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August 10, 2023
8zv6pG-cJ08DE PERE – Though it’s been housed in three different locations in the Greater Green Bay area over the past 16-plus years, one thing has been constant with Buds ‘n Bloom Design – it’s one of the main go-to shops for all your design services for special occasions.
In the seventh installment of Just dropping by, I visited the studio and together with Co-owner Jerad Karcz – and Poppy the dog – I created my very own flower arrangement, which surprisingly only took me about five minutes.
“I’d give you an 8 out of 10,” Jerad said. “You did a nice job mixing the colors around the arrangement.”
Being my own worst critic, however, I downgraded my score to a seven because I didn’t cut the stems quite low enough to fit into the glass vase, which required a recut.
After Store Manager Shannon Baumann saw the arrangement, she said, “You did a better job than some of the people who take classes here.”
Thanks Baumann, I’m not sure that is true, but I appreciate the compliment.
More on Buds ‘n Bloom
Buds ‘n Bloom was founded in May of 2007 and originally located in east De Pere on Redbird Circle.
A little more than a year later, Jerad said the studio moved to the London Alley Mall on Central Court in Bellevue to address growing space and production concerns – staying at that location for four years until more space was needed.
In November 2012, Buds ‘n Bloom moved to its current location in the Town of Ledgeview at 1876 Dickinson Rd.
Jerad, who co-owns the shop along with Josh Steger, said when people around town hear Buds ‘n Bloom, they often think of weddings.
“We are proud of our wedding reputation, but we are so much more than that,” he said. “We also do floral arrangements and offer delivery Monday through Saturday. We do sympathy design or any celebration you’re having, we can help with floral or design.”
Jerad said the store also has a huge inventory of rentals – ranging from ceremony décor to event centerpiece elements.
Karcz said Buds ‘n Bloom provides quality, original and upscale custom design services for special occasions, weddings, home decorating and the expression of sympathy. Submitted Photo
“We have tablescapes and all kinds of other things for weddings,” he said. “We also have a design studio.”
Entering Buds ‘n Bloom during the late summer and early fall, you’ll notice the store is filled with hundreds of Hot Skwash velvet pumpkins.
“The Hot Skwash pumpkins fit our style,” Jerad said. “We’re one of the few local retailers who carry them. It’s a female-based business that designed these pumpkins years ago. It’s European velvet, and some of them have crystals on them. The real pumpkins are grown for their stems. I believe there are four or five farmers in Oregon who grow them. They are harvested, dried and used for the next year. The pumpkin innards are all donated. They’re fabulous – you’ll see some even have feathers. People come back year after year and keep collecting them.”
Classes are also offered for those looking to satisfy their creative imagination.
“We do, we do,” Jerad said. “Our most popular class is our holiday wreath. We host the class in our studio. I guess it’s not wreath making but wreath decorating. You’re encouraged to bring adult beverages and enjoy yourself – it’s an evening of fun.”
For more information on Buds ‘n Bloom, visit budsnbloom.com.
Icon Fiber Arts
Located next door to Buds ‘n Bloom is Josh’s side of things – Icon Fiber Arts, a fine yarns, knitting notions, hand spinning, weaving and fiber arts equipment supplier.
From a young age, Josh said he always had an interest in fiber arts such as knitting, crocheting and sewing.
“In 2013, I launched Icon Fiber Arts as part of Buds ‘n Bloom, but I wanted to have my own space with more room – we outgrew the space next door in a big way,” he said. “It’s been less than a year since I’ve had my own spot. It took me way longer to build this space out than I expected.”
Josh said yarns supplied at Icon come from around the globe.
“There are predominant places where the yarns come from,” he said. “The fiber content, how the yarn is made and the color treatment applied to it are probably the most important things to look for in a yarn.”
For more information on Icon Fiber Arts, head to iconfiberarts.com.
Want to see more?
To read more on Buds ‘n Bloom/Icon Fiber Arts and see Rich create his own flower arrangement and deliver it to the ADRC, head to TheBusinessNews.com or scan the QR code.
