Feb. 11, 2022

The newest shop downtown will brighten anyone’s day.

The colorful 605 Florista has opened in the Jones421 Building, and it’s a dream come true for owner Ariana Johnson.

Ariana Johnson and Erin Thomson

She had been working as a floral designer for another business for six years but wanted to use her own vision more.

“My dream started growing more and more, and the feeling was strong, so I’m like, I just have to push for it. So that’s what I definitely did with the help of my family — a lot of help from my family actually. We put this together within two weeks.”

Her flowers and plants have transformed the former Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen space, which is moving into a larger spot in the building at 421 N. Phillips Ave.

The name of the business is a nod to her South Dakota home and her Hispanic roots, Johnson said.

“We do floral design. We do special occasions. We won’t be doing weddings until we’re settled – we’re going to wait a year,” said Johnson, who has hired designer Erin Thomson to help. “I will always be carrying blooming plants, a few green plants, just because we love to design with plants as well.

“We’ll do wrapped bouquets, so people can pick out single-stem flowers, and then containers and vases. And then as each day passes, we’ll progress into more gifts. I definitely want to have stuffed animals.”

She envisions drawing people to the first-floor marketplace in the building, which also has three floors of condominiums above, for floral design classes for kids.

“I love kids, and so I definitely want to have them part of the journey. … Just including the community and having people recognize this place too. I feel like there’s still a lot of people that don’t know about this building. So I definitely would like to push for that.”

The Jones421 marketplace opened in 2018 and is home to almost a dozen businesses, ranging from a coffee shop and a bakery to a henna studio and an exotic plant shop.

605 Florista has been doing limited delivery but will start the full-service for orders after the rush of Valentine’s Day, Johnson said.

The shop is open every day now through the holiday, but after that, hours will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.