What's better than a BBQ on a sunny summer afternoon?  A BBQ and sale at your favorite wholesale house! The grill is going and the specials are sizzlin' so join us for our Friday BBQ.  Lunch is served from 11:00-1:00 every Friday for the rest of the summer.  Check out this week's menu!

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Tuesdays can be pretty quiet at the flower shop during the summer.  Right?  Well then Tuesday would be a great time to learn more about Direct 2 Florist.  Right!  Tune in to a free audio conference Tuesday August 5th to have all your questions about this new service answered.

Learn how you can start receiving 100% value on your incoming web orders.  And see how other florists around the world are using Direct 2 Florist by checking out this cool U Tube video.

By the way...is your store a U Tube star?  Send us the link!  It will give us a (legitimate) reason to surf the web.

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The declining funeral tribute segment of our industry has become alarming.  But a fellow florist, Clay Atchison of McAdams Florist and "In Lieu Of Activist" has taken a giant step in helping to reverse that trend.  Clay has developed InLieuofFlowers.info.  Please visit Clay's site and use it to maintain and grow this important segment of our industry.

It is well known that ritual is an important part of the grieving process.  The most common ritual regardless of geography, religion or socio-economic status is the giving, receiving and viewing of floral tributes.  Research conducted by The American Floral Endowment and SAF supports the importance of flowers during bereavement.

Funeral Director, Todd Van Beck offers this eloquent  comment on the subject.  "Families deserve the right of complete freedom of expression at a time of death.  People are not cut from the same spiritual or emotional mold.  Therefore they should be free to express themselves in the manner that best conveys their emotions.  Any expression that is the result of dictate, ceases to be an act of the heart."  Well said Todd!

What better time than these slow summer months to develop a better (more profitable) relationship with your local funeral director?  Take a minute and email them the link to InLieuofFlowers.info today.

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You know those cute, inspirational, you're so special emails that we all get?  You know, the ones that you are supposed to send to 10 people you love plus the person that sent it you?  Love em or hate em, they get people's attention.  Flowers by Karen in Monroe has taken that "virtual chain letter" in a whole new floral direction.

She calls it the "Traveling Kindness Bouquet" and we think it's a great summertime way to market your business.   She delivers one beautiful arrangement to a business in her community, with the instructions that the recipient should enjoy the flowers....for just 60 min!  Then they must pass them on to someone else who deserves to have their day brightened.  Of course her business card is attached to the arrangement so that every one who gets blessed with the flowers is able to see where the floral chain letter originated.

While Karen admits it is hard to track how much business it drives back to her store, she loves the feeling of blessing unsuspecting people in her community with the gift of flowers.

Another result is that it reminds people that it not only feels good to get flowers it feels even better to GIVE them.

Keep up the good work Flowers by Karen and thanks for the fun marketing idea!

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Here's a way to spend a quiet summer afternoon that could save you money!  Do some planning and pre-booking on colored glass for fall by August 15th and on Ruby glass by August 27th.  You know you are going to need it!  Why wait until you are too busy to think about it?

Why wait until you have to pay more?

Why wait until some of your favorite items might be sold out?

We've made it easy for you to see the savings by listing our regular price, sale price and our pre-book price.   Fall orders start shipping in September.  Christmas glass starts shipping in November and Valentine orders will be shipped out in January.

Click here to view the Fall Colored Glass Pre-Book Sale Flyer.

Click here to view the Holiday and Valentine Colored Glass Pre-Book Flyer.

Let us help you put a big check mark on your list of things to get done early this year!

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The plant department wishes to share some ancient Asian wisdom along with their wide selection of adorable Lucky Bamboo gardens.

Lucky Bamboo plants symbolize luck and success because of their ability to grow quickly and healthfully.  It is recommended by Feng Shui Masters to "improve energy in the home and to give its' owner more energy to face today's challenging lifestyles".   I'm buying one to keep on my desk and one for my car right now!

A Lucky Bamboo Garden with 3 plants attracts happiness.  Five plants attract wealth and a Lucky Bamboo Tower brings "Total Blessings".

More Lucky Bamboo facts...Stalks will not grow, only the leaves will.  Lucky Bamboo will live for 10-15 years.  You never need to re-pot these hardy plants.

They are easy to maintain.  Keep the roots below water and keep them out of direct sunlight.

Grasshopper say  "Call Carol or Vic to get your energy, wealth and happiness plants today."

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"Our fatigue is often not caused by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment"   Dale Carnegie

Fatigue at the end of a day can not be attributed simply to the hard work we've done.   Our own negative reactions to the stressful, daily grind drain our energy and stifle our potential for success.  Here are some tips to help relieve some personal frustrations and increase productivity without resentment.

Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health and hope.  Your shop is not too quiet.  It's Peaceful!

Count your Blessings instead of your troubles.  We hope Washington Floral is on your Blessings list.

Cooperate with the inevitable.  It's summer.  It's wedding season.  Just go with it.

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