This year 2008 is the 125th year of Walter Knoll Florist. Walter Knoll Florist has been family owned and operated since 1883.

Saturday May 17th 10am to 4pm

• Free Dozen Roses and Gifts to the first 800 attendees.
• Free Food, Refreshments and Beverages.
• Live Entertainment and Music from the Waterloo Brass Oompah Band.
• Programs Every Hour.
• All Merchandise 25% Off.

• Walter Knoll Sr will give his world famous History of Roses Presentation..
• Bob Hauck will present Organic Gardening.
• A proclamation From Missouri Lt Governor Peter Kinder.
• A proclamation from Lewis Reed President St Louis Board of Alderman.
• Demonstrations on the making Hand Bouquets.

The 25 percent off sale is at all Walter Knoll Florist Locations.

Free Food and Gifts only at Main Location at 2765 LaSalle St. Saint Louis MO 63104

For More Information Please Contact Di Anderson at 314-633-8812

The Knoll Family has been a St Louis florist since before 1883 and the company is considered the oldest rose grower west of the Mississippi. the company uses the 1883 date as the year of its inception because as of that year there is proof positive of the florist’s existence in the form of an early photograph taken at a Hawken family funeral. The Hawkens were local gun manufacturers who became wealthy outfitting western pioneers with rifles.) John G Knoll, the original founder of the Knoll florist business came to America from Germany and settled in the Carondelet area. He grew produce and flowers then started a greenhouse business and opened his floral shop at 816 W Kansas (later changed to Holly Hills) and Idaho. John G’s son, John G., Jr., then continued the family business.

John G. Knoll and Sons grew American Beauty roses. Cut flowers were a local industry as it was not possible to ship them any distance before they died. American Beauty roses became quite famous here in St Louis and the Knolls grew them here until 1916. By this time flowers were being shipped from areas better suited for growing on refrigerated rail cars which carried Anheuser Busch beer from St Louis and returned with flowers for the St Louis market. During the Reagan era, the American Beauty rose became an official symbol of the United States of America.

John had three sons, John G. Jr., Herman and Walter Rudolph. Older sons John and Herman served in World War I while Walter Rudolph, still a child, stayed in St Louis. John and Herman returned from their military service to find that their father had passed away. John took his inheritance and opened greenhouses in Imperial, Missouri. This business continues today. Herman took over the Holly Hills shop, now at 800 Holly Hills, renaming it Herman Knoll Florist. Herman did a great job teaching his son, Marvin, and his younger brother, Walter Rudolph, everything they needed to know about the floral business and soon each opened their own separate shops.

The highway department took the area occupied by the flower shop Holly Hills and Idaho and it became the entrance ramp to the highway 55 expressway in 1960. The land occupied by the greenhouses became part of Carondelet Park after the First World War ended. In 1933 Walter opened his floral shop at 7806 Gravois Road. This was of course, during the great depression. One of his customers was August Busch, who would stop on his way to the brewery to purchase roses. In 1938 the shop moved to 4216 South Kingshighway, and then in 1949 to 5501 Chippewa (Highway 66) and then in January 2008 to 4620 Hampton Ave.

When Walter Rudolph Knoll passed away in 1959, his son Walter Robert and Walter Robert’s wife, Gail, ran the business. They expanded with flower departments in local supermarkets, (Bettendorfs ) and plant departments in the Venture discount stores, plus a full flower shop in the Famous Barr department store in downtown St Louis. Further sales were to Zaire’s along the east coast, as well as other commercial endeavors.

Meanwhile, in 1961 when the new Interstate 55 came through, Marvin opened his shop farther west on Highway 66 in Webster Groves at 8631 Watson Rd, naming it Herman Knoll Florist after his father. Marvin also continued his military career, eventually becoming a 2 star general in the U.S. Army, so his wife Lula helped tremendously at the shop. Marvin and Lula ran it until 1991 when Walter Knoll Florist purchased it. This shop remained open as Herman Knoll Florist until September 2006.

Walter Knoll Florist has had many innovations over the years. First rose growers west of the Mississippi River, Using refrigerated railroad cars to import cut flower products, Leased floral departments in Grocery stores and Hospitals, Lawn and Garden lots for mass merchants, computerized accounting in the 1970s, First florist to offer product on the Internet, First florist to use voIP technology to answer phones. First florist to offer on line delivery status lookup and email delivery notification. First florist to sell 5 foot tall epic roses. More information on Walter Knoll Florist innovative data precessing, system integration and communications can be read by downloading the SAF story on Walter Knoll Florist Technology

Walter Knoll Florist has several innovative programs, here are a few.

• Lend a Hand Where $2 is donated from Walter Knoll Florist for each order to local charities,
• Fund Raisers, Where an qualified charities can purchase special gift cards for $1 each that have a value of $100 the charities sell the cards for $10 making $9 profit.
• Look What I Made, Where children are able to at no cost make a gift and give it to a parent or grandparent.

Walter Knoll Florist in 1996 expanded and bought the next door buildings to 5501 Chippewa. Then after 4 years the facilities had became too small moved headquarters from 5501 Chippewa St. to 8200 Exchange Way in Webster Groves. in 2000 and built a new design center and call center. By the end of the year Walter Knoll Florist could no longer fit into the new design center and a search began for a yet another headquarters location. Knoll Plants Seeds of Growth Story.

The Walter Knoll Florist headquarters relocated to the St Louis Flower Market District (historic Flower Row on LaSalle Street) in 2002. In 2003 construction began on new state of the art coolers, receiving, education, offices, call center and production facilities. The new headquarters was completed in April of 2004. From this location they manage their neighborhood stores. This move was made possible by the help of the St Louis city government with support from Lewis Reed the Alderman (Now President of the Board of Alderman) and Mayor Frances Slay. The greenhouse commercial division is located in 10 acres at #2 Knoll Pl in Arnold, MO, a suburb just south of St Louis. From the greenhouse location they supply their clients with tropical plants, plant maintenance, back stock for retail and wholesale operations. Walter Knoll Florist supplies and service 6 Flags theme parks and other St Louis businesses maintaining their live plants. In 2005 Walter Knoll Florist spearheaded a new look for the St Louis Floral Market.

In January of 2006 Walter Knoll Florist bought Kablooms of Tesson Ferry and opened a new store at 9926 Kennerly Rd.

In October of 2007, Nettie’s Flower Garden merged with Walter Knoll Florist. This combination of two Saint Louis floral icons will create an even brighter future for a successful company in the St Louis floral trade. 100+ employees look forward to the next millennium and beyond.

Walter Robert and Gail Knoll are still working in 2008, but their three sons, Walter, Charles and David as well as their respective wives, are in charge of the Walter Knoll Florist business today. This family business continues to be lovingly tended and nurtured and it continues to produce winners. The business now has 8 retail locations and 2 wholesale facilities and also does well with their Internet business website www.wkf.com.

Click here to read the resolution from the City of Saint Louis.