Blue Springs is losing a longtime business.
Blue Springs Bouquet, a fixture in the city for nearly 40 years, is closing this month.
“It’s just the economy – and everybody and their brother sells flowers,” said owner Kerrie Woodward.
The store, which has been at Missouri 7 and Duncan Road for the last seven years, has a closing sale going on now and is planning an auction in about two weeks.
The shop has been in Woodward’s family for many years, and she said she’s seen lots of changes.
For one thing, more people are ordering flowers online, but that lush picture on a third-party website might not correspond to what’s really deliverable – or even in season.
Also, the order that comes from out of town via the Web might get routed Woodward’s way, but she’ll only see a slice of the retail price. All of those squeeze profits.
The Internet, she said, made things better for her business and then made things worse.
“We’re closing just for the fact that the economy has changed our business,” she said.
She’s been keeping a close eye on things as the business, which once had eight to 10 full-time employees, stopped growing a couple of years ago and then start to slip.
The first half of the year – with the big flower events such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and prom season – didn’t go all that well, so she said it’s time to hang it up.
She said she’s undecided about her next move. The shop has been a big part of her life, and she started out there when she was in high school.
“I have literally worked here for 32 years,” she said.
Blue Springs, MO —
