General Info:
We are a traditional full service family owned florist serving the Richmond Area since the 1930's when the company was started by Mr. Strange.
We currently serve Richmond from five florists, two garden centers, and a production greenhouse range where we grow our own plants.
Strange's has grown to be one of the largest florists in the U.S. by constantly looking for better products and services to offer our customers. Quality and value are the foundation of everything we do.
Strange's Florist was started in the early 1930's by Gideon A. Strange. He was a U.S. Postal employee who was interested in earning money in his spare time. He began raising flowers and plants in his yard at 3223 Dill Avenue. Mr. Strange sold his products out of his yard and also at the 6th Street Market. He built approximately 8000 sq. ft. of greenhouses in his back yard. He was listed in the 1935 City Directory as a florist. Mr. Strange passed in 1947.
On December 1, 1947, William J. Gouldin, Sr. and William F. Kidd formed a partnership and purchased Strange's Florist from Mrs. Strange. They were engineers on the R F & P Railroad and, they too, were looking to make use of their spare time and get ahead. They worked together over the years building up the business as a florist and greenhouse. Strange's built its name on giving a lot of fresh flowers for the money. On December 31, 1960, the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Gouldin, Sr. bought out Mr. Kidd.
Mr. Gouldin Sr. continued to work as an engineer for the R F & P Railroad while he was the sole owner of Strange's, this often required work around the clock, in the florist by day and the railroad by night. The business continued to grow under his direction, often with the financial support of his other job. In 1970, Strange's Florist was incorporated with Mr. Gouldin, Sr. as the sole stockholder. At this time, the company was still operating from the original location. The store faced Pollack Street at 3223 Dill Avenue and consisted of three small greenhouses totaling approximately 8000 square feet and store area of approximately 1400 square feet. Strange's also rented two more greenhouses at another location which totaled 6000 square feet.
On December 15, 1974, Strange's opened its doors at the 3313 Mechanicsville Turnpike location which had 6000 square feet of florist space and 4000 square feet in a display greenhouse on two acres of land. The company still operated the old location for crop production and storage and continued renting the two greenhouses at a third location. In August 1979, Strange's purchased the Broad Street location which had originally been operated as Paul's Flowers and had approximately 50,000 square feet of greenhouses along with 6500 square feet of buildings on eleven acres. The location required considerable remodeling which took place through 1980.