The Fledgling Florist

Homecoming Flowers - Creekview High School

2010-09-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd do a quick post to show some photos of the Corsage & boutonnière work we did for last weeks Creekview High School Homecoming.

Super Steelers Fan

Simple Red Bout with Wire Wrap & Ribbon Treatment

Basic Black & White Corsage with Bling

White Dendrobium Orchid Corsage

The Dust Has Settled - Flowers & Candy MOVED

2010-06-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Were finally finished with our big move to 1104 West Main Street (we are officially "ON" the Square now). Our new space is amazing and I think we did a great job making it look inviting.

HUGE thanks goes out to Amber, Josh & Doug for coming in on their time off over Memorial Day Weekend to help get everything moved and in place.

I thought everyone might enjoy seeing some pics from the move itself so here you go!

Josh, John, Doug & Amber determining fixture placement.

Removing the bench out front in order to move the floral cooler in.

Getting all the product placed ready for shelving .. wow there is a lot of candy!

Pizza Break

Getting Closer!!!

No Josh!!!!

Thats me at 9 PM Sunday Evening cleaning the window...

Sid, Amber & Doug Hanging the Grand Opening Sign

TA -DA!!!

Please come by and see our new space! We are having a grand opening Saturday June 5th from 2-6 PM. Free Balloons for the kids, popcorn, refreshments & were giving away another 5lb Gummy Bear too!

Power to the Flower & the Candy Too!

Nicole

Downtown Carrollton Sip & Shop Wine Walk About - June 18th, 5-9 PM

2010-05-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

Sip & Shop Wine Walk About Jun 18^th,

5-9 PM – Historic Downtown Carrollton

Join us and all the retailers in Downtown Carrollton as we hold our first wine tasting event! Buy a glass for $5 and enjoy a variety of wines from all of the retailers in Downtown Carrollton.

We are happy to announce that Blooms on the Square Florist & Candy Shop will be providing wine by Brix. We will be offering the Brix Sweet Pinot Grigio and Brix Sweet Shiraz (both featured at last years Grapefest).

Our wine events are always a great night out with lots of fun, great shopping and tons of giveaways. (Perfect last minute Father’s Day gift shopping opportunity!)

Stop in and see us in our new location at 1104 West Main Street (formerly Heart of the Home Gallery). We have made some big changes and have a huge amount of new inventory and unique gifts that will WOW you!

Nicole

Flowers & Candy on Wheels (The Big Move - June 1, 2010)

2010-05-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

After 1 year in our current location at 1015 S. Broadway, in Downtown Carrollton, we have decided to move our location to just around the corner at 1104 W. Main Street!

We are extremely excited about the move and look forward to our new presence ON the square instead of just off the square as we have been.

Here are some photos of the new space. We worked on it over the weekend and have started painting already! (Big thanks to Amber who came in on Saturday evening to help us sling paint on the shelving units!)

We have lots to do but are so excited about the move, the new products we are bringing in (can you say ZANY BANDZ?!?!!!) and the new location!!

Stay tuned for more updates on our progress!

Power to the Flower (and the Candy)!

Don't Forget Flowers For Mom!

2010-04-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Mom. She kissed your boo-boo's, made your favorite foods, made your birthday wishes come true and so many things that you can't even remember anymore.

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 9th and that's just around the corner! We have a great assortment of fresh flowers for delivery all week. Why not send Mom flowers to work this year so she can enjoy them all week and into the weekend this year?

A great arrangement for her desk is a nice modern cube floral arrangement. These cube styles fit perfectly onto a desk or coffee table. A nice compact way to brighten her space at home or at work. Filled with a colorful assortment of the freshest cut flowers, any of these selections is sure to make Mother's Day full of smiles and pride.

Is your mom traditional? One of these styles may suit her love of soft colors and beautiful floral fragrance.

No matter the Mom, no matter the style, we can always custom design an arrangement specifically for your special Mom. Just give us a call and let us know your mom's favorite flowers and we can arrange it! ;)

Power to the Flower!

Nicole

Not Your Mom's Corsage....

2010-03-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

Spring Prom is upon us and all of our local Schools will be ramping up with planning for those upcoming dances. This year, don't do the same old same old like your parents.. do something funky with our new line of prom accessories.

