Small Business Spotlight: Dying to Bloom

NYACK, NY — Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this ongoing Patch series — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well. Meet Kerry Potter.

Business: Dying to Bloom

Owner: Kerry Potter

Address and number: 48 Burd Street, Suite 101, Nyack, NY 10960. (845) 535-1567

Website: www.Dyingtobloom.com

How did you come up with the name?

I first used the name for my radio show promoting environmentally friendly burial options. I often encouraged listeners to use the inevitable fact of our mortality --we all will die--as incentive to "bloom", to live life to its fullest with no regrets. When I first thought of it, I was referring to the natural circle of life, my passion for green burial. In nature, decay leads to new life.

Why start a business in this town?

When creating my business plan, there was no doubt in my mind Nyack would be the best location. Nyack is adorned with unique artisan shops, nature-lovers, spiritual connectedness and open-minded thinkers.

What business are you in?

Retail Natural Burial Boutique: We provide urns, sympathy gifts, caskets, ash pendant jewelry, shrouds and biodegradable burial products for people and pets.

What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

Death is a difficult topic to talk about, let alone sell products for. Dying to Bloom strives to provide a soothing, tasteful, warming atmosphere for shoppers and the curious. I seek to break the monotonous trend of current funeral practices and inspire a more personal tribute. Part of that challenge is to raise awareness among consumers that they can purchase a coffin from an outside provider to be used by the funeral home of their choice.

What’s been your proudest achievement since opening?

It is a privilege to play a role in someone's legacy. I met a family buying scattering tubes (engineered to simplify the scattering process) so they could scatter their mother's ashes in a special location. I met a mother who bought an Ash Pendant to keep some of her son's remains with her forever. I did not anticipate the stories behind the clients and the wonderful honor of helping to fulfill their tributes.

How does your business give back to the community?

We need to question whether our current burial practices are sustainable and how they impact the environment. I hope "Dying to Bloom" helps people within our community make more informed funeral/burial decisions that consider the environmental impact and cost. The Boutique also supports the "Green Cemetery Fund" via The Rockland Community Foundation (www.rocklandgives.org), an effort I initiated to conserve land while providing green burial options.