Buds & Bytes Opens a Burnsville Location

Vida Raine and Chris Buckley have an unorthodox business plan: A single storefront where you can get your hard drive scanned for viruses and put in a floral order for your daughter’s wedding at the same time. The name? Buds & Bytes, Burnsville’s only florist/computer maintenance shop.

Originally, the “Buds” was a separate entity from “Bytes.” Raine started up her business in 2003. She opened her floral shop in Silver Bay, a small town north of Duluth. For Buckley, his business had long been a way of life. He began working with computers at the tender age of eight.

“I’ve always fixed computers,” Buckley said.

Technically speaking, he formally started up his business in 2004.

Both Raine and Buckley launched their ventures in an effort to escape from the anonymous grind of big business. Raine had a long career in marketing. At one point she even owned an advertising agency.

“I was working long hours in the corporate world. Then I became pregnant with twins,” Raine recalled. “I knew I couldn’t work 15 hours a day anymore.”

For his part, Buckley worked for General Motors in its robotics and engineering division. The job required constant travel and took quite a psychological toll on Buckley, who was called upon to install machines that would eliminate hundreds of jobs.

The two found a way out by taking the entrepreneurial route. Raine studied art and design in college. She decided that floral arrangements might suit her talents.  She was right: It was a good fit. Soon she was designing floral arrangements for weddings, condolence bouquets and other special occasions.

In 2008, the two joined forces after sharing a space in Farmington, the site of their first location.

“We got tired of doing the books twice,” Raine said.

This was simpler said than done. Both Buckley and Raine had to learn the other partner’s trade. Thus, Raine boned up on programming and computer repair and Buckley learned the art of floristry.  The computer scientist now finds himself laboring among daisies, baby’s breath and Dolly Parton roses from time to time.

“It’s totally different,” Buckley said. “But you get the hang of it once you’ve done a few and been corrected.”

The hybrid business gives each side of the brain an ample workout, the two said. Customers have also embraced the quirky combination. Since opening in the late 2000s, Buds & Bytes has steadily built up a devoted clientele.

“It gels really well. Usually, when my business is down his tends to be up,” Raine said.

However, Buckley and Raine found that their Farmington location was a little too far away for some clients in the Twin Cities and beyond. To get closer to their customer base they decided to open a second location nearer to the Minnesota River.

The two opened a Burnsville location on July 15. So far, the new spot on 1301 Cliff Road East seems promising, Raine said. They anticipate a surge in business as soon as the new Wal-Mart store is completed nearby.