This years trend is all about color, bright, vivid colors from red, turquoise, oranges and of course hot pink. No matter the color or the style, we have got the design and accessories to make your prom flowers rock the crowd!

If you really want to shine you may even consider adding on our new Magic Lites to your corsage or bouttoniere. Magic Lites are fiber optic lights that we can insert into your corsage our bout for an incredible effect at the dance.

You can look through our website for ideas anytime here or stop by our shops (Downtown Carrollton & Old Denton & Frankford) to take a look at the samples we have made up and get your order placed before the rush.

Power to the Flower

Nicole

We are a google favorite place!!!

2009-12-28T08:38:00.000-08:00

So many people searched online for Blooms on the Square Florist & Candy Shop in downtown Carrollton that the shop has been named "a favorite place" on Google.

Google reported searchers found Blooms on the Square Florist & Candy Shop 10,449 times between July 1 and Sept. 30 and requested information 621 times.As a google "favorite place," our shop at 1015 S Broadway received a Google window decal with a bar code that anyone can scan with a cell phone camera to read customer reviews.

The list of favorite places was determined based on the popularity of a business' Local Business Center listing, as determined by how many times Google users looked for more information about a business, requested driving directions to get there, and more. Google users "decided" based on their actions and the local businesses were sent the decals. "We were ecstatic about getting the decal. We are part of the less than 1% of the 28 million U.S. businesses that got picked!"

We are thanking customers by offering a free gift to people who scan the bar code and stop in through Jan 4.

In July, we changed locations and expanded to include nostalgic candy and chocolates. Since then the foot traffic has more than doubled and they add new products each week at the request of our customers. When it comes to candy, if they still make it, we will find it and bring it in.

We've always offered same-day delivery on flowers. Now our customers can order candy bouquets and gifts and get the same great delivery service.

For information call 972.416.1220 or visit us online at http://www.bloomscarrollton.com

Poinsettias & Pets

2009-12-11T07:28:00.001-08:00

Lets just put it out there, poinsettias are not poisonous, and munching on the occasional poinsettia leaf won't kill your pet. According to the American Association For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Poison Control web page, a nibble of a poinsettia will probably just produce gastrointestinal tract irritation, but no serious symptoms or harm. However, if your pet is elderly, ill or very young, take extra precautions. With some well thought out placement, poinsettias can still brighten up your pet friendly home.

Picking a Poinsettia

Look for plants with vivid, dark green foliage and fully colored flowers. The best choice is a well-balanced plant. When selecting your plant, be sure to view it from all sides. As with most plants, ideally, a poinsettia should be twice as tall as the container it comes in. Also, if possible, try to find plants with young flowers. You can distinguish them by the small margin of green on the tips of the bracts (flowers). Younger flowers will look better and last longer.

Poinsettia Plant Care

Even though it may look attractive, make sure that any decorative paper does not prevent drainage from watering. It is not advisable to let your poinsettia to sit in water. Locate your plant in a place that is protected from heat vents and cold drafts. Check the plant soil every few days and add water when the surface soil is dry to the touch. Poinsettias like an eastern facing window, or one that gets some morning light, but is protected from harsh afternoon light.

After the holidays, trim your poinsettia back to about six inches tall, and re-pot it in early summer. In order to keep the plant symmetrical, rotate it often so that all sides of the plant are exposed evenly to a bright but not hot light source. To encourage branching, pinch the plant back about half an inch every three weeks or so. Keep the plant well fertilized throughout the summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer.

Getting a Poinsettia to Bloom Year after Year

It is possible to keep your poinsettia all year long. Poinsettias are sensitive to how much light and dark they receive over the fall months. They use this to determine when to flower. In order for poinsettias to flower, they need 12 hours of total darkness each day starting in the beginning of October. If they don't receive that cycle of darkness and bright light each day, a poinsettia will not bloom. One advanced method to creating this light and dark cycle is to install grow lights, on a timer, in a windowless closet. Water the plant during the day, and let nature do the rest. This is quite an investment of time so to make this program worthwhile, you might want to buy a few more poinsettias, but what's the harm in that?

