Opened a year after the first Ford Model-T rolled off the assembly lines, Luepke Florist has survived the Great Depression, two world wars and a development boom that turned Vancouver from a small mill town to a sprawling community of more than 150,000 people.
Maria Adler, a 35 year employee and the store's current owner, seems completely at home in the shop's Washington Street location – a cornucopia of holiday arrangements, wizened Santa Claus figures and gigantic gingerbread cutouts.
"We are happy we can continue serving the community. All around us places are going out of business," Adler said. "But it is nice to see new businesses cropping up, too."
For Luepke Florist, the only sign of the impending anniversary are golden balloons in the store's front window in the shape of "1-0-0," a centennial Adler is thankful to reach in an economic climate "when breaking even is doing good."
Adler, along with her husband Alan, took the reigns of the company six years ago. Until that point they had been co-owners with Ron and Dianne Frichtl, third-generation owners from the Luepke line.
"Buying my flowers here I know they will still be fresh two weeks down the road. I've been to other florists, but none like this," said Ursula Bueteau of Vancouver, a Luepke's regular.
Despite its loyal customers, Luepke has had its share of trouble of late. Fewer customers, even around holidays, and less employees are par for the course, according to Adler.
"People don't need flowers quite as much anymore," Adler said.
However, being a company that has weathered 16 American recessions, Luepke is a business familiar with drastic changes in fortune and in customer tastes.
For instance, when Adler began working for Luepke in the mid-1970s, artificial flowers were all the rage. Now people are much more interested in taking home real, fresh-cut flowers – perhaps following what Adler called our "modern, non-committal culture."
"I don't think people want things to stick around," she said. "And real flowers don't last forever."
In celebration of their longevity, Luepke Florist is holding an open house on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 2 to 5 p.m., with door prizes and refreshments. And after 100 years in business, this Vancouver cornerstone deserves a party.
