This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.
Kansas City’s oldest continuously operating florist by founding date — in business since 1900 — though the Tobler family line ended in 2010 when current owners Chris and Brian Auckland purchased the shop.
Description
Toblers Flowers is Kansas City’s oldest continuously operating florist, tracing its founding to 1900 when Jacob and Etta Tobler established “Bunker Hill Greenhouses” and began delivering flowers around the city by horse and cart. The business remained in the Tobler family for 122 years across multiple generations before being sold to Chris and Brian Auckland in 2010. The Aucklanders have operated it for 15+ years while preserving the Toblers name and the shop’s full-service tradition.
The original greenhouses were destroyed by fire but were rebuilt, and the business expanded steadily through the 20th century. In the late 1920s the second-generation Toblers opened a retail store at 39th and Broadway — a location that operated until 1999. After World War II the third generation expanded the shop’s footprint to 12+ locations across the metro, with a wholesale department added to maintain fresh inventory. By the time of the 2010 sale, only the single location that became the current 19th Street shop remained active.
Under the Aucklanders, Toblers has focused on operational efficiency and same-day metro delivery. Brian Auckland had prior background in business development and telecommunications before purchasing the company with his wife Chris. The shop remains a genuine locally owned Kansas City independent florist operating under a name that has been part of the city’s fabric for over a century.
Ownership and history
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1900 | Jacob and Etta Tobler found “Bunker Hill Greenhouses”; deliver flowers by horse and cart |
| Late 1920s | Second generation opens retail store at 39th and Broadway; business renamed Toblers Flowers |
| ~1930s | Original greenhouses destroyed by fire; rebuilt |
| Post-WWII | Third generation expands to 12+ locations; wholesale department added |
| 1999 | 39th and Broadway retail location closes |
| 2010 | Chris and Brian Auckland purchase Toblers Flowers; 122-year Tobler family ownership ends |
| 2010–present | Auckland ownership; operational efficiency focus; single KC location at 2010 E. 19th St. |
| 2026 | Active; 125+ years continuous operation |
Links
- Official site: https://www.toblersflowers.com/
Sources
Disputes
None at this time.
See also
- Registry
- Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain