Swindler & Sons Family Florists Shop
- 22 minutes ago
- 2 min read
"There is a ton of talent in Wilmington... One of the things that I'm most proud of is bringing in other [local] vendors... trying to—for lack of a better description—be the Etsy of Wilmington," stated Kristin Ondulick, 4th-generation owner of Swindler & Sons Florist, along with her sister, Caitlin Mefford.
Swindler & Sons, located at 321 West Locust Street, was started over 100 years ago by Kristin and Caitlin's great grandfather, Irvin Swindler. Irvin started his career as a factory worker, but after witnessing his older co-worker and trainer be fired, Irvin wanted more control of his financial future. So, he went to work at Moore's Greenhouse and eventually purchased the business. Irvin later changed the name during World War II to 'Swindler & Sons' in order to give his sons something to come home to after the war.
Kristin and Caitlin purchased the business from their uncles in 2024. Growing up, the sisters have fond memories of helping their grandparents in the flower shop, including being paid with a can of Pepsi and holding flowers in the back of the delivery van without a seatbelt. Kristin went on to have a career in medical sales, and Caitlin had a career working with individuals with autism, yet the two always found their minds wandering back to their memories at the flower shop.
Prior to purchasing Swindler & Sons, Kristin almost purchased another florist in Dayton, but said, it "didn't feel right." It wasn't until Kristin and Caitlin were both stay-at-home moms at the same time that they finally decided the timing was right to follow their dreams and purchase their family's business.
Since purchasing Swindler & Sons in October of 2024, the sisters have made several updates, including bringing back their family's traditional Christmas Open House, updating the HVAC, and building a more user-friendly website to help reduce issues with national flower chains posing as local flower shops and double charging customers.
Today, the revived Swindler & Sons provides floral arrangements for all major life events, including births, birthdays, holidays, and funerals. The sisters have a strong belief in supporting the community, and in addition to flowers, the shop also provides locally sourced candles, cards, pottery, honey, lavender, chocolates, and other seasonal gifts. Caitlin stated, "I think our main goal, too, is to support the community by bringing and keeping money in the community, so people can come and buy gifts for their friends and family, but the money stays here locally."
Listen to Kristin and Caitlin's full story on episode 82 of The Real Change Wilmington Podcast. Learn more about Swindler & Sons Florist at swindlerandsons.com.