In the year 1850, Henry Nanz opened a florist and greenhouse in the city. Mr. Nanz and Henry C. Neuner formed a partnership in 1872 and by 1880 had established thirty acres of flower gardens and sixty greenhouses in St. Matthews, a suburb of Louisville. Henry Nanz Jr. took over the florist in 1895 from his father. His sister, Sally Ward Nanz, married Henry A Kraft Jr., who became a partner in the florist and his grandson, Edward A. Kraft Jr., eventually became the owner.
In 1958, the company name was changed to Nanz & Kraft Florist, Inc. After Edward A. Kraft Jr’s death in 1967, his son Edward Ramsey Kraft became the owner and continued the tradition. On November 22, 1976, a fire completely destroyed the thirty-year-old building. Nanz & Kraft continued to operate from a temporary location at Rassmussen’s on Hubbard’s Lane while the new 20,000 square foot store was being built. The current store opened its doors in November, 1977.
Today, Nanz & Kraft Florists, Inc. is one of the largest full service florists in Louisville and the surrounding areas. In 1988 E. Ramsey Kraft welcomed two of his sons, Edward R. Kraft and Michael A. Kraft into the business. In 1994 David L. Kraft, joined his father and brothers in the business. Ramsey Kraft retired in 2007.
Nanz & Kraft has been awarded the “Top 50” Florists in the country award for 20 straight years and “Best Florist in Louisville” award for the past 16 years. We continue to grow in size because we do the finest work on each and every floral product that leaves our store.
We now have three locations, 141 Breckenridge Lane in St. Matthews, Brownsboro Road, and Dixie Highway or “Southwest”. Our trucks are equipped with two-way radios and we deliver city-wide three times daily. Nanz & Kraft has the lowest delivery fee in Louisville that ranges from free to $13.95. We offer a full range of services; cut flower arrangements, fruit baskets, wedding planning, plants, silks, plant maintenance and design, and a wide assortment of giftware in our gift shop.
Eddie,
My name is Erin Duke I am an employee of Charles Ingrum's. Charles mentioned that you guys give kids tours with your local schools and that you were very successful with it. I am writing to see if you have any suggestions or recommendations on how to create good kid tours.
I have been doing some research and I know that you give each kid a T-Shirt, they plant their own pot and you walk them through the store. I looked at your blog of St. Raphael's visit and the kids seem to really enjoy themselves. I thought of giving the kids tours and tying it in to science by explaining photosynthesis but I am not sure that is the best approach.
My question for you is do you teach them anything or just walk them through the shop and explain the process? Also how do you tie this in with their schooling? Do you have any worksheets or booklets on things you do with the kids? What age do you usually do the tour with?
Any information you could provide or if you could point me in the right direction would be very helpful. We are looking to start doing this with our local schools and Charles said you guys have really perfected this. Anything and everything would be greatly appreciated! I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you!
Erin Duke
Dr Delphinium
214.522.9911
[email protected]