Old-fashioned values

摘要

A shop in Ontario finds modern-day success with a management style from years past. Mill Street Florist flourishes in a self-imposed time warp, a 16-year-old business that refuses to abandon the niceties of the 19th century. The genteel tone begins with the building, a wooden clapboard house built in 1860 by the founder of Manotick, Ontario, and is carried out by the owner's unwavering belief in the power of an old-fashioned touch. The staff goes on scavenging trips in the country, hunting for the woody branches that are a signature of their natural arrangements. One employees sole job is caring for the gardens that provide cut flowers to supplement commercial suppliers. More than 100 varieties of flowers are always on hand, and there's nary a common carnation or gladiola in sight. Customers have been known to supply the shop with moss found hiking or a bag of shells brought back from a trip. Nothing plastic is sold. And there are no sales. Ever.