MOUNT VERNON — Williams Flower Shop has been serving Knox County’s floral needs for 90 years. The shop, at 114 S, Main St., will mark the occasion with a celebration July 6 and 7.
Owner Lori Amstutz said they will have food from nearby restaurants, door prizes and a grand prize. The grand prize will be flowers delivered once a month for a year.
Williams Flower Shop was founded in 1922 at 118 S. Main St. by Arthur B. Williams. He had a greenhoue at 234 Newark Road, which is apparently where his home was, Amstutz said.
About 1938, the business moved to 14 S. Main St. when The Alcove was rebuilt.
Amstutz said the date of the store’s founding is actually not certain. A 1955 newspaper ad said the store began “thirty years ago” and an ad from 1929 gives the founding as 20 years before. However, most of the information found so far indicates that 1922 is the correct year.
The shop remained at 14 S. Main St. until 1959, when it moved to the current location at 114 S. Main St.
Paul Williams, Arthur’s brother, was listed as the manager during the 1950s. Amstutz said she has heard over the years that the brothers had a falling out and that Paul left to start Paul’s Flower Shop.
The Ann Lapp Hat Shop opened at the 14 S. Main St. location.
In the early 1960s, A. Earl and Thelma Williams are listed as managers of the shop. Earl was apparently Arthur’s son, and took over in 1965.
Earl and Thelma ran the shop through 1974 and in 1975 Katherine Brooks took over as owner. The next year, Pierriette Silverwood became co-owner and from 1984 to 1988 was the sole owner.
Jim and Marlene Winter bought the shop in 1989 and operated it until 1997, when Rick and Patricia Miller bought it. They had the shop for four years, then sold it to Lexie Morr, who ran it until her death in 2010.
Amstutz bought the shop, having worked there since 1995. She was also working in the bookstore at Kenyon College.
