A long, long time ago (78 years), at a place far, far away (the Bronx), a Greek-American man named Charlie Mastros created a flower shop. It was a small, humble shop, which Charlie ran until he passed it on to his fellow expatriate, Ted Katsiris, in 1957. Ted operated his store for fifteen years, and then decided it was time for him to move on as well. As fate would have it, Ted's nephew, John Kaltsas, had recently graduated college. John had gained considerable floral experience by working his way through college in flower shops: he had come to enjoy the profession and was looking to open his own store. So, in 1972, Ted sold the shop to John, and On the Square Flower Shop was his. With the help of his family, friends, and a few good business practices, John watched his shop grow and flourish. He made sure that polite, individual attention was his largest priority, and that all of his customers' needs were met. By importing his flowers fresh from Holland and receiving his plants from high-quality local greenhouses, John was also able to ensure that he would be offering his customers the very best. His customers were so happy with the excellent service they received that they kept coming back, and told their friends to do the same. John knew that he had been doing his job well when, in 1997, a married couple entered the store. They told him that, 25 years earlier, he had made the flower arrangements for their wedding. Now, they said, their daughter was about to be married. Could he make the arrangements for her wedding as well? On the Square Flower Shop had grown to be one of the most trusted and respected florists in the area. When his 25th anniversary with the flower shop arrived in 1997, John decided to celebrate by giving something back to the customers who had helped him and his store succeed. Every Valentine's Day, nearly every florist in the city takes advantage of consumer demand by raising their rose prices by as much as two hundred percent. John decided that, this year, he would not raise his rose prices at all. When the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs got wind of what John had decided to do, they commended him in a report they issued on Valentine's Day rose prices. Mayor Rudy Giuliani sent him a letter of thanks, New York's major newspapers touted him, and business that Valentine's Day was the best it had ever been. It probably goes without saying to note that since then, On the Square Flower Shop hasn't inflated its Valentine's Day rose prices by even a penny. To make things even better, at the end of the year the Department of Consumer Affairs gave John and his On the Square Flower Shop its 1998 Consumer Hero Award, an honor given to just five NYC businesspeople that year went out of their way to make consumers their first priority. On the Square Flower Shop remains dedicated to this philosophy: That a friendly, family-owned flower shop can provide superior arrangements with a personal touch -- and at prices that are fair to our customers. At a time when massive chain stores are increasingly becoming the rule and indepdenent, family-owned shops the exception, we still believe that our way of doing business is the best way. |
