Since Oct. 1, 1979, Ronda Audlehelm has run Flowers ‘N More, a staple on the Osceola square. Recently celebrating her 45th anniversary in the floral business, Audlehelm reflected on her years providing flowers, and more, to the community.
Early days
Audlehelm started her career in floristry in 1974 at Osceola Greenhouse, an in-home greenhouse run by Jan and Chuck Brandhorst. She began by transplanting tomato plants, and then worked her way inside to the flower shop where the Brandhorsts trained her in all things floral.
In early 1979, the Brandhorsts sold their business to the Redfern brothers of Jefferson. At the end of that first growing season, the Redferns decided to close the greenhouse and move the flower shop to downtown Osceola, to the building at the northwest corner of W. Washington and N. Main Streets. A couple of months later, they decided they were going back to Jefferson, and asked Audlehelm if she wanted to buy the business.
“It was either buy it, or have somebody else buy it,” said Audlehelm. While it hadn’t been her original intent to have a career in the floral business, she had always enjoyed arts and crafts, and creating different floral arrangements lent itself to that creativity.
One of her first acts as owner was to change the name of the store from The Pot Shop to Flowers ‘N More, with initial newspaper reports stating she would carry a complete line of cut flowers, dried arrangement and green plants, and fill orders for funerals and special occasions.
Today, Flowers ‘N More offers all of that, as well as gifts, balloons, decorations, home decor and more.
Years of growth
Over the years, many things have changed in the floral industry.
“The number of varieties of flowers that we’re able to get that people are wanting has changed,” said Audlehelm. “People are wanting more stuff than they used to - more variety, more choices.”
When Audlehelm started out, there were only basic colors of roses available - red, pink, white, yellow and sometimes peach. Today, there are hundreds and hundreds of varieties available. While they aren’t able to get every type of flower that may be requested, most can be found with enough advance notice. Roses, carnations and lilies are the most requested flowers.
Technology has made a big change in the business, with the advent of computers and the internet, allowing for people to order flowers online.
Transactions using credit cards have also greatly increased, accounting for a large amount of the business that Flower ‘N More does. Even with that, taking orders over the phone is still a favored method by several people.
From starting with one full-time employee and one part-time employee, Audlehelm has employed a varied staff over the years, and today has five part-time employees.
After the initial move made by the former owners in 1979, Flowers ‘N More has only moved once, in late 2013 to its present location of 143 S. Main St. The location has allowed for more efficiency inside including extra cooler space and more workspace, and better parking for both customers, and loading the delivery van.
Keeping busy
A typical day in the shop begins with unpacking and processing any flower deliveries that have come in. The phone is usually ringing with daily orders, such as someone wanting to send flowers to a loved one at work or to somebody in the hospital. Orders are filled throughout the day, and near the end as people get off work, they stop in to pick up something to take home with them. Friday afternoons are one of the busier weekdays, with people wanting to get flowers for the weekend.
The amount of deliveries in a week depends on the demand, as well as the occasion - such as needing to do funeral arrangements - and the time of year. Valentine’s Day is the shop’s busiest day of the year overall.
“I call it organized chaos,” said Audlehelm. “There’s always a blast - the phone is ringing when we get here on Valentine’s Day morning.”
Over a three day period, Audlehelm estimates they complete hundreds of orders.
When COVID was finding many businesses shut down and struggling for business, Audlehelm said they were fortunate to remain busy.
“When COVID started, I thought this may be the end. But people couldn’t see their people, their loved ones, so they sent flowers,” she said. Flowers were delivered via no-contact delivery and curbside pickup.
No arrangements are sent or put for sale that Audlehelm and her staff are not 100% satisfied with. From simply tweaking an arrangement to pulling everything out and starting again, the arrangements should always appeal to someone.
“We do have a lot of fun. It’s a fun job, but it’s not without its pressures. We have deadlines for funerals and holiday time, but we do have a lot of fun. And have a lot of fun with the customers…we [have] wonderful customers,” said Audlehelm.
Flower talk
When asked what her favorite flower is, Audlehelm couldn’t choose just one, liking different ones for different reasons.
For example, she likes alstroemeria lilies because they last a long time. She likes roses for their wide variety, and Gerbera daisies for their impact.
Oftentimes, an arrival of a different kind of flower to the store might become the new “favorite” until the next one.
“We never get over that joy of seeing something that’s just so intensely beautiful,” said Audlehelm. She hopes that whomever receives flowers appreciates them as much as those at the store do, and the emotions being expressed through them.
When making arrangements, Audlehelm said that she and her staff probably enjoy mixed arrangements the most, as it allows for more creativity, with different flowers and colors.
Future plans and gratitude
As she looked back on 45 years, Audlehelm laughed that she is going to need to retire at some point. While she’s not ready for that just yet, she is going to need the right buyer to come along at some point.
“To me, it’s more like an adoption process than the sale of a business, because it is my baby,” said Audlehelm.
When it comes to the success of the shop, Audlehlem’s employees have played a big role in helping keep things going, and fun.
“All the awesome employees I’ve had over the years - they are a good part of the success of the shop. Without them, I would have burned out years ago.”
The consistent, repeat business of the community is something that has not only been paramount to the longevity, but has pleasantly surprised Audlehelm over the years.
“I’m extremely grateful and blessed…I can’t imagine it having gone any better than it has, this community is just awesome,” said Audlehelm.