Couples and corporations alike will have a new Seventh Street floral-design shop to thank for decorating their special occasions.
The grand opening of Table Tops Etc. will be Sept. 6 to coincide with the First Fridays artwalk, owner Melissa Lewis said. However, the store moved into its downtown Phoenix location on Seventh Street, between Garfield and McKinley streets, on July 1.
Rather than being a “stem shop,” Lewis said Table Tops Etc. provides customized floral arrangements for events. While about 80 percent of these events are weddings, the shop also serves corporate meetings and conferences.
“We’re specifically involved with anything floral- or decor-related, so we don’t do any other kind of wedding planning,” event and sales director Veronica Peters said. “We help plan the floral and decor elements and integrate that and execute it and design it.”
The shop plans to serve people in and around downtown Phoenix, as well as existing clients from around the Valley, Lewis said. They hope to expand the corporate-client side of the business, as well as work with nonprofits, she said.
“We would definitely consider ourselves one of the top five wedding and event florists in the state,” Lewis said. “I know that’s a bold statement, but I would rank us up there.”
Lewis hopes the shop will bring more business to downtown via customers who are unfamiliar with the area. She said there is also a trend of “destination brides” who travel from out of state to Phoenix to get married.
Table Tops Etc. will draw more attention to wedding-friendly locations from traditional to eccentric — such as the Japanese Friendship Garden and MonOrchid gallery, Lewis said. Its clientele ranges from couples holding a small ceremony at City Hall to celebrities planning lavish nuptials.
“I love being able to do something different every day,” Peters said. “I really love being able to capture those perfect moments and see the faces on my clients when they get to experience this wonderland that I’ve created for them, that moment where they get to have that ‘wow’ experience.”
The business, which Lewis purchased in 2003, was previously located in Scottsdale. Peters said they made the decision to move downtown into a building Lewis and her husband already owned as the business began to outgrow its old space.
The Scottsdale shop was about 1,500 square feet, while the new shop is about 2,500 square feet. The increased space allows for more display area, as well as onsite storage in the back of the building, something the Scottsdale location lacked.
Table Tops Etc. is in one-third of the building. Lewis is looking for another business that would complement Table Tops Etc. to sublease the rest of the space.
Lewis said Table Tops Etc. is unique to the downtown area. There are a few other flower shops, she said, but none that specifically handle event planning.
Evans Churchill Community Association director Cory Kincaid said the neighborhood is excited to have a new local business. He said the shop’s customers and employees will visit local restaurants and other businesses, creating a “snowball effect.”
“It’s important to have businesses in close proximity to where people live, work, play and seek out services,” Kincaid said. “This fits in with the goal of Evans Churchill, to build a vibrant, urban atmosphere.”
Table Tops Etc. will buy from several local flower wholesalers, as well as from sellers around the world, Lewis said.
The shop will have five full-time employees including Lewis. Their staff will vary from five to 25 people, depending on the size of events.
“I’ve always loved flowers,” Lewis said. “Having that love of flowers doesn’t always equate to a business that’s a profitable company, so you can’t often get lost in the beauty of that. Over the years I’ve learned to treat it like a business, but still have the beauty and creativity in the product that you are selling.”
Contact the reporter at kimberly.koerth@asu.edu
