Rodier Flowers Cuts The Ribbon On Its New Location

Friends, family, and well-wishers gathered at Rodier Flowers Tuesday afternoon to cut the ribbon on a new location for the half-century-old Ridgefield fixture.

On the florist's first day of business at the updated address, dozens of people milled around the spacious setting to admire Rodier's latest creations and snip an oversized bow to mark the occasion. The walls and displays around them stood newly bedecked with vivid floral arrangements, vases, birdhouses, and other ornaments.

The new shop, situated at 384 Main Street, includes 1400 square feet of floor space, 120 of which are enclosed in a walk-in refrigerator for cut flowers. Mary Jones, who became the owner of Rodier's in August 2008, said the store will provide more light for plants and higher visibility than the old address.

"A lot of people didn't know where we were even though we'd been there so long," said Jones, a Ridgefield resident since 1999.

Until making the move in the past week, Rodier's had been at 447 Main Street since the 1950s. Jones said that the transition had gone smoothly despite the creative challenges of configuring the new space.

Among those gathered to celebrate the opening were Marion Roth, Executive Director of the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce, and First Selectman Rudy Marconi, who noted—self-deprecatingly—that his own efforts at growing orchids were not quite as successful as Rodier's.

Jones said that she hopes the store will serve as a place for new and interesting floral creations.

"Flowers are like fashion: you have to be current," Jones said. "The staid arrangements of yesteryear don't work this year."