Category Archives: Business Beat

I’m a big fan of loyalty punch cards. There may be a better name for them, but I’m referring to paper cards that you get punched or stamped each time you buy a product or service. When the card is full, your next purchase is free. I have cards from sandwich shops, North Mason Fibre, the Lyon’s Pride (my barber), and numerous espresso stands. Today I got a card for the unlikeliest of products and one that will take years to fill up.
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Flowers to Go, a florist with several stores in Kitsap County, hands out a free rose to anyone whose name is on their sign that day. Like the people who assign names to hurricanes, they alternate between girls and boys. This morning when I was in Silverdale buying paint I noticed that the sign on the local Flowers to Go said to come in for a rose if your name is Rod (see photo). So I did. A nice blonde lady named Julie gave me a pink long-stemmed rose. She didn’t even ask for an ID. Perhaps I should have done more shopping today. I had a great response if anyone had asked me how my day was going.

After all the waiting, you might have expected some sort of grand announcement, like email or a customer letter or a notice on the Comcast web site. Instead, self-discovery seems to be the main way Comcast customers in Bremerton will learn that the “coming soon” HD channels are actually here. In my case, I was checking the channel lineup in the Comcast Guide yesterday afternoon just before President Obama’s speech on Afghanistan and there they were: Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and about 15 others, all in high definition and all occupying a previously unused block of channels starting at about 650. 650! No wonder Comcast complains about bandwidth problems.

Last Saturday I found out what the plans are for the building at 1107 Marine Drive (see photo). When the new owners began fixing it up last month, my neighbor and I made some guesses but we weren’t even close. Sporting a fresh coat of green paint, a remodeled interior, and a new garage door, the building looks great. But no amount of remodeling will fix the site’s biggest problems: access and parking. Thus I was surprised to learn that Flowers To Go will be opening a shop there. The very name implies a business that depends on in-and-out traffic. Their decision is even more surprising because Paul’s Flowers recently moved into the strip mall at 3850 Kitsap Way next to Subway, just a stone’s throw away.

The new home for Flowers To Go is only a half block north of Kitsap Way, one of Bremerton’s busiest roads. Because traffic backs up often on Marine Drive while drivers wait for a green light, it can be difficult to exit the building’s small parking lot especially if you want to go north on Marine Drive. Lack of access hurt the other businesses that tried their luck in the building, most recently a cleaners. The other Flowers To Go shops in Kitsap County have drive-through windows, a feature impossible to put in at the Marine Drive location. Still Flowers To Go will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I hope they are successful.