Karen Schotanes and her mother, Marilyn Schotanes, bought Bloomingdale Florist in 1998 to share their finest floral arrangements with the community.
For Karen, who has worked in the industry for over 35 years, making bouquets is a way to create designs and bring joy to her customers. When she moved to Florida from New Jersey, she wanted to run a business with her mother, and Bloomingdale Florist allowed her to do just that.
The family-owned and operated flower shop offers seasonal, holiday and ‘just because’ arrangements with long-lasting flowers throughout the year. Bloomingdale Florist’s bouquets showcase a variety of flowers, colors and sizes for various prices.
Marilyn, who has a background in business management, has helped her daughter run the company and continue to brighten their customers’ days with their designs.
“Quality and making sure the customer is always happy [has allowed the business to grow]. … Most of our customers have their arrangements anywhere from two to three weeks, and that’s a really long time to have a fresh arrangement last,” Karen said.
Bloomingdale Florist uses premium products to keep its fresh blossoms vibrant and eye-catching. It purchases quality flowers mainly from South America and other countries to ensure the arrangements are long-lasting.
Since purchasing the company, Karen and Marilyn have hired several additional employees and opened another location to store flowers and manage delivery orders.
The delivery service allows Bloomingdale Florist’s arrangements to reach customers across Hillsborough County. However, recent increases in gas prices have challenged Karen and Marilyn in offering quality products at an affordable price.
Still, Bloomingdale Florist has managed to not raise its prices too much for its customers. It still delivers across Hillsborough County and even out of state.
Karen said receiving compliments from customers about the arrangements and hearing how customers look forward to their next bouquet is the best part of serving the community.
“That’s mostly what we’re doing: just trying to make people happy,” Karen said.
Bloomingdale Florist is located at Bloomingdale Square at 827 E. Bloomingdale Ave. For more information on the company or to purchase a bouquet, call 813-654-7304 or visit www.bloomingdaleflowers.com.
