1923 THE BEGINNING
Kenneth M. Gillespie opened his first flower shop in 1923 in The Greenbrier Hotel
in White Sulphur Spring, West Virginia. He grew his own flowers and also had
flowers shipped by train from Denver and Philadelphia. Most of his business was
bouquets, corsages, and centerpieces.
In the early years, winter, business was
slow at The Greenbrier, so he opened five winter stores in large hotels in
Florida. They were the Palm Beach Breakers, Whitehall Hotel, Boca Raton Hotel,
Hollywood Beach, and the Biltmore.
In 1944, during World War II, The Greenbrier
was closed and became Ashford General Hospital for the US Army, and also served
as an interment center for prisoners of war.
At that time, Kenneth Gillespie
opened the village shop in downtown White Sulphur Springs. He continued to work
until the age of 91.
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