If you haven't read my posts before - Hello! my name is May, I am the owner of Blooms by May. Most times when you come into the shop, you will likely see me working, whether I am here alone or with employees. I could never sit behind a desk all day, doing marketing, paperwork, or endless Zoom meetings. I enjoy being in the front of the shop, and helping customers when they come in. I also personally sit down with every bride who is interested in booking with my shop, and give her a custom quote. I then lead my team to complete the wedding flowers - I am there every step of the way to assist both my team and the bride with anything that they may need!
I never really thought about the fact that I was "committing to work in retail", because I never really thought of working in a flower shop as retail. But when you think about it, people do come in unannounced, pick something, and buy it. We also get phone orders, online orders, and inquiries over social media and through email. There is no one way to shop with us! I was recently at an event with friends, and someone asked me how I can be nice to people all day, and how I can deal with people just coming in and interrupting my work. I responded simply with, "Customers are not an interruption, they are the reason I am still in business!".
The photo to the left is of me in my first location in 2018. I currently have only one location of Blooms by May, but we have moved twice since our first space. We started with just above 700 square ft, but now have 1400 square ft.
I love the fast-paced environment that retail brings! When we are busy around floral holidays - Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving and more! - is when I am thriving. The shop gets a lot busier than it does on the average day, and our customer count is at least 4x what it normally is. We have at least 3 or more employees on during these times, and we have 2 phone lines - that sometimes are both in use at one time. Everyone who is in the store has the same goal - to gift a loved one something fresh and beautiful! I absolutely love helping my customers find something suitable for their loved one, whether we have something pre-made, or create something custom just for them!
While my shop is considered a retail environment, there are more services that we offer! Most customers are served on a walk in basis, but when it comes to weddings, that is all pre-booked and taken care of months in advance. All of our wedding work is custom, made to what the bride is looking for! We also take orders in advance, if you are looking for something a little different (blue roses, black roses, imported tropical flowers) then we would require a bit more time to order that in for you.
Thank you for reading this most recent blog post! I hope to see you the next time you need something special for an anniversary, a birthday, Valentine's Day or even just because!