Urban gardeners, flower lovers and fans of local handmade goods will find reason to emerge from winter doldrums to visit a new boutique and floral shop on the southern edge of Old Town.
Where the Wild Things Bloom opened the first day of the New Year. Owner Brittany Simmons will draw on her 12 years in floral design to manage the full-service floral shop complemented by urban gardening products and goods made by Lansing locals. Her architect mother and business partner, Lisa Demankowski, is involved in curating and creating inventory for the new business.
"I have a love of items gathered in nature as well as contemporary and high-style design," says Simmons. "My mom and I decided we wanted to do our own thing and create as much as possible to celebrate design."
Located between Preuss Pets and Zoobies at 523 E. Cesar Chavez, Where the Wild Things Blooms occupies a south facing cozy space of no more than 700 square feet. That tininess, says Simmons, adds to the warmth and charm of the space she's already filled with exotic flowers, wall hanging planters, heirloom seeds and soil mixes, and gardening tools and pots. The shop carries an eclectic mix of artisan goods that include wool mittens, jewelry made from natural materials like porcupine quills, crochet pillows, body care products, beeswax candles, and vintage-style messenger bags.
Simmons and her mother look to launch classes for adults and children. Topics will include mindfulness, floral design and terrarium building. Regular discussion groups on plants and gardening are also in the works.
On the floral side, Where the Wild Things Bloom provides a range of flowers and designs for weddings and special events. Simmons says that just about any arrangement or type of flower is possible, while her base stock of floral and plants includes orchids, bromeliads and tillandsia. The shop will carry a variety of cacti, succulents and other warmer climate plants as Michigan temperatures rise.
"The community involvement and classes will be a big one for us," says Simmons. "We're really excited to meet with people and to spread the love of flowers, plants and design."
Source: Brittany Simmons, Owner, Where the Wild Things Bloom
Writer: Ann Kammerer, News Editor
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