Queen City News Reports on Ratcliffe’s Flowers Historic Sign
Watch the full video here: Florist sign withstands over 80 years of growth and change in Uptown (fox46.com)
April 4, 2022
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – The towering buildings in Uptown stand out on a sunny day. They are a testament to Charlotte’s reputation of growing bigger and higher. But in between the construction and the lunch rush is a 15-foot sign of Charlotte’s past and one family’s legacy.
“A lot of people, when they hear my last name, they say – are you related to that sign downtown?” said Stark Ratcliffe.
Flowers are the family business for Stark Ratcliffe. They have been for more than 100 years. Ratcliffe’s dad was a florist and his grandpa was too.
“So, I’m the third generation and my daughter Ashton just joined me,” said Ratcliffe.
“People will send articles all the time, about the sign and my family’s history,” said his daughter, Ashton.
Their business began in 1920.
“At 1 o’clock on the third day of September 1920,” read Stark, looking at old business notes from 100 years ago.
“To be around for 100 years, it’s pretty rare, I know of a couple of other businesses that have been around 100 years, but they were all family business,” said Ratcliffe.
They run Derita Floral Supply Company now, an extension of Ratcliffe’s. From around 1940 to 1980, their retail shop was right off of South Tryon in Uptown, where the Ratcliffe’s Flowers sign still stands.
“The sign is where the physical building used to be,” said Ratcliffe.
As for that physical building, this is where Charlotte breaks from tradition. Instead of tearing it down, it was moved and placed into the building right next to the sign.
“The building still exists – it is there – it’s about 100 feet away from that sign and it is intact,” said Stark.
There was a time when Ratcliffe thought he’d sell or even close the business. Which is why Ashton decided to move back home and start working with her dad.
“The more I thought about it the more I got sad about losing this family history,” said Ashton.
She’s now a fourth-generation florist.
“And who knows, it may go on a 5th,” laughed Ratcliffe.
A family business of flowers, or really, happiness.
“It’s mostly a happy business, we like to think it is anyway,” laughed Ratcliffe.
