Columbus, Ohio USA
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Growing on ... Market Blooms
March 2007
by Mary Martineau
email mmartineau@northmarket.com
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Seventeen years ago, Marty McGreevy opened Market Blooms on February 13 at the North Market in the Quonset hut. The new proprietor was so “green” that she had no concept of the consequences of her actions. “It was the day before Valentine’s Day and the customers literally met me at the door, followed me into the Market and helped me unpack the boxes!” she recalls. For the next two days she did nothing but frantically fill orders and hand tie her signature bouquets for customers to bequeath upon their sweethearts. She’s come a long way from that first day of flying solo on the biggest floral holiday of the year.
Marty McGreevy and Bob Mangia of Market Blooms have been making the North Market a more colorful place for 17 years. ©Photo/Mary Martineau
Market Blooms growth is best gauged by her Valentine’s workforce. This year she had a staff of 10 (including her big sister Jeanne) in constant motion stripping thorns off roses, creating custom arrangements and delivering them to destinations around Franklin County. All during level 1 (February 13) and level 2 (February 14) snow emergencies.
“This year was definitely my most challenging Valentine’s since that first one!” says Marty. The vast majority of their work is done on the Valentine’s Day itself and the day before. One shipment of flower inventory traveling from Miami to Columbus via Chicago had still not arrived by Valentine’s Day. “It just became a comedy of errors,” said Marty, “I had to keep laughing about it with my staff so that I wouldn’t just cry!” Aside from missing stock and miserable weather their delivery van got a flat tire in the midst of it all. They gave it a little air and got it to Dan Davis BP on Neil Avenue only to lock the keys in the van with it still running. After securing a second key and a new tire, they went back to the station and the great guys took pity upon them and changed it for free! Such are the perks and perils of small business operations. But Marty and her staff did what small businesses do, they adapted to meet the needs of their customers.
As an independent floral business, Marty has witnessed significant change in her decade-plus in the industry. For one thing, the number and style of competitors has grown. “When I started, most grocery stores might have had a bucket of bouquets next to the register and now many have floral departments,” says Marty. “They are using this highly perishable product as a loss leader and some are finding the maintenance and cost prohibitive.” Case in point, Sam’s Club recently discontinued fresh flower sales at their warehouse stores. “I like to brag that I put them out of business!” quips Marty. “But, I believe that our customers are more savvy and discerning and want a higher quality product than the mass assembled, bar-coded in South America, plastic-wrapped options available at mass merchandisers. That’s why we make every single bouquet available every day by hand.”
The business of flower buying has also evolved with the growth of Internet commerce.
In the “old days”, Marty would place an order with a flower wholesaler. The wholesaler would truck the stock to a central location in the Midwest before forwarding them to Market Blooms, a process that could take three or four days. Today, Marty participates in online auctions that allow her to buy directly and have the flowers delivered more rapidly than via a wholesaler. “I can bid on flowers while they are being cut at the farm. They are taken to Miami and then shipped directly to Port Columbus where I pick them up.” This process takes days off the delivery side and adds to the longevity of the flowers on your table. Not only do customers get flowers with “longer legs,” but the auction action can result in lower prices passed along to the consumer as well.
Taking advantage of new technology and opportunities permits Market Blooms to stay competitive and lets Marty offer the best products and services to her customers. Market Blooms will deliver anywhere in Franklin County Monday through Friday and have recently begun opening on Mondays to better serve their loyal customers. Every day they create a new assortment of hand-tied bouquets in a range of prices to meet every budget. And they’re there in rain and sleet and snow emergency to serve your floral needs!Market Blooms is located at 59 Spruce St. in the North Market. For more information call 614-228-7760 or visit the Market Web site at www.northmarket.com
©2007 Short North Gazette, Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved.