Power to the Flower

Nicole

Win an 8 lb. Chocolate Santa!!

2009-11-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

From now until December 19th, stop by our shop and see our latest candy addition! Meet 8 lb Santa! He's approximately 2' tall and 8 lbs of milk chocolate that will definitely be something to be remembered at your holiday party or if given as a gift.

If you stop by and sign up to be added to our mailing list you will be automatically entered to win him in our drawing on December 19th.

He's in the shop now so come by and check him and the rest of our Christmas Candy, Holiday Candy and the rest of our fun Nostalgic Candy too! We have a great selection of fun holiday stocking stuffers including chocolate covered s'mores, chocolate marshmallow coffee spoons, gourmet cookies, solid caramel chocolate covered suckers and much, much more!

Power to the Flower

Nicole

Sugar Plum Wonderland December 5th

2009-11-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

Come join us in Historic Downtown Carrollton for SUGAR PLUM WONDERLAND / Christmas on the Square!

Saturday, December 5, 2009
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Enjoy the Holiday season with a “Sugar Plum Christmas” event around the square. Hundreds of vendors, food, entertainment, a 100’ snowslide and a living pony carousel for the kids, a pet parade with Santa, pet pictures with Santa and the kids, a children’s mall and an old fashion baking contest and sale!

10:00 Pet Parade around the square

10:00 Baking contest in the Plaza Theater

10:30-11:30 Pet pictures with Santa in the Gazebo

11:00-4:00 Snow slide

11:00-3:00 Children’s Mall in the Marketing Store @ (address)

12:00 Bake Sale in the Plaza Theater

12:30-2:00 Pictures with santa in the Gazebo

Christmas on the square is sponsored by:

Van Hyundai
Hart
Dallas Observer
The Global Exclaimer

We will be collecting entries for our Christmas Drawing for an 8 lb solid Chocolate Santa! Drawing will be held on Decembe 19 - Need not be present to win! Stop by and make sure you get your name in!

Power to the Flower!

Nicole

Made in Texas Products

2009-10-20T13:02:00.001-07:00

We are really excited to now carry a whole line of made in Texas products in the shop! We just added several of Cutter Dan's products to the shop last week.

Stop by and check out the salsas & hot sauces all made in Cedar Creek, Texas.

In addition to the salsas and hot sauce we also have some spicy new made in Texas chocolates too!

Redstone Foods texas chocolates are fantastic spice sweet mix for your favorite hot food fan. We have Milk Chocolate, Salted Peanuts & Jalepeno, Red Chili & Chipotle Dark Chocolate and also Red Chili and Curry.

We have added tons of new candies and chocolates lately. Stop in for a suprise!

Ready for the Chocolate Walk!

2009-09-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening from 5-9 PM we will be participating in the Dowtown Carrollton Chocolate Walk (Ladies Night Out) event.

We are excited to participate as this is our first event in our new space!

Stop in to see our new home at 1015 S. Broadway in Old Downtown Carrollton.

On Friday evening we will be serving belgian truffles and dessert wine as a special treat. During the event all of our chocolate will be 10% OFF. Join our mailing list and you will be entered to win a great big Halloween Candy Basket valued at over $100.

Bring a friend and join the fun down on the Square in Carrollton.

Power to the Flower
Nicole
Blooms on the Square
http://www.bloomscarrollton.com

We are Moving!

2009-06-30T11:35:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, July 1st we will begin moving our flower shop to a new location 1 1/2 blocks down Broadway in Downtown Carrollton.

Here's a sneak peek at the new shop

We are really excited about the move as it puts us closer to the higher traffic area on the square. We will be located next to Mary Lou's gift shop and across the street from Amici's Italian and the Carrollton Square Spa.

In addition to the move, we are going to be adding a huge line of nostalgic candy, chocolates and gourmet candy into the mix. We are working on a new line of candy bouquets to compliment our floral designs and think this is going to be a great addition to our retail shop.

New fixtures, new space and new ideas! We are really excited and hope to share more pictures with you very soon from the new space!

