Get Going: Longtime Hopatcong Florist Moves Into New Location

Tiffany Blackwell couldn't believe it.

The longtime Hopatcong resident had been shopping at Get Potted since age 16. So when she saw a "For Sale" sign hanging from its window earlier this year, she wondered where to turn.

"I don't want to buy flowers from anybody else," she said.

Fortunately for Blackwell, Get Potted wasn't going anywhere. Kind of.

The florist and country store moved from its former home at 14 Lakeside Blvd. —about a half-mile from Hopatcong State Park— to 52 Lakeside Blvd. in early June, hoping better serve its patrons and save money in a bleak economy, owner Patricia Webster said.

"We wanted to stay in town where our biggest customer base was," said Webster, a Jefferson resident. "That was important."

Webster, who's owned Get Potted since 2006, said though she'll miss the old location to an extent, she's happy at her new place.

"The rent and the space is actually better for us," said Webster, whose new store offers about 2,080 feet in retail and storage space. "As nice and quaint as the old house was, going up and down the stairs was difficult. People couldn't go upstairs. They didn't want to. They didn't know. It was too hot. So we're hoping that this location is going to be a little more conducive to all of our customers."

Get Potted's new location also came with other perks, according to Webster. She hopes being in a plaza with three other businesses—a cell phone outlet store, a tanning salon and a gym—will help boost customer traffic.

"We're hoping that we have more spontaneous foot traffic rather than just coming for our purpose. We've had a lot of people coming over from (nearby stores)," Webster said.

Also, the lot's owners, 59^th Street Rentals, replaced the hardwood floor, fixed the walls and renovated other aspects of the store.

"It was convenient," Webster said of the move. "It was close to where we were, of course. And it was big enough so we could do what we wanted to do. We wanted to customize it a little bit."

Webster said Get Potted should be fully organized and in shape for mid-August. And in the spring, the store will use the sidewalk space outside its door and the grassy area off to the building's side to display seasonal sales.

Blackwell, a flower aficionado, likes what she's seen so far.

"I'm very excited that they're happy with where they are," Blackwell said. "You have to be happy with where you are in business and life. They're really excited about it and I'm really excited about it, and they're so close to where they were that it's perfect."

Webster hopes borough residents realize Get Potted moved further into Hopatcong sooner than later. She understands customers will miss Get Potted's tall sign, which used to greet people traveling into town from Landing.

"I think this is going to be great for us," Blackwell said of the new location, which had been vacant since Krauszer's Food Store left a few years ago.