By JAMES BROWN
Glasgow News 1
Harold Kerr started working in his grandfather’s business about the same time he started primary school. He didn’t know then that family business would be his business for the rest of his life.
Harold was six years old when he started working at a country grocery store founded by his grandfather.
“We’ve been in [family] business all my life,” Harold said as he stood in Kerr’s Wholesale Floral in Cave City recently.
Kerr’s is celebrating 45 years in business. It began when Harold and his father, Bobby, started the business in Brownsville in 1981. On Friday morning, Barren Inc hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of Kerr’s.
Harold and his father eventually branched out to five locations, but now the operation is consolidated to the Cave City location on Happy Valley Road where the ribbon cutting was hosted. The present location opened in 2003. It has been the lone Kerr’s location since 2020 when they sold the Brownsville store.
The business is into the third generation with Harold’s daughter, Kayla Shade, working there full time. Also, his oldest daughter and son work there, but not full time.
When the original Kerr’s opened in Brownsville, it was a wholesale only business and did not include floral. Harold introduced floral supplies when he took over for his father. The original store sold clothes and other everyday items people in Edmonson County would need.
“Never expected we would … actually be one of the largest floral suppliers in the state of Kentucky. That’s on artificial and seasonal,” Harold said. “We don’t do any fresh flowers.”
“We’re very blessed that people come here from all over,” he added.
Harold said a lot of the walk-in traffic is people who are doing their own weddings. He said holidays, such as Memorial Day, also bring a lot of shoppers to Kerr’s.
But Christmas time really shines.
“I always do big Christmas. I love it,” Harold said. “You have to give people something to come for. You just really have to be here at Christmas time, because it’s really like magic.
“I think that’s why I love my job because every [few] months we reinvent ourselves.”
Kayla added that the store transitions with each holiday to new decorations and displays.
“We get to do magic. In our business it’s about imagination, and … I’m blessed with a good crew,” Harold said.
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