Norton Commons has a stroke of luck for its business opening.
Blume Florist will open at 6353 Meeting Street, bringing the number of stores opened in the East End neighborhood in the last year to 18.
Blume Florist, a full-service flower shop with a “bouquet bar”, is the brainchild of Venus Marcum, who has dreamed of owning her own flower shop since she was 18.
“I’ve always had a vision of owning a flower shop,” Marcum said. “It’s always been a passion, but at this age and without the business or financial strength to do it, you just go ahead and do what you’re supposed to do.”
Marcum, now 53, who has worked in the technology industry for the past 30 years, said that realizing her lifelong dream gave her a sense of “freedom.”
Marcum and her husband have lived in Norton Commons since 2018, and she realized her love for a flower shop could fill a need in the neighborhood since there is no other florist in the immediate area.
“I saw a need,” Marcum said. “I mean, you have to get on the highway to get to one … they’re nice, but there just aren’t any nearby.”
The store, which is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., features a “bouquet bar,” an area where customers can select fresh flowers and hand-make their own floral arrangements.
Marcum said she hopes the flower shop will bring the community together and provide a place for visitors to find joy in flowers. The shop will offer delivery service and provide fresh floral arrangements to customers in the 40059 and 40245 counties. The goal is to expand the delivery service as the business grows.
While she enjoys making a childhood dream come true, Marcum already has her sights set on her future dream: a possible partnership with Churchill Downs.
“That’s my lofty goal,” Marcum said. “We’re not Kroger, we’re locally owned, but … to be able to do something with Churchill Downs would be the ultimate dream.”
Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @oliviamevans_.