Stop by and see us:

Blooms on the Square

1015 S. Broadway, Ste A

Carrollton, TX 75006

http://www.bloomscarrollton.com

972.416.1220

Mother's Day & Flowers

2009-04-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is May 10th!

Elvis Presley was a mama's boy. Its reported that he slept in the same bed with his mother until puberty. When Elvis entered high school she finally stopped walking him back and forth to school each day but still made him take his own silverware to school so he wouldnt catch germs from the other children.

Remember those days when you felt your mom was being over protective and it drove you crazy? While she may not have been as overprotective as Elvis' mom it probably felt that way, didnt it?

From making you wear a hat when it was only mildy chilly, to cutting you peanut butter and jelly sandwhich into triangles with the crusts cut off... mom was just being a mom.

Show her you appreciated every crazy, overprotective thing she ever did for you this year and really make her smile.

We have a fantastic selection of special Mother's Day Flowers on our website here.

In addition to flower arrangement we have a great assortment of gift items available. From spa gift certificates from the Carrollton Square Spa to chocolates, truffles or garden totes, take the time to check them out on our website.

PS - Mom, I know your reading this.. so thank you! Happy Mother's Day, but I'm still not going to forgive you for making us eat those horrible sesame seed health food store candies. That wasn't candy!!!

Power to the Flower!

Nicole

New Product - BloemBox As Seen on Oprah's O List!!!

2009-03-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce a new addition to the shop and our webpage.

BloemBoxes!

These were featured on Oprah's O List!!!

BloemBox brings a new approach to gift giving. These gifts are handcrafted with superior quality and are really two gifts in one: a colorful keepsake box for saving found treasures and a delightful reminder of that special day or event. The bulbs/seeds grow into a beautiful garden of blooms and the sachet releases a heady fragrance for years to come. Personalized tags are available adding that special touch to gift giving.

Each box contains a 15" biodegradable, plantable tissue paper seed ribbon with growing instructions. The gift tag reads, "Happiness held is a seed. Happiness shared is the flower" and includes a poetic reference to the flower. They are 3 1/2" dia x 3 1/2" H.

Unmended thoughts time affords me:
these solid forms of pots,
flush with zinnias,
and the sun patch fading.
— Michael McClintock

TINY TINS EDIBLES

Marigold, Viola, Cornflower, Nasturtium, Apricot Stock and Calendula.

Enjoy the saffron-like flavor of orange Calendula petals in soups, rice and salads; the peppery, tangy flavor of Nasturtium flowers and leaves in salads and sandwiches; the spicy, clove-like flavor of blue Cornflower in fresh fruit salads; the spicy, bright yellow petals of Marigold on fresh lettuce salads and soups; the sweet to spicy petals of Apricot Stock on salads and cakes; and the mild wintergreen flavor of Viola flowers on cakes and in cold beverages.

Each window-top tin is filled with seed, labeled with growing instructions and tied with a gift tag. Wrapped with a band that reads, "Happiness held is a seed. Happiness shared is the flower."

2" dia. x 2" h.

These are perfect gifts to accompany your floral arrangement for Mothers Day or anyone who enjoys gardening.

You can check them out on our website here.

Prom Styles 1983 - Flashback!

2009-03-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

I havent posted a while so I thought I would make this one fun and functional.

As you may know we have a plethora of antique items that we found in our shop. One of our prized posessions is the Prom & Party Floral Fashions book.

What a handsome couple! I know that back in high school I had always dreamed of dating someone that had hair that looked like a loaf of split-top honey wheat bread, didnt you?

All kidding aside, while some of the floral designs do look dated, there were some designs that did stand the test of time in the book. I will refrain from posting them here though as this post is just pure unadultarated fun. ENJOY!

Power to the Flower!

Nicole

Just send the Flowers already!!!

2009-02-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

As a part of our “marketing bli”… we sent out a special mailer to Friends and Family of the shop this week. (I wont call it a marketing BLITZ because one email blast only qualifies for the “BLI” in blitz.)

As a matter of course, due to the friends and family we keep, I was expecting some “feedback”. I was not disappointed.

Our friend Ron, ever clever, responds to the email by forwarding the email to his wife as follows:

“Here you go babe, pick one out and blow it up so you can hang it at the office for V-day. And a big thanks John and Nicole for providing such beautiful pictures.”

