This photo gives us a glimpse of what florist shops looked like in the late 1920s. And guess what – they weren’t a whole lot different from how they look nearly 100 years later. A sign advertising flowers for weddings, parties, and funerals, and an offer of free delivery. Van-Shire Florist stood at 4016 Wilshire Boulevard and that street light out front was called a “Wilshire Special.” But what really caught my eye was the billboard on the side of the building. The Southern Pacific Railroad were offering $6 fares to San Francisco and $17 to Portland. Sounds like a bargain to me.

Van-Shire Florist stood on what is now the parking lot of the Wilshire Park Elementary school: