Young Childs became an employee of C. L. Allen, who was a grower of flowers and seeds. After a year of apprenticeship, he went into business for himself. He rented a small area of land and began a seed and bulb business. He advertised his products in leaflets, thus starting the first seed cat­alogue business in America. The business grew to hundreds of acres of gardens, thou­sands of customers, a printing plant and catalogues sent throughout the world.

Now a flourishing businessman, Childs bought the land surrounding the post office and named the new territory Floral Park, naming the streets and avenues for flowers and trees. The post office was soon re­named the Floral Park Post Office and, in 1888, the railroad similarly changed the name of its station. Childs did not own Jeri­cho Turnpike, a planked toll road used by those traveling from Long Island to New York. In 1904, the Turnpike and Light Horse Road (now Tulip Avenue), was a popular place to view the first Vanderbilt Cup Race.