America's First FlowerMart
Like many innovations that made America great -- first telegraph line, first investment banking house, first dental college -- America's first FlowerMart has Baltimore roots. From the historic grounds of Mt. Vernon Square, a variety of organizations have tended its growth, beginning with the Home Garden Committee in 1909, joined, for the first official FlowerMart in 1911, by the Municipal Art Society and then, the Women's Civic League. All along, FlowerMart's homage to gardens has also cultivated the arts, history, and community interests with strong support from business and government.
In 1920, a booth promoting pasteurized dairy products used the WWI-inspired slogan "the first peace-time store with peace-time prices" to nourish children and awaken the economy. Cities from Philadelphia to San Diego sent representatives eager to emulate FlowerMart.
By 1934, the Ladies' Home Journal noted its appeal, encouraging even more communities to follow Baltimore's lead. Only Baltimore, however, can still properly serve up its signature lemon sticks that generations have savored. This tradition and new innovations that make America great are flourishing today as Flower Mart at Mount Vernon, Ltd.
2007 FlowerMart Photos by John Valentini, Jr.