As you would expect a colorful exchange ensued via email.

While I applaud his creativity in expressing his undying affection and thoughtfullness for his beloved, I have to wonder if we haven’t lost sight on whats really important this Valentine's Day. For women, of course, it’s the Office Strut.

The Office Strut describes the activities that occur immediately following the phone call from the reception desk alerting you that there is a delivery for you. At that point you immediately rise from your chair, head held high, shoulders back, and strut to the front door to receive your “delivery”. Once the amazing delivery is retrieved, the “strut” continues back to your desk/cubicle/office/broom closet, proudly holding your flowers/chocolates/balloons to the envy of all other ladies/gentlemen in the office.

You’re the center of attention and EVERYONE knows that someone cared enough to let the world know that they were thinking of you. The rest of your day is spent answering inquiries and responding to the comments…”You got FLOWERS! … YOU got FLOWERS?...Who sent you FLOWERS?...Who sent YOU flowers?....etc., etc., etc. It’s all about YOU.

So to you (ahem) "gentlemen" out there…. Just send the flowers! Remember, the best part of giving can sometimes be the Thank You at the end of the day… ;)

Power to the Flower!

Nicole

Valentine Bamboo for YOU

2009-02-03T10:58:00.001-08:00

The Blooms family is excited to bring you some new stuff for Valentines Day this year!

Over the weekend we were unpacking all of the new product for Valentines Day and now are able to offer a cool new exotic product (at left).

Say hello to our little friend...heart shaped bamboo plant!

This plant is approximately 10" tall and is made up of two intertwined stalks of bamboo. We havent decided on a container style yet but we are thinking something clear so that we can showcase the natural stones used to support the plant.

These are super easy to grow/maintain and even ec0-friendly. Great Valentine gift idea for a man too!

We are offering these unique plants for $29.95 and they can be ordered by phone at 866.461.3814 or directly on our webpage by clicking here.

Power to the Flower!

Nicole

2009-01-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Flowers

Valentine's Day is a holiday where you can openly express love to your beloved. What a better way to do so than sending the unexpected gift of a beautiful flower arrangement? Every year lovers use flowers as the medium to convey their feelings for their Valentine. The most common flower sent on Valentine’s Day is of course, the red rose. The red rose is symbolic of love and passion. The red rose is by far the most in demand flower during this holiday season. From a simple, single red rose stem to an artfully arranged dozen roses with lush greens in a vase they all will bring the feeling of love to the receiver.

With evolving trends, more than a third of today’s rose sales are of other colors including mixed spring colored hues. In fact, almost half of today’s valentine flower sales are mixed fresh cut arrangements; lilies, tulips, irises are increasing in popularity every year. It is said that fresh cut flowers represent the genuine feelings of love towards the recipient. Its no wonder that there is such envy of the recipient of an arrangement on Valentines Day!

Origin of Rose as a Valentine's Day Flower

According to popular legends red rose is considered to be a favorite flower of Venus - the Roman mythological Goddess of Love and Beauty. Hence the red Rose came to be associated with love and romance. Historians believe that the tradition of giving red rose on Valentine's Day became popular in the 1700s when Charles II of Sweden introduced the Persian custom of "the language of flowers" to Europe. Books giving details about meanings of particular flowers were published which demonstrated to people how entire conversations could be carried out using just the flowers. Poets and romantics at heart also eulogized red rose as a symbol of love, passion and beauty that helped to create strong association of rose with love and Valentine's Day

Meaning of Different Colors of Roses

Rose of different colors symbolizes different emotions and feelings. One therefore needs to be careful while presenting a rose to loved one:

Red Roses - Love and passion

White Roses - True love, purity of the mind and reverence

Yellow Roses - Friendship, celebration and joy

Pink Roses - Friendship or Sweetheart, admiration

Peach Roses - Desire and excitement or appreciation

Lilac Roses - Love at first sight and enchantment

Coral Roses - Desire

Orange Roses - Enthusiasm and desire

Black Roses - Farewell or "It's Over"

Bouquet of Red and Yellow Roses: Happiness and celebrations

Bouquet of Red and White Roses: Bonding and harmony

Bouquet of Yellow and Orange Roses: Passion

Arrangement of Valentine's Day Bouquet

Traditionally a bouquet of dozen red roses is considered to be ideal and most romantic Valentine's Day gift. However, you may try and be a little more creative. A bouquet can be made to look charmingly different by adding balloons, candy or small stuffed animals to it. Besides ribbons, hearts, and toys can also be used to spice up the arrangement. With the help of your local florist one can make a mixed flower bouquet by selecting flowers that convey the emotions of your heart. As Valentine's Day comes at the end of the winter season one can find a large number of spring flowers in their full bloom.

