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San Diego Florist Supplies
Early in his career Gene Willis was a CPA and San Diego Florist Supplies was one of his accounts. Gene received a promotion with the accounting firm but that would entail moving to Oklahoma, and there was no way he was doing that. Instead, he became a full-time partner with the San Diego Florist Supplies and five years later he took over the business.
In 1982, Gene relocated the business from India Street to El Cajon Boulevard. They were in need of a larger space and the warehouse located at 2550 El Cajon Boulevard was a perfect match. Gene's fondest memories of the Boulevard revolve around the restaurants. He likes to compare this area to the center of a wheel because it serves as a central access point to most areas in San Diego. This warehouse is the main distribution center for five other branch locations in Southern California and Nevada, which makes this location key for their delivery service.
Most are surprised to hear that San Diego Florist Supplies sells everything but fresh flowers. When the business first opened in 1973, most of the flower growers were located in California, so it didn't make sense to sell them because florists bought directly from the source. Like most business, the flower market moved oversees and now most farmers are located in South America. San Diego Florist Supplies is one of the few floral suppliers around the country that solely focuses on florist supplies.
As the owner of San Diego Florist Supplies, Gene saw this as a great opportunity to introduce his children to the world of business. All four children started working at the age of 12 and continued through college. Today, Gene and his two sons run the business. One of his son's, Scott, appreciates working in the family business for several reasons. As a teenager, the free lunches were a great motivation, but as a he gained experience, Scott began to appreciate the flexible schedule and opportunity to learn all aspects of the business. In fact, it's apparent that he's gone beyond just learning the business. Scott is focused on expanding their operation, because according to him, "If you aren't growing and reaching out to new markets, you're shrinking." Those are great words of advice from a local business owner that has been around for 35 years!
