Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Abrahamson and Jessica Hein.
Annie and Jessica, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2017, my (Annie’s) Grandma passed. I moved in to help take care of things and ended up buying the house and moving my family in. Gardening was one of her favorite hobbies, and I soon realized how much work she put into her gardens. I realized how much joy flowers brought her and wondered what I could do to keep her love of fresh blooms going. One night, I brought up the idea of owning a flower shop to Jess (my best friend). She grew up with a mom who had a magical green thumb, and she herself knew her way around a garden.
We started brainstorming, wanting to create something unique, but also wanting to change the way people thought about flowers. Flower trucks were just starting to become a thing in Europe, and parts of the US. Since we didn’t have experience in the floral industry, and neither of us had run a brick and mortar shop, we decided it was smart to start small. So we began looking for the perfect vintage truck.
Then along came Watsonia (Watson for short). She was dropped off at the vintage auto warehouse the same day we decided to go look at trucks. She was a 1967 International Harvester pickup truck, and she fit our brand perfectly. So in February of 2018, we signed the papers and she was ours! Learning to drive a vintage truck was a huge learning curve, as was figuring out how to create a mobile flower shop. We started partnering with brunch spots, breweries, yoga studios, and event planners, and soon, we were selling flowers by the stem from our vintage truck!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We aren’t florists and neither one of us had any experience in the floral industry. We had to learn very quickly what flowers were in season (healthy, available, and affordable), what flowers were grown locally (or ethically sourced), what flowers could survive being in the heat on hot truck days, etc.
Getting our licensing and permits was also incredibly difficult. Our type of business didn’t fit in any existing category, so no one really knew what to do with us. We were thrown around to many different departments and had to kind of carve out our own niche.
And finally, running a business out of a 1967 vintage truck has its challenges! We always have to have a backup plan in case Watson decides not to start and we have our mechanics on speed dial! Luckily once you understand her and what she needs, she runs beautifully.
Bloom Bar (Flower Truck) – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a mobile flower shop ran out of a 1967 International pickup truck. From May – September, we are out with the truck, parking in various locations from brunch spots to breweries, selling flowers by the stem. Year-round, we deliver fresh blooms to our monthly bouquet subscribers and do special events such as workshops, weddings, and parties!
We are known for our “green truck” Watson. She is really one-of-a-kind. Our business is based on trying to change the way people view flowers. We don’t believe flowers are just for special occasions and apologies. We think flowers are for every day and everybody. We love seeing people build a bouquet “just because”. Being a part of that change is exciting…and being a part of something that makes people happy, brings color to a home, and is effortlessly beautiful is our favorite part of the business.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Completing our first truck season and wanting to do it again was a big milestone! Our first flower subscriber who found us by “googling” was pretty great too! And finally, any time we are able to “fix” Watson by ourselves is quite the achievement!
Pricing:
- Flower Bouquet Subscriptions start at $30 per bouquet. You get a fresh, seasonal bouquet delivered to your door once or twice per month. (We don’t use Watson for deliveries… that’s too much driving for her big, old engine!)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bloombarcolorado.com/
- Phone: 720.893.0442
- Email: bloombarcolorado@gmail.com
- Instagram: @bloombarco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloombarco/
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