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The tough economy has touched all industries, but it can't seem to wilt Edible Arrangements, the service that makes floral arrangements out of fruit and gourmet dipping fudge.
Dennis and Laurie Jolicoeur own two Edible stores in St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park. Dennis Jolicoeur told Coffee Talk recently that sales in the first quarter, which has been tough for many Gulf Coast firms, were actually up 15% to 20% for him compared to last year's first quarter. Sales at both stores were just under $900,000 in 2008.
“We've got a sound concept,” Jolicoeur told Coffee Talk. He also noted the stores' customer service and community involvement as part the success strategy.
Jolicoeur is looking at opening one or two other stores in Pinellas County this year. They opened the St Petersburg location in 2005 and the Pinellas Park site in 2007.
Dennis Jolicoeur was a sales engineer for a fabricating and machining facility in Massachusetts for more than 20 years while his wife Laurie was a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Massachusetts for more than 15. In early 2005, they decided to change careers and open their own business. That ended up being Edible Arrangements.
On regular non-holiday weeks they have a staff of four to five people per day working 30 to 40 hours per week. During holiday weeks, he has 20 to 30 people working long days for three to four days.
Edible began in 1999 in East Haven, Conn. and now has 869 locations worldwide.
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