Janice Aalerud at her Westford Edible Arrangements shop with her sons Derek, left, and Nick.
By Dan O'Brien, dobrien@lowellsun.com
Janice Aalerud at her Westford Edible Arrangements shop with her sons Derek, left, and Nick.
LOWELL -- Even after Janice Aalerud acquired the Edible Arrangements franchise on Littleton Road in Westford five years ago, she had her eyes on Lowell.
"I've always loved Lowell, especially the downtown," said Aalerud, a Billerica resident who sent her children to the St. Margaret School in the city's Highlands neighborhood. "I always wanted to have a business in Lowell."
Edible Arrangements, a fast-growing franchise that creates bouquets of hand-sculpted fresh fruit, will open a new store next week at the corner of Merrimack and Central streets, a ground-floor space vacant since Garber Travel closed last year.
"It's been a long haul, but we can't wait to open," said Aalerud, who is in business with her son Nicholas as Aalerud Enterprises Inc. They employ about 30 people.
Another reason she thought the city made good business sense: She says up to 60 percent of the orders she receives in Westford are from Lowell.
"This should give us a place for more walk-in traffic," Aalerud said, noting that much of the Westford business is via delivery. "I knew I wanted this building when I saw it. My son, he is in commercial real estate. I was driving him crazy because there were other places we could have opened sooner."
Their landlord, downtown lawyer Marshall Field, is glad Aalerud chose his 1,800-square-foot spot. He had said after Garber's departure that he would be selective about choosing the next tenant -- he wanted an established name, a business that would draw foot traffic to what he felt was a prime location.
"It's a national company that's doing really well," he said of Edible Arrangements. "Its presence adds credibility to downtown shopping. I was lucky to get them, and I'm delighted to have them bring some life downtown."
Wallingford, Conn.-based Edible Arrangements was formed in 1999. According to its Web site, it operates almost 800 stores in the United States; 44 in Canada; and a handful in the United Kingdom and Middle East.
Edible Arrangements is coming to the former Garber Travel space at Merrimack and Central streets in downtown Lowell. SUN / JULIA MALAKIE
Some of the fruits it uses in its "flower arrangements" include pineapples, melons, grapes, apple wedges, bananas, oranges and strawberries. Customers can also request to have fruit dipped in chocolate -- something Aalerud plans to take advantage of in the form of direct advertising.
"We're going to be dipping the chocolate right in front of the big window, where everyone can see it," she said.
This story appeared in the Lowel Sun on Thursday, October 15, 2009