any
   one else like they did me. But for a while they did fine, I got more
   work done than I had ever got out of them before.
   
   001212
   
   "I am going to have to have Jim's wife help me tomorrow for I have to
   get out those orders for the dance. But I usually pay her four or five
   dollars a day when she helps me, but she is good help, and [DEL: realy
   :DEL] really works. But she will not offer to help me unless I ask
   her, and then she knows that she will get paid for it.
   
   "And some of them are always borrowing money, but they don't ever
   think of paying back. No, they would not think of doing any one else
   that way. I guess they just figure that I don't need it. But I pay
   them all for what they do for me. And they have all the flowers that
   they want, at any time they want them. And I like to see them put
   flowers in their houses.
   
   "But the children are [DEL: realy :DEL] really a pleasure running
   about the [DEL: [?] :DEL] house when I am at home, for it is lonesome
   some times, especially when I am at home on Sunday. I do my own
   cooking, but I do have some one to come in and do the cleaning. And
   last Sunday one of my friends was visiting me, and she said, 'I knew
   that you was crazy about flowers, but I did not know that you was bad
   as you are, do you know how many vases of flowers you have in your
   house?[.?]
   
   "No I replied, I never count them, but I do like to have flowers every
   where. My friend laughed and said, well I have counted fifty-two and I
   don't know how many more there are. She really likes my home, and I do
   have a nice home, it is just out of the city limits, and I have
   several smaller cottages on the place that I rent, and I don't have
   any trouble in renting them.
   
   "I of course have electricity, as the lines go by the place. [But?] I
   use an electric pump to furnish water for the houses, but we have
   plenty of it. And about the only thing we don't have is gas. But we
   can cook with electricity. We are in the country, but have all the
   conveniences of town. And as it is on a paved highway, we have no
   trouble running in 001313to town.
   
   "I come in quiet often to shows as that is about all that I have time
   for. And I go to church on Sunday, yet some times my work make us work
   on Sunday also. And some times I can get some of them to stay at the
   house on Sunday, then I can get away for a day, and that [DEL: realy
   :DEL] really helps for this work is so confining as you never know
   when some will call for a order, and want it in a hurry.
   
   "I very often think of what our old negro cook told me one time when I
   was little, she was trying to make me do something, and I did not want
   to do it, well she jus turned me across her lap, and then gave me the
   only whipping that I ever had. She told me then, 'some dese days youse
   gwine'r has ter do, and what youse gwine'r do, less'en youse knows
   how.
   
   "And how right she was, I have [DEL: realy :DEL] really had to work,
   but inspite of all my handicaps, I have made a good living and am
   trying to lay aside plenty to take care of me when I get to where I
   can't work. I have several very good [DEL: inestments :DEL]
   investments in stocks, and I like that much better than building
   houses to rent, for there is always something to do on them, just
   repairs all the time. For most of the people that rent will not take
   care of a place, just because it is not theirs.
   
   "I have a time with my social securities and records, infact I [DEL:
   [?] :DEL] still do not understand them, and [DEL: realy :DEL] really
   don't know what it all means. But I do not object to it, and am
   willing to do my part. It was a little complicated at first to get my
   reports just right, but I guess they pass for I don't hear anything
   from them after I send them off.
   
   "My sister wanted to know only last Sunday, how much insurance I was
   [DEL: carring :DEL] carrying on myself. Not any at all, I replied. She
   was shocked, and gave me a raking over the coals, as the old cook use
   to say. I asked her why should I? [?]that I didn't have any one to
   leave it to, and I thought I had enough to take care of myself. I
   guess they want all they can get.
   
   001414
   
   "And the first of this year, I made a resolution, not to lend any one
   any money during this year.
   
   "Have you kept the resolution" I ask. She laughed heartily, "I did for
   one day, or maybe two, and then Jim and the other boy also wanted ten
   dollars each, and of course they got it. They just know how to get
   next to me.
   
   She went out to the front to wait on a customer, and when she came
   back into the work room she said, "The rain is coming down in
   torrents, and I have to send out some of these flowers, guess I will
   have to use a taxi again for Jim is not here yet and it is most time
   to go home. I am sure he will be here to drive me home, for I do not
   drive myself.
   
   "It is a good thing I have not been busy today, for I should have
   needed him. I wondered why she called it a dull day for business, for
   she had been working hard all the time she was talking, and as I was
   getting ready to leave, I thanked her for the nice story, and also for
   giving me so much of her time. "I was glad to" she replied, "I am glad
   that you came, for I don't like to be by myself.
   
   As I went out, a man came, which was evidently Jim, for she wanted to
   know where he had been all day, and I bet that he had to put up some
   mighty good excuse.

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