Shining Bright

Longtime dance studio collaborators discuss expansion

By Jen Smith / Photo by Louiie Victa

Flying high is second nature at Shine Alternative Fitness.

Russ Petroni and Dima “Shine” Bulkin are the creative duo behind Shine, a premier aerial arts studio in Spring Valley. The studio attracts a high-caliber roster of teachers and students, from current and former Cirque du Soleil performers to seasoned dance professionals.

Shine opened on February 29, 2012, with the name honoring Shine’s stage name. As business partners, they met on the set of Zumanity when Petroni was working as an assistant company manager and Shine was performing. Several workplace conversations led to an idea: create a space geared toward everyone.

“Since I was 15 years old, I wanted to have some kind of business,” Shine says. He says that he relied on Petroni’s experience to jump-start the studio.

“I had been director of lifestyle projects, so I acted more as a consultant on his end,” Petroni says.

Current classes include pole, aerial silks and Lyra; aerial conditioning and flexibility classes; specialty classes like handstands and tumbling; and physical fitness classes like hula hoop and boxing. The space houses a sprung floor for additional styles of dance.

Petroni and Shine will soon be expanding the studio’s services. Workshops on pole, silks, Lyra and hand balancing are all on the horizon, and Petroni hopes the studio will offer each twice a year. They will continue to maximize the studio’s space to offer the community unique opportunities to build their clientele, master their craft or network with other industry greats.

“When we designed [the studio], we thought, ‘What could this be? What do we need?’” Petroni says. “We’re pushing that side of it because the space can be transformed into anything [our clients] want it to be.”

“So come and use it,” Shine says of teachers and students alike. “Trust me; it’s going to be much cheaper, easier and safer for you to start this way.”
shinealternativefitness.com

In Full Bloom

Miss Daisy’s floral arrangements are more than just flowers; they are works of art

By Melissa Gill / Photo by Bethany Paige

When Jessica Marshall started her floral business, Miss Daisy in 2014, she stored her flower arrangements in an old convenience store drink cooler.

This worked until she accidentally froze hydrangeas because the cooler was meant for dairy products, not flowers. Subsequently, with a mix of experience, expertise, and a bit of trial and error, she’s proven that comebacks are always stronger than setbacks, as Miss Daisy marks its 10th anniversary this year.

Floral arrangements from her shop have graced the homes and hotel suites of Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and Elton John, to name drop a few.

Her clients range from local restaurants to corporate giants. As a second-generation Las Vegas native from a business-savvy family, she’s dreamed of creating her own enterprise since childhood.

“My great-grandmother opened the first gift shop at Temple Beth Shalom. In the ’50s, she sold second-hand cashmere sweaters to the showgirls,” Marshal says. “My family’s been in business for over 50 years in Las Vegas, and I’ve always admired their entrepreneurship and forward thinking.”

At first glance, one may assume that running a flower shop is a dreamy job, but it’s not all blossoms and beauty. Floral designs require a great deal of mechanics and compositional knowledge.

“People say, ‘Oh, you have a flower shop, how cute!’ and it makes my eye twitch. They don’t see the behind-the-scenes work: hauling heavy buckets, working in cold warehouses, dunking hands in gunky water and spending hours prepping flowers,” Marshall says.

Marshall wasn’t always a florist, but her creative roots run deep. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona before moving to New York to become a fashion buyer and merchandise manager. Motivated by her love for flowers, she shifted to floral design, studying at the New York Flower School before opening her shop and 10,000 square-foot warehouse.

Initially, she envisioned Miss Daisy as a subscription-based flower delivery service, but it grew to include events, weddings, daily deliveries and convention plant rentals.

“From my shop director to my delivery drivers, everyone is invested in making our clients happy. Working with flowers evokes a creative essence that we capture and share with our customers. I think that’s special.” missdaisyflowers.com