Racing fans know Mark Joiner from his years as co-owner, with his brother David, of Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway in Auburn. But now he has taken on a new venture.

This week Joiner opened Auburn Blooms Floral and Gifts in Downtown.

The new shop occupies the location of the former Cattail Flowers.

The spark for the idea came from longtime floral designer Lisa Baehr, who will be the store manager. Baehr’s extensive experience in the flower business was the deciding factor.

“She used to own Meadow Vista Florist and was (floral) manager at Save Mart in Auburn,” Joiner said.

Baehr and Joiner worked on remodeling the space, with help from Joiner’s wife Tina, Baehr’s boyfriend, Eric McNabb, and her sister, Susan Baehr.

Baehr, who has nearly 30 years in the business, enjoys the interaction with customers and the creativity of the job.

“It’s really gratifying,” she said. “There are some sad things that come with the flower business, but not too many people are upset when you bring them flowers. It’s a very rewarding job.”

She particularly enjoys working with brides.

“I have brides come to me who haven’t a clue about what they want,”she said. “When they leave, they have it all worked out. I can work with any budget.”

For day-to-day designs, Baehr’s has her own signature style.

“I do a lot of vibrant colors,” she said. “But you need to talk to people and get a sense of their style before you design anything for them.”

Part of the retail space is set aside for gifts, balloons and cards. Currently the focus in on the holiday season, with lots of Christmas ornaments, Joiner said.

One of Baehr’s longtime customers, Colfax resident Janis Kern, is looking forward to having the new shop in Auburn.

“I’ve known her for 15 years,” Kern said. “When she opened her flower shop in Meadow Vista, I did some work for her. I got to see her in action, designing and creating. From there, I continued to buy flowers from her as she moved to other (florist jobs).”

Baehr’s work with large arrangements is particularly impressive, according to Kern.

“She does very unique tropicals with different kinds of tropical flowers,” she said. “They’re very creative.”

Joiner is a member of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce and the Think Auburn First campaign. Community involvement is an important part of being in business, he said.

For Saturday’s grand opening, he’s giving away a free long-stem rose to the first 50 visitors to the store. There will also be a chocolate fountain with strawberries and shortcake.

“We’ll have some representative work of some of the things Lisa does,” Joiner said.

Gloria Young can be reached at gloriay@goldcountrymedia.com