Bloombeads helps flowers last as long as your memories

A version of this article was published on Dayton.com on February 22, 2017.

When the Rolling Stones sang about sending dead flowers by the US Mail, they likely never imagined that dead flowers would help launch such an in-demand business 46 years later. In 1993 Carli Dixon, then a college freshman, and her mother, Nanci Hames, then a dissatisfied corporate worker, purchased a freeze dryer and started a business in the floral preservation industry. Since starting Freezeframe, they have gone on to assist thousands of customers all over the world in preserving their floral memories for weddings, memorials, and other occasions.

Not everyone who writes a business plan in college ends up actually starting a business, but Carli Dixon knew it was a great idea. Customers would bring in or send in their flowers from a wedding bouquet or other event and Freezeframe staff would work with them to create a unique, 3D floral design keepsake to display in their home. Flowers can be one of the largest expenses in a wedding, but other than photos there was no way to keep costly bouquets, centerpieces, corsages, or boutonnieres longterm.  The business quickly took off as brides from the southwest Ohio region and beyond heard about this service. As Freezeframe’s volume increased, they had to continuously purchase new dryers to keep up with demand.

In 2008, Dixon added Bloombeads, a line of jewelry and accessories made of flower petals from customer-supplied flowers.

The nature of custom floral preservation is very personal. Customers come in with flowers from life events such as weddings and funerals, some of the most emotionally charged events people experience, and each one has a story to tell.

“I remember one day approving an arrangement for memorial flowers from a grandmother’s memorial service and the customer had requested that the tribute tag inserted in the packaging say ‘Don’t forget about me.’ It made me cry, thinking about that grandmother just hoping to not be forgotten. You know, we all just hope that we mean as much to the people we care about as they mean to us” explains Dixon, adding “yes, we definitely cry with our customers!”

Being the leader in an industry can have unique challenges, and custom floral preservation can be especially challenging. Dixon puts it into perspective: “Imagine you’ve started a restaurant where everyone brings their own food and the expectation is that you can take that food, in various stages of decay, and create consistent, mouth-watering meals from it that satisfy your customer – without a menu and occasionally without knowing exactly what the customer wants. There’s a reason why no one else does this!”

So what keeps her going even when she faces challenges? “The customer. It’s not about us in here” explains Dixon. Despite the demanding schedule of creating lasting memories for her customers, Dixon says “for 24 years I’ve never thought ‘I don’t want to go to work today.’”

Now that Bloombeads has had time to settle into its gorgeous, newly-restored design studio at 905 E Third Street, many new developments are on the horizon including a Bead Bar and a new website featuring a new range of jewelry and accessories. “We’re also going to be introducing a new artisan series featuring jewelry designs by local artists such as Hamilton Dixon” (who happens to be Dixon’s husband in addition to being a well-known metal artist) shares Dixon. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more information.

Several years ago, the Dixons considered relocating to another city, but ultimately they decided to stay. Dixon explains, “We wanted to raise our kids here, it’s so creative here, and we wanted to stay close to family and friends – plus Daytonians are fun people to do business with and for!”

Bloombeads by Freezeframe
905 E Third Street, Dayton
http://www.bloombeads.com

Image credit: Lauren Worman / Ivory Lamb Photography