Facebook ~ Push to 500 ~ Friends & Fans!

Hey gang!  We love our facebook friends and we hope you enjoy our posts.  We are pushing to have 500 fans (that gives us some serious bragging rights) by the end of the month.  Here is what we are offering to you.


When we reach 500 fans a 10% discount for all of our facebook fans will go into effect for the rest of the year.  Yes that is correct you will receive 10% off anything you purchase from us for the remainder of the year!


The sooner we reach the goal the sooner you start saving.  You will be able to use your discount online, in the shop, and on the phone! We will give you the full scoop when we reach our goal.


What you can expect in the next few months from our facebook page: Advanced notice of sales, specials, promotions, and new products.  Pictures of our work are always well received so we will keep those coming as well.  


How can you use your discount?  You can use it on anything in the shop that is selling for regular price.  For example you need an arrangement for Thanksgiving ~ done 10% off.  If you are shopping for merchandise that is already on sale you will receive the greater of the two offers.  We will discount you so you receive the best deal possible.  This is just a token of our affection because you, our friends and fans, are what make what we do so enjoyable.  


So what are you waiting for???  Share our page with your friends and family so they can save too.  Simply click the share link under our facebook post.

November Highlights

Well another month is gone.  Our first year at The Secret Garden seems to be going faster with each passing day.  With the Holidays fast approaching everything is sure to be in a whirlwind from here on out.  So what did October Bring?

October brought our first ever Pumpkin Design Contest .  Some great deals on fall merchandise and us one month closer to Christmas.  We also collected money for Breast Cancer Research and made a lot of new friends doing so.  In the mix we had an open house, a canned food drive, and a lot of fun decorating the shop for Christmas.  It was a busy month that is for sure.

So looking ahead to November we suggest you follow Our Promotions Page to stay ahead of the crowd and see what great sales and promotions we have running. 

Now is the time to order your centerpieces for Thanksgiving.  They really make the table something special.  We suggest that you order at least one week in advance so that you can get the flowers and style that you are wanting to make this Thanksgiving dinner one to remember forever.


We also have 30% off all fall merchandise including silk wreaths and silk floral designs right now.  Stop into the shop at 1215 E. Pershing rd and see what we have to offer.  


For the first time ever we have coupons for every week leading up to Christmas.  These start the week of November 22nd and run through Christmas Eve.  For a complete list just download and print this list.  


Did you know that we can ship your holiday purchases worldwide.  Well we sure can.  Any gift item in the shop can be shipped around the globe for you this holiday season.  Also send flowers or plants around the corner or around the world by simply stopping in or giving us a call.  We can make sure that everyone receives something unique this Christmas.  Also check out our eBay store if you can't make it in to see what we have to offer for the holiday season. 

This is just the beginning of what we have in store for you this year.  Be sure to subscribe to this page or watch Facebook or Twitter for more exciting updates.  

First Ever Pumpkin Decorating Winner ~~

Drum Roll Please....... The winner of our first ever pumpkin decorating contest is:


Ashley Altevogt!!  Thank you Ashley for submitting your entry to us.   You have won one of our beautiful pumpkins all done up with fresh flowers and a $5.00 gift certificate.


Here is the beautiful pumpkin Ashley submitted to us:

The fun will continue next year, we hope to see more of everyones creative side.

Watch for our "Thankful" promotion that will be popping up here in the next few days.  If you want to be sure not to miss it subscribe to our posts over on the right hand side.  

Thanks again!  Have a fun and safe Halloween! 

Creep on in for a Halloween deal

It's that time of year again.  Time for the ghosts and the goblins to trick or treat.      We have a nice selection of Halloween decorations that we are offering up to you for 50% off.  Now that is a nice treat without any tricks.

Hurry in sale ends October 30th, 2010.