Tips on Presenting Valentines Day Flower

Select the flower with love and use your own knowledge of the recipient’s tastes to do so. Your bouquet does not have to be enormous to show your love, only selected with the recipient in mind. It is the feelings that are evoked when the bouquet is sent/received that matters most. Thoughtful additions to the traditional bouquet are a personalized note or sentiment, a small indulgence of chocolates or a stuffed animal, or even an interesting vase that can be treasured and used again. Do something unique in your own sweet way to make Valentine's Day more special for your beloved.

Women should not think that it is their sole right to receive flowers as surveys reveal that most men have the secret desire to be pampered with flowers by their sweethearts. It has been noticed that men like crisp colors like red, orange and yellow. A gift basket, balloons or blooming plant is also a great Valentine's Day Gift Idea for men.

Valentines Day Preparations

2009-01-24T00:23:00.000-08:00

Havent posted in a while as I have been busy with my paying job ;)

We have all been working ourselves silly with panic over the impending Valentines Day. We have been researching, creating mailers, working out our marketing plans, specials, etc.

For the moment things seem to be under control, we have done our flower pre-order, selected the items we will carry, ordered supplies, chocolates, teddy bears, balloons, etc. We have several friends lined up to help over the weekend, the beer is on ice and the pizza place is on speed dial.

Now for the big question.......will I get flowers for Valentines Day?

Thank you! & Uh-Oh....Christmas

2008-12-18T01:20:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that all of us involved in the shop have outside jobs. Each of us has a full-time job that we try and manage as well as the shop. We have Hubert there to manage the day-to-day activities but the "business" aspects are run by us in our "free"time.

The shop was my big idea. So I gather everyones support for the idea, we come up with a name and money and I get myself assigned to a huge project in Brazil and leave town....7 times. That pretty much sums it up. I'm on my 7th trip in 4 months and have been gone for over a week this time. It sounds like madness there and I cant even help.

This post is both a HUGE thank you to my partners (specifically John) as they have been doing way more than their fair share while I have been out of town. Up to this point we have been sharing the delivery responsibilities during the day and in the afternoons and then the weekends we are all there hanging out and trying to learn.

This past week or so has been hell there. Orders are increasing, the phones are messed up, and I havent even been able to call home, let alone support anyone on any finance or system related issues (I do the books and manage the website.) All of this is good but we are really feeling the pressure now.

Christmas is here and I know we have no idea what were in for. I know that we are still churning out quality work (our designer is the BEST) and we continue to spend as many free minutes with Hubert to learn technique and design. We are improving and Reese even made her first bouquet too! (See photo above but please dont look to closely as John spelled her name wrong on the price tag! LOL)

I will be back in the US tomorrow morning so I'll be back to the foral madness and there to give my partners a well deserved break. Thank you John, Sid & Catherine (Reese & Shelby too) for helping to make this business a success!!!!

Power to the flower!

Nicole

Open House

2008-12-13T06:15:00.000-08:00

We held our first Open House last weekend and it was fantastic!

There was an event being held on the Square in Carrollton (Christmas on the Square) which is a big kid driven event. We set up a booth/table on the square and in preparation I bought a bunch of inexpensive toy/novelty items hoping that the kids would drive the parents to us.

All in all we had great traffic, John's sister manned the booth for most of the day and the rest of us rotated in and out of the shop. We had a drawing for several items that people had to go to our shop to sign up for. So essentially we baited the kids with toys, bribed the parents with the free drawing and got lots of people into our shop.

