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Staff Writer WEST SPRINGFIELD Michael, Lisa, Bob and Louise Beauchemin are soon opening a new business on Riverdale Street that takes fruit to a whole new level. The Beauchemins are opening an Edible Arrangements franchise, which specializes in fruit arrangements that are cut and designed to resemble a bouquet flowers. The company also sells hand-dipped chocolate strawberries and apples, which can also be made into a bouquet. Louise Beauchemin, one of the four co-owners of the business, said that she and her husband, Bob Beauchemin, who is the father of Michael Beauchemin, learned about the business when they received an arrangement from Michael and Lisa Beauchemin. Louise Beauchemin explained that Michael and Lisa were getting married in the eastern part of the state and decided to give the parents an arrangement as a gift. She added that there are many franchises in the eastern part of the state and was not aware of the business when she and Bob received the gift. According to Louise Beauchemin, the four owners were talking in January and the subject of opening a franchise in the western part of the state came up. The four of them are currently preparing the store, which is expected to open later this month. Once they decided to look into the business, the four of them did some research about the company and attended a Discovery Day, in which they met with members of Edible Arrangements Headquarters and "it all fell into place, Louise Beauchemin said. She added that the company's headquarters are located in Hampden, Conn., which made looking into the business a simple task. "If the headquarters were in California, we would have chickened out and not have gotten on a plane and did this," she said. Louise Beauchemin said the corporate franchise of Edible Arrangements has been "good through the opening process" with all of the training and teaching them what to order. The four owners attended a week of training that taught them how to run a store and how to carve the fruit and create the fruit arrangements. She said that the trainers break down all of the steps and explain how to make the fruit arrangements. She added that, at first, the bouquet "may look funny, [but] after you make quite a few you get the hang of it." When the Beauchemin's were looking for a location for their franchise, they looked for a high traffic area. "Riverdale Street is quite a high traffic area," she said. Louise Beauchemin added that they all fell in love with the location because it is a "little different." She explained that it is an old school house with a lot of character and has a lot of space. She said that none of the owners have ever owned a business before and they are all learning as they go. "The franchise process is all so new so we have the whole frightened-out-of-our-minds aspect to deal with," she said, adding that the Edible Arrangements Corporation has made the process "pretty easy." According to Louise Beauchemin, the process of opening the store took about eight months because the biggest problem was finding the best space for the business. "Retail space on Riverdale Street can be quite difficult to find," she said She said that the building they chose already has a large open space and two offices so not much work needed to be done. She said that they have added some doors and have done some painting. "There is not a lot of building out," she said. "We've been fortunate." Although the business has not yet opened, Louise Beauchemin said that they have already received a number of phone calls from people looking for brochures and for jobs. She said they will be hiring some part-time employees, but she is unsure of the number because the success cannot be predicted. "We can open the doors and nothing will happen or it can be crazy," she said. "We're opting for crazy." The store is slated to open on Aug. 23 and Louise Beauchemin said they are planning to have a grand opening celebration in September. The fruit arrangements can range in price from $30 to $200. Louise Beauchemin said that the $200 arrangement is banquet sized and feeds 60 people or more. "We can't wait to make our first one," she said. Edible Arrangements will be located at 1702 Riverdale Street. Store hours will be Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. The store will be closed on Sundays. For more information about Edible Arrangements, visit www.ediblearrangements.com. | ||||||
