Jordan Fisher first dreamed of opening a flower shop several years ago, but he was unable to find the right location and his career ended up taking him and his wife, Faten Fisher, to Seattle for two years.
The couple is back in Grand Rapids and opened the doors to Thelma’s Flowers, 619 Wealthy St., earlier this month.
“The Wealthy Street corridor, this pocket, it just wasn’t as available as it is now,” Fisher explained. “I just kept my eye on it . . . and saw this building was being renovated and started the conversation. It’s nice to come full circle.”
The Wealthy Street corridor is a special place for the Fishers; it’s where they owned a home previously and the Winchester up the street was where they had their first date.
Fisher said the idea for the flower shop came when the couple was living in Grand Rapids previously. Fisher was driving 20 minutes each week to purchase flowers for his wife.
“It sparked that business guy inside me,” he said. “How is something like this not available here? This area needed a flower shop. I wanted it to be on the Wealthy corridor. This is a great foot traffic spot and commuting location.”
Now, residents and commuters alike can drop in and buy fresh flowers any day of the week.
“The concept is what is called a bucket shop, it’s the ability to purchase a certain flower per stem,” Fisher said. “Allowing people to make their own bouquets, essentially.”
You don’t have to be a flower expert, however. Fisher provides consultation services to customers to ensure they walk out the door with a gorgeous bouquet – and within budget.
Fisher said he expects customers to come in for special occasion bouquets but also for regular purchases. “The concept of the bucket shop is meant to facilitate the ability to change your vase or interior space on a weekly basis,” he said, noting bucket shops are popular in larger metro cities, where people often purchase flowers on a more regular basis to serve as part of their décor as well as to bring nature into their homes.
“You are bringing in smells and colors and life indoors that typically is always outside.”
He added, “I think showing someone love should be more consistent than just a holiday.”
Thelma’s Flowers has been designed with a lot of love. Fisher explained the shop is named after his grandmother, to whom he used to bring flowers when visiting her in Illinois as a child.
“She was a big part of my life and we’d go see her on a monthly basis,” he said. “I would always bring her pink flowers because her favorite color is pink.”
Fisher included a few pieces of his grandmother in the shop. He was able to salvage two pink chairs from her home, which now serve as a nice seating area in the back half of the shop. He also had the store’s logo created using his grandmother’s handwriting.”
The Fishers, who have a young daughter, are happy to be back in their hometown of Grand Rapids. “It was a better quality of life back here,” Fisher said.
He hopes the shop flourishes for a long time.
*Main photo courtesy of Thelma’s Flowers
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