Of the traffic we had we had a remarkable amount of people make comments like "when did you open?" "I never knew there was a flower shop here!", "You have some really cute things" and so on. Of the comments, the most shocking is the "When did you guys open up?".... the shop has been here in this building for 10 years and across the street for 4 before that! It was unbelieveable!

We knew the shop needed a sign (which it didnt have when we bought it) so this was great validation that it was money well spent... OBVIOUSLY.

We made a few dollars (as much as you can selling $1 items to kids) but the feedback and the traffic was well worth all of our effort AND the GIANT fight that John and I got into on Friday night. (Sorry to air the dirty laundry dear but this is a blog and remember how cute I am so you can forgive me.)

We had reached our personal limits over the past few weeks, with the pressure reaching epic proportions on Friday night. Each of us involved with the shop have worked our butts off doing prep work and marketing, etc. to the point of exhaustion. In the end we hope it really paid off.

The highlight of the day was when we were approached by a photographer for the local section of the Dallas Morning News (Neigbors Go) to take a photo of our booth and all of us in it. Keep your fingers crossed, if it gets published this Friday it could mean great publicity for our shop!!!

Thats all for now...

Power to the Flower

Nicole

Since I was a little girl....

2008-12-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

I mention in our About Us page about my always wanting to have a flower shop since I was younger.

Interestingly enough my parents just shipped me some old photos this week. Going through the boxes I found these old pictures of me...

At first glance I thought how telling this was about my desire to be a florist. However, after some thinking (and some Chardonnay) I thought there might be other reasons for me to be picking dandelions. Maybe I have missed my calling completely and I should have been a landscaper? Perhaps a chemist who develops the weed stuff you put on your lawn even!

We can all acknowledge, based on my outfit, that I wasnt destined for fashion design (Who wears red and white striped hats with a yellow sweater? I'm not even going to mention the socks.).

Then.... I stumbled upon this photo.

So it is clear to me that in some ways I havent missed my calling too much. I do love flowers but even more I LOVE to eat. While I have never eaten a dandelion head (unless you count accidentally inhaling those white seed things that you blow when they turn all puffy), I have enjoyed many a dandelion salad with vinagarette dressing. If that dandelion head was covered in carmel and nuts .. forget it! It would be a completely different picture and they probably wouldnt have had the time to snap the pic before I was standing there with an empty stem, smiling.

At any rate, I thought these were cute and funny and had to share them with you all.

Power to the Flower,

Nicole

Before & After Photos

2008-12-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Here they are... the Before (Andre's Florist), pink walls, green and white striped wallpaper, white and pink and green shelving, etc., etc., etc.

And the almost After (Blooms on the Square).

Tan walls, reddish wall, far lest dust, dirt and grime. We've pushed back the counter to allow for more retail space, and at this point had begun to decorate for Christmas.

Were working every spare minute to update, refresh, prune and weed out the old stuff.

We have our first open house this weekend so were looking forward to the feedback!

Hope you enjoy!

Nicole

Marketing the Shop

2008-12-01T14:35:00.001-08:00

Need I say more?

And by the way .. it worked. We got some foot traffic :)

Flower On!

Nicole

Easter Suprise

2008-11-29T13:57:00.000-08:00

Today we pulled down a few boxes just for fun and this is what we uncovered. Much of it is now in the dumpster in the back of the shop. Those poor waste management guys.

Hide the children! Its the ............Easter Bunny?

Here he is clowning around with Sid...that Easter Bunny, hes such a kook!

Doesnt he know that this is no time for fooling around? Sid is trying to check his electric bill balance. Things are tight right now since going in partners in a flower shop...

If things werent spooky enough... the Easter creatures even tried to scare my own child.... (That's my daughter Reese in the background, I think she making a slashing motion at the evil wooden egg bunny.)

We were open yesterday and today doing our normal thing..picking through, cleaning and straightening. We had a huge day yesterday and racked up $1.08 in sales. (See mention of Sid checking his electric bill above). Considering we gave the little girl that bought a Christmas ornament a flower, that puts us at a wash for the day.

On the bright side, today we got three sizeable orders and things are looking brighter for tomorrow. So we push on.

