87 Millennium - Twenty-second Edition BUSINESS, FINANCE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP former owner, she developed her baking and cake decorating skills and established herself as a regular presence at the business she would run until the late 1990s. Ms. Stone considers her entry into the floral industry to have been fate. She attended the American Floral Art School in Chicago after an unexpected cancellation left an opening in the class, and she purchased City Flowers & Gifts shortly thereafter. She recently transitioned from a full-service florist to working by appointment only. This gives her the flexibility to continue the creative work she enjoys with flowers, but also allows opportunities to explore new endeavors. Ms. Stone has crafted custom arrangements for touring celebrities, such as Diana Ross, Jay Leno and Rod Stewart. Recently, Ms. Stone authored three children’s books about her rescue dogs, Bubbles and Teddy. Her first book is titled “Bubbles’ Troubles,” followed by “Teddy’s Spaghetti” and “Home is the Very Best Place To Be.” She is actively involved in local charitable outreach projects with several humane societies, the American Red Cross, St. Joseph’s Lincoln Senior Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Ms. Stone attributes her success to her faith and the lessons her grandmother taught her. Looking ahead, she looks forward to devoting more time to teaching her skills to local youth and seniors. She also has more stories to write about the adventures of Bubbles and Teddy, and she desires to continue fundraising efforts for animal shelters through the sales of her books. L inda Stone is a small business leader and the owner of City Flowers & Gifts, which has served the community of New Buffalo, Michigan, since 1999. A longtime entrepreneur, she spent nearly 20 years as the owner and operator of Ramberg’s Bakery before entering floral design. In 1980, just days before her 21st birthday, Ms. Stone took over the bakery despite having no prior experience in the field. With the help of her brother and one month of shadowing the LINDA STONE OWNER City Flowers & Gifts New Buffalo, MI
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