NEW BEDFORD — Ana L.
Grochmal says downtown New Bedford is the perfect place
to do business and her only regret is she did not move her
florist shop from South Dartmouth to downtown sooner.
Ms. Grochmal operates "The White Bouquet," now
at 763 Purchase St., and will formally mark her move into
the heart of the city's business district with a ribbon
cutting and brief ceremony today at 5 p.m.
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"It has been a whirlwind ... fantastic," Ms.
Grochmal said about her first week at the Purchase Street
shop.
Ms. Grochmal said her business has traditionally been focused
around weddings and other ceremonies along with deliveries,
so the influx of foot traffic from downtown came as a somewhat
unexpected bonus. She calls her new shop — the only
floral business downtown, according to city officials —
a "perfect fit" in an "up-and-coming downtown."
The grand opening is being timed to coincide with AHA!
night, whose theme this month is "Changing Facade,"
highlighting new and expanded businesses. Mayor Scott W.
Lang is expected to officiate at the opening, which Ms.
Grochmal said will be a "ribbon cutting (with a) little
speech."
The AHA! night connection is more than coincidence. Ms.
Grochmal said a good friend and fellow businesswoman who
operates the "Blush Beauty Bar" often teams up
with her on providing services to weddings. Her friend invited
her downtown for an AHA! night, and when she saw the activity
it produces, Ms. Grochmal recounted, she knew she wanted
her business in the more vibrant environment.
In South Dartmouth, she said, cars would go "whizzing
past" and there was little foot traffic. In downtown
New Bedford, she said, people are walking past and there
is plenty of parking for people who choose to drive there.
On top of those advantages, Ms. Grochmal said, her rent
went down when she moved into New Bedford.
"I wish I had done this years ago," Ms. Grochmal
said. She operated her business in the South Dartmouth store
for more than three years.
She and another employee comprise the full-time staff,
Ms. Grochmal said, and she is hiring a part-time worker
to help out, along with her daughter.
Mayor Lang said a florist shop "complements"
the downtown "by bringing in a different type of flavor
and energy than other types of retail ... it has (its own)
creative type of edge."
"We are welcoming them in ... each shop becomes unique
to itself," Mayor Lang said, calling downtown a "hot
spot for entrepreneurs" who are "young and creative."
The White Bouquet's move downtown was assisted by the New
Bedford Economic Development Council. Council Executive
Director Matthew A. Morrissey said Ms. Grochmal's decision
to move into the downtown is part of a continuing pattern
of businesses coming back to the traditional center of retail
commerce in the city.
"We have seen a number of businesses like The White
Bouquet that cater to retail customers open downtown, and
we expect the trend to continue as the retail, education,
arts and entertainment opportunities all contribute to a
commercial revival," Mr. Morrissey said. |
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