Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Whether it’s a $25 arrangement or a $2,500 event, every occasion is a special occasion at A&J Florist.
Alice Caron, former manager and lead designer at Blossom’s Florist, which was located at Smythe’s IGA, has joined forces with her husband, David; his brother, Steve; and Steve’s wife, JoAnn, to fill the floral void that was created when the grocery store closed.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
A&J FLORIST opened last week at 499 Main St. in Presque Isle. Alice Caron, former manager and lead designer at Blossom’s Florist, which was located at Smythe’s IGA, has teamed with her husband, David; his brother, Steve; and Steve’s wife, JoAnn, to fill the floral void that was created when the grocery store closed earlier this summer. Attending a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony were, from left: Paul Kinney, interim executive director of the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce; David Caron, co-owner; Alice Caron, co-owner; JoAnn Caron, co-owner; Steve Caron, co-owner; and Carol Bell, vice president of the chamber.
“The ‘A’ is for Alice and the ‘J’ is for JoAnn,” said Alice Caron, co-owner of the 499 Main St. flower shop, “but we all kind of talked about it and decided together to do it. Once Smythe’s closed, I started to think it would be nice to have my own shop.
“When we first came into the building, the setup and the inside made me feel it would be a nice place to have,” said Caron. “In addition, there’s plenty of parking out front, out back and across the street, and there’s a lot of visibility.”
The Carons did the renovations themselves including constructing the cooler the flowers are displayed in, as well as some painting.
“All in all, the building was ready to move into,” said Alice. “We acquired the building in August, so things have come along quickly.”
Caron said A&J Florist will put customer service first and treat every order with the appropriate attention to detail and skill that it requires.
“We do designing … anything that a customer would like we will do in fresh or silk, we’ll deliver to any place locally, we’ll do plant gardens, funeral arrangements, whatever the customer asks us to do,” she said. “We want people to say it with flowers.”
“Another thing Alice will do is you can bring your own dish or vase in and she will arrange something for you,” said JoAnn. “She does some very unique and different designs which are very good and very popular.”
Among the unique arrangements Alice has done since the opening is a carved pumpkin with flowers inside, a half-dozen roses with a wreath around it rather than baby’s breath, and a smiley face on a sunflower.
Other giftware offered at A&J Florist includes candles, balloons, and stuffed animals.
The Carons opened the flower shop Sept. 24, and will hold their grand opening Saturday, Oct. 13.
“Business is going well,” said Alice. “People are stopping in and checking us out.”
Prior to working at Blossom’s for eight years, Alice worked at the craft department at Ames for four years, and Cook Florist for four years.
“I’ve got between 20 to 25 years of experience doing this,” she said. “Cook Florist trained me, and I’ve taken some classes at shows. I enjoy it.”
JoAnn, who also works at a local financial institution, maintains the company’s books, while David and Steve help with maintenance and deliveries. The business also employs two part-time designers and one part-time delivery driver.
“We’ll go down to Bridgewater, up to Limestone, Ashland, Washburn, Easton … all the surrounding towns we’ll deliver to,” said Alice.
Both JoAnn and Alice are pleased to give residents another floral option in the community.
“You need another choice … just like in a grocery store … you need a choice if the need is there,” said JoAnn. “People can do all their shopping on Main Street, and with the revitalization of Main Street, it’s good exposure for us.”
In the coming weeks, A&J Florist will become a telefloral company.
“That way, when a customer comes in and says, ‘I want to wire flowers out to Bangor or Connecticut, we will use one of those companies to wire them out through,” said Alice.
A&J Florist is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 762-6900 or fax 762-6200.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
ALICE CARON, co-owner of A&J Florist in Presque Isle, creates a unique fall floral arrangement at the 499 Main Street shop. A&J Florist will design fresh or silk arrangements, plant gardens, funeral arrangements, deliver, and more.
