Milledgeville man's paper flower company created from origami hobby

MILLEDGEVILLE -- Early in his life, Jeff Block thought he would be an architect. He wanted to design things and be an entrepreneur.

But the kid who grew up in the suburbs of Providence, R.I., who went on to earn a mechanical engineering degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, never dreamed making paper roses would start a new career.

As founder and owner of JustPaperRoses Inc., Block’s journey from Rhode Island to Milledgeville was not a straight path. But a couple of his early dreams have come true: He’s a designer and an entrepreneur. He turned a hobby of origami -- the art of making designs out of folded paper -- into making folded greeting cards, origami orchids and then paper roses.

The mostly Internet-based company now not only sells roses made of paper but also out of wood, leather, lace, steel, silver and other materials that fit traditional wedding anniversary gift lists. Paper is the gift material item given for the first anniversary.

Former business partner Warren Griggs, of Indiana, said Block is a persistent person.

“He’s spent a long time trying to learn how to turn his skills into an ongoing business,” Griggs said. “Although he and I used to jokingly call it a 10-year overnight success.”

‘Always an entrepreneur’

Block’s career path could have easily taken him into designing jewelry. His grandfather was a jewelry salesman in New York City who created a jewelry company that took raw material, made jewelry and sold it through a store. Block’s father and uncles were involved in the business, but the company was sold when Block was about 15.

“I was always an entrepreneur,” Block said. “Working whenever I could.”

As a teen, he shoveled snow, delivered newspapers and mowed lawns. His first “real job” was working at a Burger King during high school.

During college, Block was accepted into a work/study program through Cornell, and he worked during the summers at Xerox, a steel company and at the former Northwest Industries, an industrial manufacturer.

After graduation, Block worked for Northwest full time for about two years until he “got tired of the corporate world.” He got into the brokerage business in Chicago with a business partner and worked for a clearing house for about eight years.

Looking for warmer weather, Block moved to West Palm Beach, Fla.

“I spent about six years floundering around trying to figure out what work I could do,” he said.

He met a man who became a long time friend in 1990 who showed him how to make a rose with a cocktail napkin and he would often make them and hand them out to friends. This is something that would come back to him in an “a-ha” moment.

Block went back into the corporate field working as head of sales and marketing for the former Encore Services, a company that serviced air conditioners and appliances.

Block left Encore when the company was sold, but not before he had taken his hobby of origami into making a folded greeting card shaped like a heart and created a line of Valentine greeting cards.

“They sold well locally but in August 1994, I realized I was not going to be self-sufficient with the greeting cards,” he said.

Block also became a limousine driver while trying to create his business.

“It was humbling to be a Cornell graduate with a MBA holding a sign at the airport,” he said. “But what kept me going was that I was starting up a business. It took five years.”

In 1999, he was teaching origami to children at a summer art camp and showing them how to make cocktail napkin roses when he had an epiphany.

“I thought why not use finer paper to make an upscale cocktail napkin rose, and that night the business was born,” Block said.

At some point, he realized the first anniversary gift item was paper and JustPaperRoses was born.

Business flourishes on Web

Although his products didn’t sell well in retail stores, he discovered he should use the Internet business model. He now does about 5,000 orders a year, mostly for anniversaries. By mid-2001, he was shipping products to all 50 states and about 20 foreign companies.

“I’m still humbled,” Block said. “I have been doing this 10-11 years and I haven’t lost my amazement at the Internet business model.”

For the first three years, Block only did paper roses for first anniversaries. Then he began adding roses either made out of different products or with items added to the roses to fit the various anniversaries. When Block realized the traditional anniversary list did not have items for the 16th through the 19th anniversary, he created his own: wax for 16th, shell for 17th, feather for 18th and chili pepper for 19th. Block admits that some of his creations are “for giggles” and some are more serious and artistic, like carved wooden roses for a fifth anniversary.

He has regular customers -- some of them for 10 years. And some customers order one stem of each anniversary rose for a bouquet.

His customers are almost all men, but Block has added some items women order for the man in their life. He also came up with an idea to put messages on toilet paper such as “Happy 1st Anniversary” and “I Love You from Top to Bottom” as a fun anniversary gift.

Griggs, his former brokerage partner, said he is not surprised at Block’s success.

“Jeff has been able to do whatever he set his mind to,” he said. “I’m sure he will be successful.”

Block and his wife moved to Milledgeville about four years ago to be closer to their grandchildren. His stepdaughter, Shannon Braxton, works with him and handles production.

Block’s latest venture was to write a book about his career. It’s called “Steel Wool on a Stick -- My Hobby on Steroids.”

Although Block would like his business to expand, he said he’s done what he set out to do.

“My objective was to never again have a boss,” he said. “That’s my favorite part, is having my own business.”