1 week Ago By LAURA YEATER [email protected]
Name of business: K’nees Florists Proprietor: Trisha Engle Type of business: Florist/Gifts Business address: 1829 15th St. Pl., Moline Business phone: 309-764-7479.
Business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.
m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Business website or social media web address: @kneesflorists ( Facebook / Instagram ) kneesflorists.
com Business email: [email protected] People are also reading..
. When did the business open? 1886, by Wilhem Knees. He immigrated from Germany and was the gardener for John Deere (the person!).
He opened K’nees in 1886 and moved to our current location in 1901. Is this your first business? Yes. What is the history of your business: K’nees was owned and operated by three generations of the K’nees family until the early 1990s.
I am the 5th owner. How has your business evolved since its inception? K’nees has been a Quad-Cities staple for 138 years, probably one of the longest running businesses. We used to have five locations, but in the early 2000s they sized down due to a few factors.
One being the internet. People have the ability to shop online, rather than in store, and there was no need for multiple brick and mortars in the Quad-Cities. It helped to streamline the business.
The other factor was a large grocery store chain that came into the Quad-Cities and undercut the small businesses, making it easier for people to buy their groceries and flowers at the same time. However, K’nees is still the largest florist in the Quad-Cities. We have trained designers, reliable delivery drivers and value our customers.
Our customers are looking for more than grocery store designs. They are looking for unique designs that create lasting memories. What inspired you to start your business? I have always had a passion for flowers.
It started in high school. I grew up in west Chicago where Ball Seed is headquartered. We had a large greenhouse and horticulture program at our high school and generously received plugs from Ball to grow flowers and created beautiful designs.
When we moved to the quad cities in 1998, I attended Augustana College and worked at Wallace’s for five years. My passion for flowers continued. I spent 15 years after college as an HR manager, but decided life is too short to not do what you love.
Which is how I ended up buying K’nees. Any future plans for expansion or addition for your business? Most people don’t realize how big the store is! In addition to our flowers we have a 4,000 square foot plant and gift shop! This past summer we started an urban cut flower garden in our courtyard at the front of the store. We grew cut flowers in 15 raised beds.
It was so much fun! It made flower arranging even more fun, to be able to grow what you cut and share with the Quad-Cities, is quite amazing! What has been your most memorable moment at the business so far? Probably the people. When I bought the shop the staff became an extension of my family. Those bonds that were formed will last a lifetime.
To experience the joy of flower arranging with them has been a blessing. What are some of the unique aspects, services or offerings of your business? We are a full-service flower shop, so we offer flowers for all occasions, weddings, funerals, birthdays, anniversaries, thank you, get well, just because! But we also have an extensive gift shop, with lots of fun gifts to add to your flower arrangements. What are your future goals and aspirations for your business? Of course, we have lots of intricate business goals that I won’t bore you with.
But our goal is to remain in the Quad-Cities, well, forever! Not many businesses can say they’ve been around for 138 years, so we must be doing something right. We appreciate the support of the Quad-Cities. Is there anything else you would like your community to know about your business? We have a shop cat named Sam, he’s an older tom cat that is street smart and has an attitude.
People come in just to see Sam, so if he pops up on socials, you’ll know who he is! If you have been in business for over 25 years and would like to be featured in the Business Spotlight please reach out to Laura Yeater, [email protected] to be considered. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
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