My First Dozen Roses

2008-11-27T17:27:00.001-08:00

So the time has come to put myself out there and make a dozen roses. John and I were at the shop last weekend and it was go time.

I had an hour or so to myself and dove right in. Approximately 45 minutes later my masterpiece was complete. That's right....45 minutes. I'm no accredited florist but I have to tell you that I at least know that this was downright pathetic and if I ever want to see a penny of profits I need to work on my efficiency.

I made at least three different cuts to the stems (each) afraid to cut too short the first time, then again the second until it was juuuuuuuuuuuuust right. Then it came to the arranging.. at the end it was satisfying to look at what I created but why did I feel so anxiety ridden? I felt like the creative process became some sort of mental test. What will Hubert think, did I cut them too short? Did they look balanced? Were there enough greens? Is he going to laugh me into oblivion? Or worse than that...were they "Fast-Crap"? (This is Huberts phrase for "florists" who get their design certificate piece of paper at the community college and churn out careless work.)

My floranxiety is driven by the fact that creativity is something that I have but I have to work at it. It does not come naturally and unfortunately I know that so I tend to over think, overanalyze and generally drive myself into a florenzy.

In the end I got an atta-girl from Hubert which made me feel incredible. He only had to touch up the greens slightly before it could actually leave the shop. Not bad for a fledgling! ;)

By the way, I haven't posted a pic of my masterpiece because due to unfortunate circumstances, I have lost my camera. This is something that we will delve into in future posts when we explore my terrible ADHD and scatterbrained traits.

13 Years Worth of Dirt/Fur

2008-11-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

Floral things first...we are continuously working on tweaking our Teleflora Web Page. Be sure to check it out as we have a new "About Us" page. Shop picutres should be forthcoming.

Now for the dirt....

So we have spent all the free time we have had cleaning, cleaning and throwing away stuff that was left behind in the flower shop. The former owner was here for 14 years and accumulated a mass of things that are unexplainable. From the non-working items that were just put in the back of the store (a coffee pot, a microwave, a refrigerator that had been re-purposed as a television stand, an old printer, two phones and a fax machine, just to name a few) to the 1000+ spools of ribbon, hundreds of baskets, etc. It has been an adventure just digging through what was in the back room.

Among some of my favorite things have been my new shop mascot (see picture left). I'm not sure if you can really see how hideous and filthy this thing is but I can only hope. I can tell you that this would frighten any new mother if received as a gift. If you take a closer look you can see how disproportionate its feet are too. Its like that episode of Seinfeld with the man-hands. Except this baby has man-feet. I think that you can kind of see the fur that has begun to grow on its tuft of hair in the photo. Its reminiscent of the kind of fur you see on the ceiling of a smoky bar.

Not to be outdone, the spooky baby troll has a friend, the scary furry dog/seal. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a dog or a seal. Its feet flip back like a seal but he has a dog like tail. Another unsolvable shop mystery. At first glance, it looks like hes cute and furry but that's not a cute soft cuddly fur. That is the same nasty ceiling dirt-fur that has accumulated from not cleaning....EVER. He used to be white from what I can tell and has since been adopted by our local waste management service.

At any rate, I just thought I'd post these before I forgot and hope that you enjoy them as much as I have.

Nicole

Here we are....

2008-11-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

So here is my first attempt at blogging....ever.

I think it would be interesting (maybe even slightly humorous) to document the process that we have started in buying a flower shop.

Here is a a little background on us.....

Its been a long standing dream of mine to own a flower shop. I thought it would be a great family business to own as it would allow us to bring children into the business giving them a good foundation and learn discipline and a good work ethic.

Over 20 years later I meet my boyfriend John and we constantly talk about opening up a small business. One fateful afternoon we were going to stop by the American Legion Post for a beer and found them closed. We took a detour and drove past a shop with a For Sale sign in the window.

As a lark, I told my boyfriend to call on it. We talked it over, brought our friend into the mix and found ourselves an experienced florist to run the shop for us. So three weeks after we saw the sign and made the call, on October 1, 2008, we signed the papers and became the proud owners of Andre's Flower Shop which we promptly renamed Blooms on the Square.

So with zero floral industry experience we plunged head first into turning around a failing flower shop.