Conversations with Natalie Wilson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Wilson.

Hi Natalie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I always thought I’d retire and open up a flower shop. I’m one of those people that is always doing something and can’t sit still, so yes, retire to start a business was the plan. There had been an awful lot of time for reflection in 2020, and I realized I wasn’t entirely happy in corporate America. I’d learned the floristry trade from a close friend who owns a prominent flower shop in DC. I had hopes of buying and continuing her business when she retires, but until then, I just dreamed. Memorial Day weekend 2020, I took a three-day stay-cation to our cabin in the mountains, away from our seven kids and my husband, to clear my head and try to get some perspective. As I hiked around with my loyal pup Cate, all of a sudden started seeing how beautiful the dead and broken trees were. I was taken back by the beauty of the stumps and logs and limbs and realized this was the binding element for me: wood to hold the flowers. I formed Bloom & Timber the following week.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There is no better way to learn than to make mistakes, but it’s been great for the most part. The primary struggle initially was starting something when you have no customers, no product, no social media, no website… and no storefront. My business is entirely online and was initially reliant on word of mouth. The other struggle has been figuring out my niche. It’s been a journey, but I really enjoy the direction it is going. I intended on doing the daily flower business, but in wooden vessels or logs, but it morphed into something more personal and much less stressful. I have decided not to do the daily flower business for now, and even though I take special orders for delivery, it’s not where I focus my attention. I am loving the preservation side of things and also collaborations I am privileged to partake in with some other amazing women, small businesses, and venues.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a florist in its most basic form, but Bloom & Timber is so much more than that. I design and create wood products, from laser cut name place cards to large champagne walls to furniture. I have been a master carpenter for 12 years, and so I incorporate something wooden in every creation. All of my bouquet cards are laser cut onto a piece of wood, and my signature floral installations are hollowed out logs with fresh flowers. Combining the two crafts has been a creative high. One of my signature preservation items is the anniversary bath bombs, which are increasingly popular with brides. Using the petals from the bride’s bouquet or other wedding flowers, I create a monthly bath bomb in a hand-made, personalized box for them to enjoy each month of their first year of marriage. What sets me apart is that I don’t do the daily flower business, and I don’t do everything to do everything. I have been jokingly calling myself the anti-florist lately. I like incorporating non-floral elements into my work. I reserve my time for brides, careful preservation of bouquets, woodcraft. It’s not about how many arrangements I’m getting out the door. It’s about enjoying what I’m doing and the relationships I am building with my clients, my collaborators, or others in the industry. I do have a dream to open up a storefront when the time is right. It will be all about the experience when you visit.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Instinctively, you’d think you see the floral industry moving online, but the reality is, flowers are tangible, and most traditional florists need to have a physical presence. With the influx of retail space on the market due to COVID, florists could pop up in a brick and mortar. As for the design, it is growing increasingly more organic and less produced. I see the use of a lot more organic materials, fruits, vegetables, vines, etc. There is a high demand for flower breeding, so the varieties of flowers have exponentially grown and will continue to amaze us!

Contact Info:

• Email: Natalie@bloomandtimber.co
• Website: Www.bloomandtimber.co
• Instagram: Bloomandtimberflorist
• Facebook: Bloomandtimberflorist

Image Credits
Abbey Rice, Kathleen Ostrom