Select a theme. Choose a theme that reflects your personality as well as your customer base, suggests Stephanie Beener, author of the book "How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Floral Business." She offers the example of a country theme, using a watering can for a logo and placing real ones throughout the store. Do not add multiple themes in an attempt to appeal to all customers.

Choose neutral colors for the walls. Don't let the paint clash with the colors of the flowers---the bluish hue of hydrangeas or the green tint of dendrobium orchids. Select a very light shade of a neutral color, such as tan. Avoid sterile white or vibrant, neon colors like green and pink.

Make elegant signs. Use wood-carved signs to label types of flowers or as a guiding post to direct customers to various sections of the store. Or use painted tiles as signs. If anything other than paper is too expensive, select quality paper (perhaps paper with dried flowers in it) and use fancy fonts like the script-based fonts Lucida or Papyrus.

Install appropriate lighting. Fluorescent lights might come with the building, but think about paying extra to install glass-blown hanging lamps or hanging halogen lights to showcase the flowers. Jewelry stores often use different lights to accent gemstones: flowers can be illuminated much the same way.

Avoid clutter. Plan a foot-traffic pattern, advises Norah Hunter, author of the book "The Art of Floral Design." The customer should not feel confused or trapped when walking around the store. Keep the layout open with no dead ends.

Group flowers according to color or type. The bread-and-butter business of floral stores is usually weddings, so organize the shop with these customers in mind. Showcase expensive, ornate flower arrangements on tables throughout the boutique or in the reach-in coolers.

Set out a clean, professionally photographed album of designs for customers looking for bouquet ideas.

Add furniture as a resting place for those accompanying a bride's flower shopping. Select a simple, comfy couch that matches the aesthetics of the store. The shelving and tables should all match. Do not choose modernist, sleek silver wall units and then place curvaceous Victorian wooden tables beside them. Choose matching material, be it wood or steel, and stick with the choice.

Decorate the store with trellises, live plants, candle holders, lamps, dried flower arrangements, balsam sachets and other flower-related items, suggests Cheryl Kimball, author of the book "Start Your Own Florist Shop and Other Floral Businesses."