STRICTLY BUSINESS: KNAUP FLORAL STILL BLOOMING BUSINESS AFTER 75 YEARS

John Knaup became a business owner shortly after his 21st birthday. The business has been blossoming since.

The native Cape Girardean turned 21 on June 14, 1920. A week later, he purchased a florist business from Joseph Gelven, who had established the floral shop at William and Pacific streets 10 years earlier.

This month, Knaup Floral is observing its 75th anniversary. The floral operation is one of the city's oldest businesses.

The floral shop is now owned and operated by Richard and Carla Knaup.

There is a lot of family history in the Knaup Floral Company & Greenhouses, which has remained in the same site for more than seven decades.

"Five generations of Knaups have worked in this business," said Richard Knaup, adding that today six family members work there."

Other members of the Knaup family in the operation are three daughters of Richard and Carla Knaup -- Mary Gardiner, Kathy Landewee and Lucy Knaup -- and a son, Thomas Knaup.

"It has been a good business," said Richard Knaup, adding that he has been involved in the business since he was in high school."

"You have to like the flower business and I do," he said. He became owner in 1953. "When you manufacture and sell your own products it's a little tougher, but it has been good for the Knaup family."

A floral shop has been at the site 84 years.

Gelven, a florist from Sedalia, came to Cape Girardeau in 1910 and established the Gelven Florist & Greenhouse shop in 1911.

"For some reason, Mr. Gelven didn't like Cape Girardeau," Knaup said. "He sold the business to my father, who was then an employee at the Gelven shop."

It became the Knaup Floral Company & Greenhouses on June 20, 1920.

Another of John Knaup's sons, John F. Knaup, is involved in raising flowers and vegetables. He established Knaup Greenhouse along Highway 61 east of Jackson.

The greenhouses along William Street have been there since Gelven opened the business.

The operation will take on a new look in the future. Knaup said the company will build a retail store fronting William Street. It will include a parking lot and drive-up window.

Some greenhouses will be incorporated between the retail showroom and a house the Knaups have restored and use as living quarters.

"We signed the expansion contract June 20, the same date 75 years ago that dad started his business," Knaup said.

Knaup Floral, which offers floral arrangements, plants and related floral gifts, at one time produced more than 90 percent of its own flowers.

"With the advent of quick air freight, we import a lot of our products now," Knaup said. "We have flowers here from all parts of the United States, Africa, Holland, South America and other countries. This helps us offer a wide variety of flowers and gifts."

But, regardless of the imports, the rose remains the biggest individual flower seller, Knaup said.

"Flower trends change," he said. "A bright mix of seasonal flowers is the favorite now. But, the rose continues to be the favorite individual flower."

New on the business scene

Riverfront Hotdogs has opened in downtown Cape Girardeau.

The two-wheel hotdog cart, which made its debut during the annual Riverfest celebration earlier this month, will stay at Themis and Water streets until winter.

The cart, owned and operated by Karen Keller of Cape Girardeau, offers hot dogs, Polish sausage, chili, sauerkraut and sodas.

Cart service is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Jakel Inc., a manufacturer of electric motors for appliance and home ventilating industries, will establish a facility in East Prairie.

The Southeast Missouri community will receive a $418,152 grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development to fund street, drainage, sewer and parking area improvements to develop the Jakel project.

East Prairie is one of a number of communities named to "Enterprise Community" status under the Clinton administration's Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community Program was passed into law in mid-1993.

Communities selected for the program are eligible for federal and state funding for economic development grants.

with art

A new antique and collectibles shop opened here recently.

"Another Time, Another Place" opened at 714 Broadway and will hold its grand opening this weekend, Friday through Monday.

Owners of the new business are Boni A. Johns and Connie S. DeCourley.

The store is open Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, Saturday and Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

Johns and DeCourley have been collecting as a hobby five years, and decided to turn their hobby into a business.

The store features antique furniture, games, books, artwork, glass, vintage linens, Indian and Mexican pottery and other collectible items from the 1920s to the 1960s, Johns said.

Consignment will be taken at the store.

The Jackson McDonald's Restaurant will reopen Tuesday.

The restaurant, at 2220 E. Highway 61, was destroyed by fire Dec. 8.

Cheryl Lynn, manager of the restaurant, said the new restaurant will maintain its previous hours, 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week.

The restaurant is owned by Rich House Inc., which owns a number of McDonald's restaurants in this area. Jerry Davis is president of Rich House.

Missouri's 834 shopping centers accounted for 63 percent of all non-automotive retailing, or $199.9 billion in retail sales in 1994.

The centers generated $841 million in state sales tax revenues and employed 144,300 workers.

The International Council of Shopping Centers, a not-for-profit trade association of the shopping center industry, recently held its spring convention at Las Vegas, where new officers were elected, from state and divisional to international officers.

Officials serving the interests of the shopping center industry in Missouri include Rodney Jones, Midland Development Group Inc., St. Louis, director; John Notter, Desco Group, St. Louis, government affairs; Patricia Talley, Copaken, White & Blitt, Kansas City, public relations and community services and retail co-chairmen, Douglas Broadbeck, Hallmark Cards Inc., Liberty, and Larry Benson, Hallmark Cards Inc., Kansas City.

The group has more than 29,000 members in 58 countries.

Boat Notes:

A "Missouri Gambler's Hotline" is in operation.

The new service is funded by the Missouri Riverboat Association, a statewide trade organization made up of riverboat gaming operators, vendors and other companies that support the gaming industry,

The hotline -- 1-800-GAMBLER -- enables individuals with gambling problems to call 24 hours a day for information and assistance.

Calls to the hotline will be directed to Life Crisis Services representatives.

The program addresses the two most common problems associated with gambling -- compulsive gambling and underage gambling. It also addresses the responsible use of alcohol by casino patrons.

More than 2,500 people attempting to board Missouri riverboat casinos during a recent month were turned away because they were underage or had false ID.

Players International Casino II is getting some competition.

The Star Casino, Louisiana's first gambling riverboat, has left its New Orleans base for Lake Charles, where Players Casino II has been recording some impressive revenues.

Players' Casino I at Metropolis, Ill., is also recording impressive revenues. More than 160,000 people a month visit the riverboat.

The New Orleans riverboat gambling scene has lost two of its gambling operations.

Hammeter Enterprises closed its Grand Palace riverboat June 6, citing poor earnings and mounting debt, and Capital Gaming International has closed the Crescent City Queen. More than 1,500 employees were laid off.

Harrah's Casino New Orleans, a 76,000-square-foot temporary land-based gambling facility opened May 1 in New Orleans.

The company's permanent casino is scheduled to open next year, adjacent to the French Quarter, in downtown New Orleans.

The Admiral riverboat casino has reopened in downtown St. Louis, after being closed since May 11 because of flooding.

The riverboat remained high and dry, but customers could not board it until late last week,

President Casinos Inc. continued to pay employees' health insurance during the break. The company also called employees every week to keep them informed about the casino's reopening.