“The biggest thing; I’ve always liked the direct result of what we do,” Luke Harding said. “It’s always gratifying to know that if I'm working hard, I'm earning an income, and if I'm slacking I have no one to blame but myself.”
With that philosophy in mind, it was just a matter of time before Harding became the sole proprietor of his own business. Therefore, since his grandmother had been entertaining the idea of selling Bloomz Florist, Harding jumped at the chance, made her an offer and became the new owner of the flower shop April 10.
“I thought about buying it for years,” Harding said, “but I wasn’t sure who wanted it and buying it off my grandma...”
“My age made me decide to sell,” said former Bloomz owner Sarah Harding. “I’m 83 years old. I’ve owned the shop for 10 years and right now, I want to concentrate on my book. I loved the flower shop.”
The elder Harding is the author of “Rise Catholic Women: You Hold The Key” and was featured in the Wyoming County Free Press, December 2014.
The younger Harding’s dilemma was due to his grandma having seven children and for Harding it was a question of him “stepping on someone's toes” who was also interested in buying the flower shop. According to Harding, it all worked out in the end.
The Attican didn’t just buy Bloomz, he bought the entire piece of property and the buildings on it. While he said the property and buildings are in good shape, he wants to do a bit of work on his new purchase to give it more curb appeal.
Harding is no stranger to entrepreneurship. As a matter of fact, he seems to be predisposed to being his own boss. According to the 25-year-old, the whole Harding family are entrepreneurs. His uncle owned Super Duper grocery stores and currently, the young Harding, his dad, his uncle, and his aunt, all own Harding’s Attica Furniture. While his grandmother may have sold Bloomz, she is still the owner of Parsons Place – a Christian bookstore next to Bloomz.
“I like this kind of work (florist) because it’s a predicable business,” Harding said.
Although there are peak seasons in the flower business, Harding said they are opened year-round and have extended their hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
“The most unique part of this business is Tammy James is our flower designer and we use premium product so they last longer,” Harding said.
In addition to cut-flower arrangements, Bloomz also does silk arrangements, cemetery urns, and dish and bulb gardens. They also have potted flowers and green plants available for purchase.
“Dish gardens are green plants that would stay in your house,” said Bloomz Flower designer Laurie Bellucci. “Then there is a bulb barden. The bulbs can be planted in the fall, which makes it an everlasting gift. It's a great idea for someone who does gardening. They can remember the person that gave it to them.
“Some people come in and know exactly what they want,” Bellucci said. “Some have no idea and we help them out with creating something unique for them. That's what we do. We serve our customers.”
Bloomz Florist is located at 11155 Alexander Road (Route 98), on the Attica/Alexander town line. They can also be found on Facebook or visit their Web site at http://www.bloomzflorists.net/.
