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Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 59 b b Both locals and out-of-towners love to buy local products. Partnering with local and regional artisans and suppliers can help set your business apart from all types of other retailers, including fl oral competitors. Popular locally produced items you can off er in your fl ower shop include not only fresh cut fl owers but also artisanal skin-care products and soaps; candles; gourmet delicacies, including chocolates and other candies, spices, sauces and fl avored oils; jewelry ; textiles; pottery and tableware; and all forms of artwork for home and offi ce décor. "Small businesses have what big-box stores lack: personality, quality, atmosphere, and more," says Kayla Baer, marketing manager at Kennedy's Flowers & Gifts in Grand Rapids, Mich. "People love shopping local because their dollars go right back into the community they know and love, which keeps their friends and family members employed, boosts morale and buzz for the city or region, and makes them feel like they're making an impact with their purchases. We've found that people are often willing to spend more when a product is local because they know it's probably of higher quality than a product that's mass produced at a corporate factory." Developing a strategic partnership with another local business is a great tactic for increasing your regional footprint, by building brand awareness among a new audience. It could be another type of business that is either in or allied with the fl ower industry or one whose values align with your own. For example, Baer shares that Kennedy's Flowers & Gifts off ers a line of custom candles created by the LIMA candle company in Grand Rapids, which is owned by two sisters and off ers 100 percent soy candles that feature chemical-free fragrances and no dyes. "With LIMA, we create custom botanical scents and labels," she says. "One of the candles we stock year-round is a fi g-scented 'Grateful for You' candle, but we also develop candles specifi c to all seasons and holidays. For instance, for Mother's Day, we will off er a lilac-scented candle in a pink iridescent container with a 'Happy Mother's Day' dust cover, and for the winter season, we off ered a 'Warm & Cozy' bundle that included a lavender-and-sage-scented candle. e variety of scents and labels that we can create make the candles easy to pair with fl ower arrangements— and people always love a high-quality candle." Sweetland Candies is another Grand Rapids business that Kennedy's Flowers & Gifts loves to support. "Chocolates and candy are an easy pairing with fl owers, so they're worth off ering," Baer advises. "Our customers are more willing to purchase an add-on when they know the item is from a local company. We often promote a half-pound box of assorted chocolates and a four-pack of chocolate, caramel and pecan turtles." It's no secret that support among small businesses contributes to their success. "We love to stock local products and promote local events because we understand the impact it has," Baer says. "It's one of those things that keeps going round and round. When we support them, they support us, and it gives the community an opportunity to support all of us at once." In St. Louis, Mo., Kim Brannan, AAF, co-founder and director of marketing at Stems Florist, shares, "We co-produce our own line of private-label Stems- branded candles with St. Louis Candle Co., which is a female-owned and family-operated small business that handcrafts premium quality candles in small batches. We selected all the scents and designed the artwork for the labels. Each scent is named as a destination—'In the Kitchen,' 'At the Coff ee Shop,' 'In the Garden,' and so on. Also, we're getting ready to launch a line of silk scarves, Kennedy's Flowers & Gifts

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