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My African Violet Collection started on my bedroom windowsill.
We added an enclosed porch as a mini greenhouse so I could grow and sell more plants.
With the money I saved from selling violets, we bought materials for Harvey to build our first greenhouse.
We filled the new greenhouse with African Violets and other gesneriads.
In the back of the greenhouse is the water-drip cooling system that Harvey constructed.
I had the largest collection of African Violets in the area.
To attract more sales, I displayed my violets at the local Arts & Crafts; Debbie sold her woodburnings and paintings.
I began growing other houseplants as people came from all around to buy them.
We added a second greenhouse to grow other house plants.
The second greenhouse filled with plants for Christmas.
Vinca baskets hanging in the addition beside the first greenhouse.
As our business grew we added a third greenhouse.
D.H. Holmes Department store in Mobile was my first flower shop away from the greenhouses.
I supplied the shop with plants, silk arrangments and gifts.
I hired my own sales staff to manage the shop.
This is an arial view of our home and greenhouses before hurricane Frederick.
One of our billboards.
We sold a huge variety of house plants.
This is an arial view of our home and greenhouses after we rebuilt after hurricane Frederick.
Another one of our billboards.
After hurricane Frederick destroyed our greenhouses and plants, we rebuilt them and added another larger greenhouse.
We grew mostly ferns in this huge double wide greenhouse.
This is our flower shop in Point Clear.
D.H. Holmes, Cordova Mall, Pensacola.
Holmes Department store asked me to operate a flower shop at their new Pensacola location.
They designed the flower shop to my specifications.
The shop was located next to the back door so we could easily deliver plants.
A customer is talking to me trough the violet stand at Holmes Pensacola.
I opened flower shops at several area grocery stores.
Over time, I replaced the violets in my first greenhouse with orchids.
Here I am in my orchid house.
The orchid tables.
Orchid stand in my home.
Our home at the greenhouses.
At the back of our home we grew bedding plants and hanging baskets for our customer's porches.
The back of the last three greenhouses, showing the cooling system exterior.
The back of the first greenhouse.
Our open house featuring Doris in German clothes.
We served German cakes at the open house in the greenhouses.
African Violet stand in my office; the plant that started it all!
