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WINTER 2017
Long Family History
Three generations of the Palmer family have owned and
run City Florist and Gifts, serving Wilkesboro, North
Carolina, and the surrounding area. Current owner Steve
Palmer’s grandmother began as an employee and enjoyed
it so much that she bought the business from its retiring
owner. “At its peak during the 1950s through 1970s, City
Florist had 13 greenhouses and five store locations, grow-
ing about half of its own flowers,” reports Palmer.
Palmer’s father, who ran City Florist with his wife from the
late 1940s until the early 2000s, worked up to 80 hours a
week but told Palmer, “I’ve never worked a day in my life,”
because he loved the business so much. Palmer worked
there during high school and college, and then ran it with
his wife, Ann, as a side business, in addition to his career at
Lowe’s and her local beauty salon. He, Ann, and their kids
can all do floral design; Steve can create any arrangement
from just a picture.
Currently, Palmer’s sister-in-law and brother-in-law run
the daily operations. Palmer hopes that City Florist will
continue into the future as a fourth generation family busi-
ness with one of his children at the helm.
Commitment to Customers
A strong commitment to customers sets City Florist apart. A
group of 10 in-house floral designers do their best to under-
stand exactly what the customer is looking for, and then
create a unique floral arrangement that meets those specific
needs. Palmer comments, “Offering a great product at a
great price, combined with really good customer service and
a can-do attitude, is what built our business.” City Florist’s
customer service is so good that Palmer can remember some
Christmas mornings when the family went into the store to
fill a few orders for people who had forgotten to buy gifts.
The multi-generational nature of this florist carries over
to its customers. City Florist has provided flower arrange-
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Providing the personal touch in flowers for three generations
City Florist and Gifts began in 1939 and has since offered high-quality floral arrangements
with prompt and caring service to help people mark the important occasions in their lives.
With a large inventory of fresh flowers and live plants, as well as silk and dried arrangements,
City Florist can meet a wide range of needs for holidays, birthdays, weddings, get-well gifts,
funerals, and church services.
City Florist and Gifts
Owner Steve Palmer
(L to R) Employees Pat Holbrook, Casey Palmer, and Judy Rayborn