Bee's Floral and Landscaping/RJD Hobbies and Raceway says 'thank you' for 25 years

[March 16, 2011]  Lorrie Paige said it was hard to believe it has been 25 years since she became an entrepreneur. But the date of her anniversary as a local businesswoman is easy to remember. Paige began operating the former Doris' Floral Shop at 229 S. Kickapoo on March 16, the day before St. Patrick's Day.

Lorrie said she had experience in the floral business, working for Tibbs Floral Shop, and when the opportunity came for the 21-year-old to run her own shop, she took the leap of faith. Lorrie said her parents, Carole and Robert, supported her decision as did her husband, Darrell, and his parents, Bob and Joyce Paige.

Lorrie and Darrell, who were married in 1983, have two sons, Daniel and Michael.

Raising a family and running a business can make for a hectic life, but Lorrie said that now that the boys have grown, she and Darrell are still busy almost every minute of every day.

Lorrie said that after 9 1/2 years at the Kickapoo location, she went looking for a larger lot to expand her business. The Paige family had an 8-acre lot adjacent to the family farm and that is the location for the current Bee's Floral and Landscaping business and RJD Hobbies, at 1302 State Route 10 in Lincoln.

The business has grown from just flowers and landscaping over the years, and Lorrie said those extensions into other businesses were essential to their success.

In today's retail world, customers can find flowers and landscaping materials at almost every retailer, making the business extremely competitive and tough to make a living at.

Lorrie said that becoming a Cub Cadet franchisee in 2007 has helped. And the branching out into remote-control racing under the name RJD Hobbies and Raceway in 2003 has become a large part of their retail trade.

Currently there are two racetracks at the business: a large one for outdoor racing and another indoor track for electric remote racing during winter months.

The racing aspect of their business has grown and is obvious when you walk in their front door. A great deal of the interior is dedicated to remote racers and parts, and they field constant calls and e-mails as racers from throughout central Illinois as well as other states look for a specific or special part to help their car become faster.

Lorrie said that remote racing is definitely a growing sport, and with Bee's being one of the few quality tracks in central Illinois, racers come from all over the state and surrounding states to compete in their events.

Just a little over a year ago Lorrie said they averaged 50 racers per event, but now the number is between 70 and 90.

Like every aspect of the Paiges' business, they put a great deal of care and effort into serving their customers. The past week found the couple staying late and working the weekend to completely rework the indoor racetrack to keep racers interested and challenged by a new course.

Lorrie said her passion is still in designing landscape features for customers.

"I love being outside designing. Making something out of nothing is something I really enjoy," she said.

Lorrie said there are challenges in maintaining your own business in these days of big-box retailers and a weak economy, and she said having diverse products and interests has helped the business be successful for 25 years.

Paige also said that having loyal and repeat customers "has been awesome," and she pointed out several times how much she wanted to thank all of them for helping make Bee's Floral and Landscaping and RJD Hobbies and Raceway a success.

[By MIKE FAK]