Roots run deep

If there’s such a thing as a born florist, Monte Lewis Jr. certainly qualifies.

His mom, Kathy, was pregnant with Monte when she started working at the family’s Appleway Florist and Greenhouse 37 years ago.

“By kindergarten I was putting flats together for my dad,” Lewis said.

His father was a second-generation florist. His grandparents, Bob and Virginia Lewis, bought a modest greenhouse at 11006 E. Sprague Ave. 63 years ago and began building it into a Spokane Valley institution.

Today, the business includes 4,000 square feet of showroom and 30,000 more of greenhouse under plastic.

“Our specialty is hanging fuchsia baskets and hybrid super petunias,” he explained. “But we grow many, many more varieties.”

Not surprisingly, May can get a little crazy, what with Mother’s Day, proms and the start of the outdoor planting season. (Spokane is typically frost-free between May 15 and September 15, according to WSU/county extension’s master gardeners.)

During a recent interview, Lewis discussed how his family’s business has evolved, what challenges lie ahead and how to help those Mother’s Day bouquets last longer.

S-R: You started working here very early. Did you always assume this would be your career?

Lewis: No. I studied business and accounting in college and worked for FTD (flower marketer) for seven years, installing their computer systems all over the U.S. and Canada while also working here weekends. I thought that might lead to something else. But my dad passed away in 2007, so I had to take on a lot more responsibility here.

S-R: Did you have a mentor?

Lewis: My aunts and my dad. They were the second generation that ran the business after my grandmother passed.

S-R: How many family members work at Appleway Florist and Greehouse now?

Lewis: My mom, my brother, my wife and I. My sister and other family members come back on holidays when they’re able.

S-R: Do you have children?

Lewis: I do – a 10-year-old and twin 7-year-olds.

S-R: Have they started working here?

Lewis: (laugh) Not yet, no.

S-R: Why not?

Lewis: It’s a different world than when I was growing up 30 years ago. We have another parcel of land where we grow a lot of our flowers, and that’s where my parents lived. I don’t live there, so it makes it a little harder (to involve the children).

S-R: How has the business evolved?

Lewis: When my grandmother was running it in the ’70s and ’80s, it was really growing. Now we’re not seeing as much growth. There’s a lot more competition as flower shops turn to websites.

S-R: You took over management a year before the recession hit. How tough was that transition?

Lewis: 2007 is what I measure everything by because that’s the best year I have on electronic record. Some holidays are starting to come back to those levels, but not all of them.

S-R: What’s your biggest holiday?

Lewis: We have two. Valentine’s Day is the biggest single day because everyone wants their flowers right on Feb. 14. But Mother’s Day is probably bigger overall, because we can spread that out a week.

S-R: Which cut flowers are most popular?

Lewis: It depends on the season. For Valentine’s Day, it’s roses. Most of those come from either California or South America, where they have warmer weather and better light conditions.

S-R: Are there trends among the annuals?

Lewis: It’s usually more about colors than the type of flowers. True orange petunias are new this year.

S-R: How many delivery people do you employ?

Lewis: Two, normally. But I’ll have 11 this weekend.

S-R: Does the company president deliver flowers?

Lewis: Sometimes.

S-R: What’s your typical workday?

Lewis: It changes. Now that our greenhouse is open, I take on responsibility there that I wouldn’t have in the winter. We start planting right after Valentine’s Day, start selling in April and usually go through July.

S-R: How crazy can it get?

Lewis: Last year, I worked 45 days in a row from Secretary’s Day (in late April) through Easter, prom weekend, Mother’s Day, and the start of planting season.

S-R: What’s the trick to making cut flowers last?

Lewis: They like to be in a cool spot. They like to have fresh water every day. And if they start to droop, their stems probably need to be recut. Those three things help immensely.

S-R: What do you like most about your job?

Lewis: Although there are certain routines each season of the year, it’s always different on a day-to-day basis.

S-R: What do you like least?

Lewis: You don’t get holidays off, because you’re providing holiday happiness for others.

S-R: Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?

Lewis: I wish we had jumped on the Internet in the late ’80s or the early ’90s – back in the old “Oh, we don’t need the Internet” days – because that’s where so much of the market growth is now. We waited until the late ’90s, and that was too late. Other people had cornered the market on some of that stuff.

S-R: Do you have what you’d call a business philosophy?

Lewis: We deal with a lot of emotions – whether it’s a birthday or a wedding or a funeral. So we really try to go the extra mile to make the customers’ vision of what they want happen.

S-R: What challenges lie ahead?

Lewis: Everyone is going to an Internet ordering platform, so we have to try to stay on top of that.

S-R: Your location on East Sprague used to be a commercial hub. That changed with the demise of University City and the introduction of the Spokane Valley Mall. Have you considered relocating?

Lewis: Yeah, but I’ve always heard moving is kind of suicide – especially since we’ve been here 63 years.

S-R: Do people sometimes show you an image on their phone and say, “That’s what I want”?

Lewis: That’s not unusual.

S-R: Any strange requests?

Lewis: Probably the most unusual is when a customer wants us to take perfectly good flowers and make them look dead for a milestone birthday. Black roses are popular. So we get out the floral paint and spray fresh roses black.

S-R: Working among beautiful flowers all day might strike some as a dream job. Is it?

Lewis: Yes, but it’s also hard work. We have to make money and meet deadline. And we can’t afford to pay huge salaries, so we make up for it with a fun atmosphere where family comes first.

S-R: Except on holidays?

Lewis: Except on holidays (laugh).