Page 145 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

of the town’s swankiest market. Would he put their gladioli in for sale? He
consented, saying that flowers like theirs would be an asset. His only
stipulation was that they be arranged before the store opened.

Mrs. Hanson got up still earlier six mornings a week and while the fresh
produce was being set out she arranged masses of “glads” in tall vases. Fifty
dozen were sold the first month which added twenty-five dollars to the
Hanson income. As the grocer refused a commission, Mrs. Hanson insisted
that he take home all the flowers he wanted on Saturdays and whenever his
wife gave a party.
The sale of bulbs followed naturally. Customers wanted certain varieties for
their gardens. One big seller was a pale yellow which has been named
Billionaire because of its great stalk and the profusion of blossoms,
sometimes twenty to a stalk. Billionaires were popular for wedding
decorations and floral sprays.

It wasn’t long before she found there was another outlet for the flowers.
Although several large nurseries are located in outlying districts, there is no
florist in Mill Valley; consequently the undertaker sells sprays. In return for
services rendered he taught Mrs. Hanson how to wire sprays and she began
getting orders which brought from two dollars up.

Soon other ideas for getting orders presented themselves. A donation now
and then to the leading tea room brought orders for decorations when
banquets were held there. A bouquet presented to the owner when a new
store opened in town increased trade; so did an occasional advertisement in
the Record. On one outstanding occasion red “glads” banked the platform of
the San Francisco Civic Auditorium where ten thousand people gathered at
the International Convention of the Christian Endeavor to celebrate that
society’s Golden Jubilee.

“Selling ‘glads’ has been fun, and although it hasn’t meant a fortune the
money has often been a godsend,” Mrs. Hanson remarks. “Besides, being
gainfully occupied has saved Mr. Hanson much worry and unhappiness.”

Making Money from an Herb Garden