Local Floral Shop Receives Distinct Honor

For most residents of Ferndale, the Fourth of July weekend meant various parades and displays of fireworks or loading up the car and heading north.

But for Jerome Raska, owner of , the holiday weekend wasn't a trip up to the Mackinac Bridge, but a trip to one more golden.

Raska and business partner Robbin Yelverton were invited to attend the 2011 American Institute of Floral Designers National Symposium "Imagine" in San Francisco July 4 through July 9. The pair has been invited to attend in prior years, but this trip was a bit different.

"You either create a program or idea and present it to a jury who then evaluate and choose who gets to actually present," said Raska. "This year Robbin and I were invited to do a presentation, which is a nice honor opposed to having to go in front of the jury."

To be invited is a distinct honor, Raska said. The Symposium will be host to more than 1,000 attendees this year including designers, growers and manufacturers. Some of the presentations will be on design trends within the industry and how to design in this generation. People in attendance come from all over the world, creating an international audience.

Blumz will be presenting on the main stage with a more original program titled "Signals" that will deal with the economical downturn the whole country has been facing, with a special emphasis on Detroit. Blumz intends to share with the international audience at the Symposium marketing and social media tips that they've learned to stay afloat, according to Raska. "Signals" will take an "over-the-top look at driving sales through the art of getting noticed," according to the Symposium's catalog.

"When you look at the country, what market was hit harder than Detroit?" Raska said. "Our retail business was down 40 percent; you need to do some immediate changes to your business in order to remain."

And remaining is exactly what Blumz has been doing during these tough times. The floral shop has continued thriving with two locations, one here in Ferndale and another in downtown Detroit. Raska said partnerships with businesses such as funeral parlors and banquet halls have been a key to outliving a difficult situation.

Social media has been a marketing tool that Blumz has embraced with a Facebook page where customers of the shop can "like" their page to find special promotions for savings and lists of events.

The shop is also known for being host to community events like fundraisers and the weekly meetings. One thing that has assisted Blumz during this economic turmoil is that the business possesses a strong community presence.

"We have a building that has a presence in Ferndale," Raska said. "Ferndale has a representation of a very giving community that embraces every situation and the people are always supportive during hard times."

Blumz will be presenting "Signals" on the main stage today.

For more information about the Symposium and to learn about the other presentations that will take place during Imagine, visit www.aifd.org.