Just Flowers ~ Just Order Takers

Well it happened again, someone ordered flowers from Just Flowers and they were unhappy with the results.  Monday afternoon our phone rang and it was Just Flowers wanting to know if we could fill an order for them.  See Just Flowers is an order taker and not a flower shop so they have to find local florists to do the work for them.  We found out what was needed and placed an order with our supplier.  The next day we unpacked the items, arranged the plants in a basket, and sent it over to the funeral home.  Wednesday morning my phone rang.  The sender of the order had arrived at the funeral home for the visitation on Tuesday and was unhappy with what they had seen on display with their name attached.

 
She asked me what the order had called for.  I explained that it asked for one azalea, one kalanchoe, and a mix of green plants.  It turns out she did not ask for those specific plants at all.  The picture on the website did not even show those in it.  We discussed the price of each plant and the cost of the basket and how we had come to send what we did.  She then asked the 64 million dollar questions, "How much money did they send you to fill my order?"  That is when she became shocked and upset.  It turns out that the company had taken 20% of her order before it was sent to me to fulfill.  Also the extra charges that they had charged her for delivery and so on had not been given to us to fill her order.  The result, frustration and anger for the sender.

I told her what I always tell the senders when they have this problem.  Always call a local florist, you will get the most for your money and you will get what you ordered.  Her response was, "They had more to choose from on their site".  I then explained that might be true, but because they are not real florists what the receiving florist has available will be the end result.  They can have a million pictures but if the florists in the town you are sending too do not carry those items you will not be able to receive those items.  

So to go the extra mile I offered to make her up something special to send to the family.  She was pleased with this but declined, she was going to the source of the problem and she was going to get a resolution.

I hope that she calls us in the future so that we can show her how wonderful it can be to order locally.  It always upsets me when a someone sending flowers is disappointed in the end result.  This is a negative feeling for not only them but for the entire florist industry.  

I will also take this moment to say use caution when ordering online.  I wrote a blog about figuring out who is a true local florist and who is an order taker in disguise.  

Some people may not be convinced just yet, dismiss this as the mad ramblings of a local florist.  Well the proof is right here folks, just check out these reviews.

Just Flowers Reviews

And they are not alone:
1800flowers reviews
From you Flowers
FTD Reviews
Teleflora Reviews

Before the busy holiday season I hope to continue this discussion and give you more insight on how this all works.




 

Fall Pumpkin Decorating Contest

First Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest ~ Hosted by The Secret Garden.


It's no secret that we love fall here at The Secret Garden.  And we love pumpkins so it's only natural for us to have a pumpkin contest this fall.  Here is how it works.


Submit via facebook, email, or bring in the pictures to us at the shop and we will load post them for you.  


Deadline for submissions is October 28th, 2010.


The pumpkins can be carved, painted, or decorated in any way you wish.  We just want you to be creative and have fun!


Here is a beautiful painted pumpkin by one of our staff members Sheryl to offer up some inspiration:

We will then take all of the pictures and post them to this blog for all to judge.  The winner will receive one of our beautiful fall pumpkins to give as a gift or keep for themselves.  All contest participants will receive a $5.00 off coupon to be used on anything in the shop now through Thanksgiving.  So everyone wins a little something.


Don't wait till it's too late, get those pictures in today.  Good luck!

Changing of the seasons

For anyone who follows us on facebook or has made a visit to the shop, you know we love fall.   Fall is a season rich with color and scents.  We thrive in decorating and designing in the fall months.  But as the days creep by we know what is coming, the cold days of winter and the snow on the ground.  


We have several fall designs that are just for our local customers.  Our live pumpkins are so popular we hope we have enough for everyone that wants one.  Make sure that you get your orders in soon so you get the one you need.  


We are also making room for Christmas, yes we know it's early.  With our custom silk wreaths and centerpieces we have to get them out early so that everyone can see our wonderful designs.  This means that all fall merchandise is 20% off through the end of October.  


Come in soon and be sure to ask for your coupon good for 25% off any regular priced item November 1st, 2010 through November 13th, 2010.  


Time is running out to help raise money for Breast Cancer Research.  We are donating 10% of your total order to find a cure through the end of October.  So make sure to say "Think Pink" when you make any purchase in store, on the phone, or online.