CONRAD — The address of 127 N. Main St. in Conrad has been the site of a flower shop for more than 19 years, first as Something to Share, with Sharon Dolphin as proprietor, then briefly Black Dirt Blooms, run by Ben and Kortney King. In December, the space became Graceful Arrangements, the brainchild of husband/wife duo John and Anna Puffett, who reside in State Center. Their soft opening is today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a grand opening set for 3 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 5. They showcase not only a selection of fresh floral arrangements and plants, but also Iowa-made gifts and goods.

The couple took possession of the building on Dec. 29 and began taking online orders and deliveries about two weeks later. Finishing touches are being made to the interior.

“So our plan is we’re going to still go with the same business model that (prior owners) Sharon and Kortney had gone with, where it’s floral and gifts,” John said. “(My wife and I) are both very passionate about the gift side as well as the floral side. Anna has got a lot of experience, being a Master Gardener through the Iowa State Extension Office.”

Anna said the program interested her because she enjoys growing flowers and food. Past job experiences, too, have brought her to where she is today.

“I used to work in corporate events, and prior to that, I managed a bridal store,” she noted. “So I’ve always been really passionate about events and about creating memories and helping people create special moments, whether that’s through a floral arrangement or through a carefully selected gift. So this business really gives us the opportunity to kind of bring our passions together, but keep the space something that the people of Conrad have really enjoyed for nearly 20 years.”

The radius the shop can offer delivery services to has been expanded to 30 miles in every direction. Customers may seek flowers for birthdays, weddings, funerals, holidays and “just because.”

She added that their goal is to expand the retail side of the business with a spotlight on Iowa-made products.

“We moved up here so I could pursue a small independent business managing retail grocery sales for a bakery company,” John said. “I did that for nine years. We had a lot of success with that. However, it was one of those things where we were really hoping that we could reach out and get in touch with the small town, Main Street lifestyle, and eventually open up something of our own…Going into some of these stores, we would see stuff that was shipped from all over the country. It would start in California and bounce to the East Coast, and then it would get distributed in Iowa. So we just saw that there was a lot of waste on some of these food miles, and we really wanted to find a way to where we can connect people to local Iowa goods, local Iowa distributors, and kind of be this liaison where we could really curate some of these items.”

He added that more than 95% of the products they sell would be produced in Iowa.

“Anna has been working tirelessly for the last three months, sourcing vendors and going to farmers’ markets and finding kind of just the best that Iowa has to offer,” he said.

She added they have a couple of flower farmers in the area that they plan to source flowers from seasonally.

“One thing that we’re really going to try to expand on, that I know Kortney had really expanded on, is our events and weddings,” John said.

Anna said she enjoys helping brides put together a vision for their special day, and see it to fruition.

“My background is in business and engineering, and engineering is obviously problem solving, so that’s kind of where I come in, is if they need something to happen, that’s crazy. I’m definitely the man that’s going to figure out how it happens,” John said of making clients’ wishes come true.

Like other industries, ongoing training (in person and online) and studying what’s in style is essential in the flower business.

“I worked alongside Kortney for the last few months (and John and I) are pursuing online opportunities for continuing ed, because trends change regularly,” Anna said. “People want different things. Colors fluctuate, the varieties of flowers that people are interested in change. We want to make sure that we’re staying up to date on those things.”

John said this winter season, whites, light greens and blues will be popular, including hydrangeas and Asiatic lilies. Orders for peace lilies are up. Roses are always popular for Valentine’s Day.

“When we were first planning this, we were saying we love walking into flower shops that have just something you’ve never seen in there before, and that’s absolutely what we want to carry,” he noted. “The color of the year is white, so we will have plenty of kind of an off white on hand. What we’re really excited about is one of our local producers that we work with, he creates metal artwork, and we had him create all of these metal heart ornaments and plant stakes that go as an add-on, if you would like a long term keepsake…We’re also going to expand on our forever flowers. We have a lady who makes wood florals, and she can custom dye them any color.”

If you place an order before noon, you will receive same day delivery. Gift bundles (such as flowers, soaps and lotions, popcorn, tea, honey, beef jerky, etc) can be customized.

Graceful Arrangements is a small family business, and the Puffetts said customers would likely see their three children in the shop, particularly their one-year-old son.

The business will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and some Saturdays, seasonally, including Valentine’s Day, and by appointment.

To learn more and to order online, visit: www.gracefularrangements.com. They may be reached at: 641-366-3870 and gracefularrangementsfloral@gmail.com.