With a brand new baby at home and his new business set to open in February, Chris Dellamarggio has a lot to celebrate.

The West Roxbury resident and franchise owner of Edible Arrangements is preparing to open his newest location in the Shaw?s Plaza off Spring Street the first of next month. Construction is well underway and the building?s sign was placed last week.

Edible Arrangements specializes in creating fresh fruit arrangements in a variety of styles and sizes. Each arrangement is made to order and can be customized with a jar of fudge and a special occasion balloon.

"I own two stores, one in Waltham and one in Cambridge. I started my first store five years ago in Connecticut. I found it to be a fascinating concept," he said. "I think it?s a unique product. It combines fresh fruit and sculpting it like a floral arrangement, it?s something I?ve never seen before."

The concept for the store was launched in East Haven, CT in 1999. Edible Arrangements began franchising in 2001 in Massachusetts with additional stores following in Connecticut, Georgia and New Jersey, according to the company?s website.

Dellamarggio and his wife Ellen have three sons, Tippy, age 4, Casey, age 2, and Devin, one-and-a-half-week-old.

Dellamarggio, who has lived in West Roxbury for three years, has spent about half that time looking for a place in the neighborhood to open his business.

"I?ve been trying for over a year to get a store open here. I?ve had great help from Senator Marian Walsh and Kelly Tynan of West Roxbury Main Streets," he said. "For me it?s very important to be in West Roxbury. I want people to know we are here and I want to be looked at as a local business."

Dellamarggio said he has high hopes for his business and its role in the local business district.

"I think it?s a great addition to the progression we?ve seen in West Roxbury the last couple of years," he said. "We hope to encourage people to come into the store and not just think of us as a phone number."

While Edible Arrangements has a significant online presence, Dellamarggio?s store will have a cooler with arrangements available for customers to view and buy.

"There?s going to be a display cooler where you can see arrangements there. There?s always going to be some product there, Dellamarggio said. "We?ll always have product available for people to come in and take it and go. Beyond that, it?s going to be a standard countertop with workstations for out-taking. It will be similar to a floral shop display you might see when you walk in."

Dellamarggio said Edible Arrangements? most popular products come from the "Delicious Fruit Design" series. This series includes pineapple daisies, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe and honeydew. Customers can get the class design or have it arranged in a container that looks like a football or basketball.

Dellamarggio said the company?s best customers are women and business was booming this holiday season.

"Throughout the year it?s mostly women who are our customers," he said. "I think they tend to be more thoughtful and generous when it comes to gift-giving."

He hopes to reach out to male customers as well.

"For guys, it?s a great gift on Valentine?s Day and for Mother?s Day," he said.

For more information, call (617) 441-3666 or visit www.ediblearrangements.com.