CONNECTICUT POST NEWSPAPER By FELICIA HUNTER, Correspondent
TRUMBULL — Visitors to Bob Roehrich's City Line Florist shop are likely to see is the owner himself. He may be creating a floral arrangement at the front of the store, or perhaps chatting with a longtime customer. But after more than a half-century in the business, Roehrich continues to immerse himself in the shop's daily activities. "I enjoy my work, I enjoy the customers, I enjoy my employees," said Roehrich, who years ago moved a workbench from the back to the front of the shop to encourage interaction. "There's a warm feeling between all of us. It's like a second family."
Creating a welcoming business environment for customers and employees is a primary reason Roehrich was named Florist of the Year by the Connecticut Florists Association, according to the organization's president.
"We chose him because of his years in the business, and also because of his personality," said CFA President Robert Sabia, manager of Irene's Garden Party floral shop in Monroe. Sabia said Roehrich's willingness to extend himself to others applies beyond his own workplace. "Anyone who asks him for a favor, he's willing to help out," Sabia said. "He's a good guy, an industry leader."
Roehrich was formally lauded at CFA's annual business meeting in Berlin several weeks ago. The statewide organization has close to 300 members, Sabia said.
The honor is "quite a thrill," Roehrich said. "It's a nice feeling to be recognized by your fellow florists."
The 77-year-old says he has been a florist virtually "all my life." He's a third-generation proprietor of a business that his grandfather started in Stratford a few years after coming to the United States from Germany in the mid-1880s. It was closed in the early 1900s because of a depressed economy, but Roehrich's father re-established the business in 1918 after serving in the U.S. Army during World War I.
"When he arrived home, he wondered what he should do. He covered a horse and wagon and sold flowers from it," Roehrich said.
Roehrich's father soon saved enough money to rent a small building, and he attracted a steady clientele.
"Within four years he bought property on Radel Street [in Bridgeport] and put up several green houses," said Roehrich, adding his father named the business City Line because the City Line trolley ran past it.
Roehrich joined the family business full time after college, where his classes included a horticulture course. After he married, wife Shirley served as bookkeeper. In 1974 Roehrich moved the business to its present location at 2978 Nichols Ave. in Trumbull.
"I was following my customers where the growth was," he said.
Over the years the shop also has added items other than flowers. Fruit baskets are "a big part of our business," said Roehrich, and holiday snack baskets, atypical offerings such as lobster or a musical carousel, and contest prizes are available. "We like to have things that are a little unusual. It's helped our customers to have a special choice," he said. "It's about [acknowledging] customer loyalty."
The statewide honor is "a big achievement for him and we're very, very proud of him," said his daughter, Susan Roehrich Palazzo. She and her brother, Carl, help their father operate the shop. The senior Roehrich proudly points out that his grandson, Carl Jr., is learning the family business as well, making him a fifth-generation florist.
They and a substantial roster of full- and part-time employees help make a visit to City Line Florist a pleasant experience for customers, Roehrich said. "My employees like people," he said. "You'll be greeted with a smile, and we like to have conversation."
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