Niksi Home & Floral opens at downtown Grand Rapids’ Studio Park

A new floral shop and home decor shop, Niksi Home & Floral, has set up shop in downtown Grand Rapids. 

The business, located at The Arts Marketplace at Studio Park at 121 Ionia Ave. SW, opened mid-month selling fresh bouquets for walk-in customers and provides floral services for weddings, funerals and other events. 

“There will always be arrangements in the cooler,” owner Nikki Ludema told Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. 

In addition to florals for pickup and delivery, Niksi Home & Floral will offer decor from live plants to candles, artwork, lamps and blankets, alongside a selection of cards and gifts. 

Keep up with all things West Michigan business. Sign up for our free newsletters today.

“I’ve got three different color collections to choose from, so it’s well-coordinated,” Ludema said. “People can come and get inspired by the different collections.” 

Ludema has been in the floral business for 13 years. Originally a nurse, she found her love of floral design when she arranged flowers for her own wedding, sparking a career change. 

She went on in 2017 to start her own company, Veritas Event Design, focusing primarily on floral design for weddings. 

Now that her children are in school full time, Ludema felt like the timing was right to take the next step and open a brick-and-mortar shop. She eyed opening in downtown Grand Rapids given the lack of other floral shops in the neighborhood. 

Last summer, she started exploring the possibility of opening a shop in the Arts Marketplace at Studio Park, an artisan gift shop selling goods from local artists and makers. 

Niksi Home & Floral signed a one-year lease and moved into a space formerly occupied by the Arts Marketplace’s clothing collection. The 800-square-foot area opens into the marketplace with a separate entrance on Ionia Avenue across from Dublin Hall. 

Ludema describes her arrangement style as dynamic, colorful and modern, focusing on abundant blooms and unusual shapes. She will offer in-store consultations for prospective clients to help them find the floral designs that work for their event.

“I want people to feel excited and invigorated and inspired (at Niksi Home & Floral),” she said. “One of the special things about being downtown is that I get to work a lot here with people that live here, and so to get to know people regularly and have them come in is something I’m really looking forward to.”

More from Crain’s Grand Rapids Business:

South Division vintage retailer expands with new cafe

University of Michigan tried to sell struggling health plan before deciding to close it

Niche aircraft manufacturer investing $12M at Battle Creek airport