Owner Ed Bloom carries a shipment of flowers out of storage at Bortmas, the Butler Florist, in June. Eagle file photo

Longtime customers will be elated to learn that Bortmas, the Butler Florist will continue to provide flowers for all occasions and home decor at the shop on West Wayne Street, which was slated to close at the end of this month.

Longtime owner Ed Bloom announced his impending retirement last month, saying he was ready to end the 75- to 80-hour workweeks that have defined his life for the past 42 years.

Bloom said he would lock the doors one last time at the end of July — unless a buyer were found.

Bloom was thrilled to share the news that a businessman in the county, whose name Bloom cannot yet disclose, will buy the building, florist business and all of the store’s stock.

“I'm glad to see it continue,” he said. “I was hoping it would.”

Bloom has agreed to stay on until at least the end of the year to help the new owner with the transition instead of walking away at the end of the month.

“That’s OK, if it means the business will remain open,” Bloom said. “I was going to be here to do the weddings until the end of the year anyway.”

He said there will be no interruption in service, and the tentative takeover is planned for October.

Regarding employees, Bloom was happy to report that any members of his crew who want to keep their jobs can do so under the new owner.

Bloom expects the store to be called The Butler Florist once it is under new ownership.

Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy spoke with Bloom on Monday about the new situation.

“I’m just as pleased as punch,” Dandoy said about the store remaining open. “The last thing I want to see in our downtown is an empty storefront.”

He said the continuation of a longtime and established Butler business is a plus.

“We are very pleased that we are going to be welcoming new business people,” Dandoy said.

The fact that the buyer is keeping the business in the West Wayne Street location instead of moving to a strip mall also is significant, Dandoy said.

“It tells me that people are still finding the downtown viable as a place to go,” Dandoy said.

Bloom said he has had calls, texts, email, cards, Facebook messages and visits from many who wanted to wish him well upon his retirement, including some he never met.

“I just want to say thank you for the outpouring from the community,” Bloom said. “I was really overwhelmed.”

Owner Ed Bloom poses with his dogs Bentley and Mimzie at Bortmas, The Butler Florist in Butler, in June. Eagle file photo

Owner Ed Bloom adjusts an arrangement of flowers at his work desk at Bortmas, The Butler Florist in Butler, in June. Eagle file photo

Wendy Laconi, of Butler, talks to owner Ed Bloom at Bortmas, the Butler Florist in Butler in June. “He’s the one who inspires me to decorate,” said Laconi after coming into the store to verify that the store is closing at the end of July after reading about it on social media. Eagle file photo