Valentine’s Day and Everything Else
Valentine’s Day at the studio felt a little like stepping out into this timeline, the uncertainty of the headlines and unsteady wobble of a new business figuring it all out. It was our first one, which meant a lot of guessing. How many flowers do you order when you’ve never seen your own holiday demand before? How much do people actually want? What do they want to order? Who is our audience? ARE THEY REALLY WAITING UNTIL THE DAY OF TO ORDER?!?!?!? ( Answer: Yes they are. A ¼ of our sales came at 4pm THE DAY OF.) Add in the reality that Valentine’s flowers come with price increases across the industry, and the additional taxation of tarriffs didn’t help our sense of preparation. Every decision felt like a balancing act between being prepared and not overdoing it. The week leading up to the holiday turned into a full studio takeover—buckets everywhere, stems arriving in waves, and friends stepping in to help process flowers, clean vases, and keep the momentum going. It was a little chaotic in the best possible way, the kind of busy that reminds you why flower shops are built around community. (I am tempted to cry but I won’t, instead I’ll sit here with the wonderful memories of fries, theater talk, and girl time.)
When it came time to design, I knew we didn’t want a wall of identical red roses. Of course we had them for the classics, the people who love tradition and wanted exactly that iconic Valentine’s look. But FUN FACT:Red was our LEAST popular color. We had so many people come in a say “She doesn’t like Red Roses.” Which like, amazing Babes, love that listening partner you got there!
The real fun came from building a diverse color palette that felt alive: deep purples, rich pinks, and unexpected textures mixed in with the few red we did stock to make them unique. The Red Charm peonies were the Valentine’s Day star. Wrapped bouquets were more popular than the vase options. Soon a funny pattern emerged if we placed the bouquets by the register, that was magically the one the customer wanted, and would buy. Our goal was to give people options that felt romantic without feeling predictable. Purple stole the show. Arrangement after arrangement left the shop in shades of plum and lavender until we officially sold out of the entire palette.
While we are known for our custom built flower wraps and arrangements, we are a small footprint that at time felt too crowded so I was happy with the decision to remove the Bloom Bar. Removing the seating area really opened up the studio! We made use of the space to place our preorder shelf and have an appointed place that people could simply walk up and we could do a quick hand off.
On top of this, well I said yes to a Galentine’s Day Market next door at COVA Brewing. While the original plan was to do it the weekend before Valentine’s Day, Mother Nature had other plans. We were rain checked into a simultaneous market/Valentine’s Day. And who was there to play Bayside Hallmark Florists? No one other than Libby and Tiffany. The absolute dolls that they are, saved me that day.
By the time the weekend wrapped, the last delivery run came back,and the market strike happened, the studio looked like every Valentine’s shop does, dozens of buckets, tired florists, and that quiet moment where you realize you made it through. For our first Valentine’s Day, the support from this community meant everything. Every order, every kind word at the counter, every person who chose to celebrate with Bloom OV helped make it a success. We learned a lot, about color, about ordering, about what this neighborhood loves, and we’re carrying all of those lessons straight into the next big floral moment. Mother’s Day is already on the horizon, and if this Valentine’s was any indication, it’s going to be something special.
