BERLIN – If there was ever a shop that mirrored its owner’s personality, Bleached Butterfly is it.
The Pitts Street floral shop features an eclectic mix of fresh flowers, vintage décor and one-of-a-kind items for the home.
Autumn Kramer
“It’s everything I ever dreamed of,” shop owner Autumn Kramer said.
Admitting that it sounds cliché, Kramer said she had a dream of owning a shop and woke up with the name Bleached Butterfly.
Six years later, the 20-year veteran of the floral industry has made it a reality. Kramer opened Bleached Butterfly Dec. 2 and says she’s been thrilled with the response.
“Everyone’s been super supportive and excited,” she said, “which makes me feel even more that I’ve made the right decision.”
Kramer, who is from Anne Arundel County, started working in a flower shop as a teenager and fell in love with the creative aspect of it. She decided to make a career of it and went on to spend years working for large event companies, handling large weddings and corporate events.
She started to wonder, though, if she could do it just as well on her own as part of a larger company.
“I was successful and I felt like I could do it if I ventured out and took the risk,” she said.
When she came across the shop space on Pitts Street during a trip to Berlin with her mother, she decided it was time.
“We drove down the street and it was just the perfect setting,” Kramer said, referencing the town’s Victorian lampposts and historic brick buildings. “I always saw myself being in this king of setting.”
Kramer spent a hectic month moving to the Eastern Shore and renovating the shop space, which now features a new paint job, refinished floors and an improved ceiling.
“It got a 100-percent makeover,” Kramer said.
She got the shop open just in time for the holiday season in Berlin and is hoping to settle in and begin marketing her flower and design services to area residents.
Bleached Butterfly owner Autumn Kramer used her 20 years of experience in floral and design when renovating her new Pitts Street store. Photos by Charlene Sharpe
Kramer is offering custom floral designs for weddings, dinners and any other events customers might want flowers for. She says what makes her shop different from larger companies is the fact that she does everything custom. Her clients won’t be selecting items from books or cases.
“I want everyone to feel like they’re walking out of here with something special,” she said.
That’s true whether customers are looking for flowers or a decorative item for their home. Even the merchandise at the Bleached Butterfly stands out.
Inventory includes vintage-style paper products from the Rifle Paper Co., paper mache lamps by the husband-and-wife duo Stray Dog Designs and a variety of unique, sometimes antique, items picked up by Kramer through the years.
“Some of my key pieces are things I’ve collected and have just been waiting to use,” she said.
For the holiday season, the store also features wreaths and Christmas tree ornaments, many of which are handmade from reclaimed materials.
Bleached Butterfly is located at 3 Pitts Street in downtown Berlin. Kramer can be reached at 410-641-1910.