KaBloom, a full-service florist shop, is blossoming in the Washington area.
The Woburn, Mass.-based floral chain opened two franchise stores in Rockville and Hanover, Md., earlier this month, bringing an alternative to the traditional occasion-driven florist shop.
KaBloom focuses on the “cash-and-carry” business in which consumers can select their own fresh flowers — similar to European flower markets.
“In Europe, buying flowers is an everyday thing,” said Steve Siegel, chief operating officer. “In the United States, this has historically been an occasion-driven business, supplemented on a day-to-day basis only at the low end.”
KaBloom hopes to change that.
Franchisees Lynn Biondi and Rita Ormasa opened their first KaBloom store in the Falls Grove Village Center in Rockville on April 2 and have plans to open four more stores in the Bethesda area, Gaithersburg, Columbia and Annapolis in the next four years.
Another franchisee group opened its first location in Hanover April 16 and has plans to open 10 KaBloom stores by the end of 2007.
That’s just the beginning. The Washington area might have between 20 and 30 stores, Mr. Siegel said.
Unlike traditional florists, KaBloom focuses on fresh-cut flowers and features a walk-in cooler stocked with 50 to 100 types of cut flowers and plants. The company encourages customers to see, touch, smell and then choose their flowers.
The stores are typically 1,200 square feet with a walk-in cooler about 150 square feet. The company’s core demographic is women ages 22 to 55 with annual income of $25,000 to $125,000.
KaBloom has 70 locations and plans to have 120 by the end of the year, Mr. Siegel said.
Hungry?
Domino’s Pizza Team Washington is marking the opening of the company’s newest store in Alexandria with — what else — a pizza-eating contest.
The first 50 persons to sign up for the contest on Saturday will have three minutes to eat as much pizza as they can. The winner will be named the Pizza Eating Champion of 2004 and will receive free Domino’s pizza for a year.
The new location at 6228 Richmond Highway is less than a mile away from a Domino’s that shut down in June. That store had to be closed because it was located in the area of the Wilson Bridge Project.
Dining out
• Chipotle, a gourmet burrito and taco joint, opened its 25th location in the Washington area earlier this month. The 2,500-square-foot, 65-seat location in Vienna, Va., has 20 employees.
• A Roy Rogers restaurant will celebrate its Gaithersburg grand opening Friday through Sunday. It is the second location in Montgomery County for franchiser Plamondon Cos., based in Frederick, Md. Plamondon operates 15 Roy Rogers restaurants and 47 franchise locations.
Hotel news
• DoubleTree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center in Tysons Corner has undergone a $2.1 million renovation that includes a 13,900-square-foot meeting center. The facility has 14 conference rooms and three teleconferencing suites.
• Donna De Marco can be reached at 202/636-4884. Retail & Hospitality runs every other Monday.
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