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TIPTON & HURST Little Rock, Ark. Founded: 1886 If it sounds strange that a floral business begun 135 years ago, in 1886, hasn't changed all that much in 2021, then welcome to Tipton & Hurst of Little Rock, Ark., currently operated by third- generation owner Howard Hurst. To be fair, however, the company operates as a 21 st -century ever- evolving company that, as Hurst notes, continues to be built on innovation and the foundation of family to provide local area consumers with a high standard of excellence. According to Howard, he has in his possession a contract between founders David Tipton and his grandfather, Joseph Hurst, from 1886. e affable Howard explains, "Tipton received some money to construct some greenhouses, and although my grandfather was a railroad man and lent him the money, it wasn't long after that the Hurst family opened a retail flower store," Howard recalls. "My grandfather ran the florist and retail operations, and the Tipton family were the growers and ran the wholesale operation." Orchids were the big seller for the company then and were shipped by train all over the state. It remains a key floral component to this day, as Arkansas still possesses old-school traditions of debutante balls and dances, with the women adorned with the exotic florals. Howard says his grandmother ran the business in the early days until his dad, Joe Hurst, eventually took it over and bought out the Tipton family in 1950. e company still has greenhouses—some 20,000 square feet— plus an additional 30,000 square feet of warehouse space for the other aspects of its business model—giftware, home décor, wedding and event props, et al. Howard says that working at the company has been his first and only job—initially sweeping the floors, processing flowers and taking his little red wagon to deliver plants and flowers to customers. "I realized that I wanted to work with my dad. It was a great brand and most everyone in Arkansas recognized it," he notes. Handling weddings, parties and holidays is something that Howard says remains unchanged since his earliest days, but he notes that the business of high-end "gifts"—something that was started by his grandmother—has continued to expand in its scope, with customer- friendly options offering a full gift and bridal registry service online. "We had three stores when I took over at the age of 26, and now, 38 years later, we have five: two in Little Rock and one each in North Little Rock, Conway and Pine Bluff—each about one hour away from the main store, at the most," Howard confirms. Technology has been the biggest change for the company, Howard says, adding that the company now ships its products all over the world. e company's has some 50,000 "Followers" on its Facebook page, and Howard says the company hosts weekly live shows of floral design and decorating demos. Viewers can purchase the products—DIY kits, essentially—during the shows or at their conclusion. "Christopher Norwood, AIFD, AAF, PFCI, our vice-president for more than 30 years, is the creative manager and host of our Facebook Live events," Howard acknowledges. "ese events help bring in an estimated $10,000 to $20,000 per show, with about 80 percent of the customers purchasing online and having the items shipped and 20 percent coming into the shop to pick up." Hurst is quick to point out that, "My business plan for success has always revolved around surrounding myself with people who are smarter and more talented than me. It's not about me or one person; it's about being a team. ere are no egos. We all do what needs to be done [Howard was making deliveries during our conversation!], and we take great pride in going above and beyond to make each customer extremely satisfied." Technology has been the biggest Howard Hurst Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 55

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