Bold & Beautiful.
We’ve been speaking with Emma, florist and owner of The Bloom Project in Leicester.
Hey, I’m Emma from The Bloom Project. I started my business back in 2018 after 5 years of working in flower shops. I felt inspired by other young entrepreneurs I followed on Instagram and took the plunge by securing a business loan with Sir Thomas White Loan Charity. I had no family or friends who’d owned their own business or shop so I begged, borrowed and stole any guidance or advice I could to prepare myself – and it somehow worked out!
What is The Bloom Project?
The Bloom Project is a fun little flower shop on Queens Road in Clarendon Park, Leicester. We are known for our interesting and stylish bouquets, large range of houseplants and our wedding flower service. We deliver flowers across Leicester and Leicestershire and we also often travel further afield for weddings. We are a small but strong team of 2 florists; Lily and myself. We also have my mum, Sue, who is our delivery driver.
How is The Bloom Project different?
I’ve always been passionate about being the face of my business and making sure our customers know who they are supporting when making purchases. I have no ambition to open lots of branches of my business, as keeping the service personal and approachable is very important to me. I am business director, florist, manager, accountant, head of HR, administrator, delivery driver and many other things for the business and that’s why our customers will always get the best possible service from us. Lily and I adore our job and we are obsessed with new trends and furthering our skills. We are always scheming together to do something inspiring and creative.
What is your best seller at the moment?
We have made a name for ourselves when it comes to our gift bouquets. We balance style and colour, and our customers are always amazed at how long our flowers last. Other seasonal best sellers are our crazy Christmas wreaths. It’s great walking around Clarendon Park in the winter and spotting our bespoke wreaths.
What has been your biggest achievement up to now?
My biggest achievement was taking Lily on back in 2020. Surprisingly, the business flourished in lockdown and I couldn’t continue managing the shop alone. Lily has given me the push and support to venture into bigger weddings, and this year we’ve had our busiest year yet with over 40 weddings. My second biggest achievement was being able to buy my own home last year, something that I couldn’t have done without the success of the shop.
Are you local to Clarendon Park?
I’m originally from Aylestone, but I went to secondary school off Welford Road, making Clarendon Park our local hangout spot. It’s an amazing area for small businesses as the local community is very supportive and will always try to shop independent. You can speak to most people in Leicester and they would agree that Clarendon Park has a name for itself in the city. We have made lots of friends over the past 4 years and I am very grateful to be part of this community. To be one of the businesses that occupies a shop in the area will always be a pinch me moment.
What are some of your favourite local, independent businesses?
Where do I start?! I really love our niche businesses such as Graffwerk off Frog Island for my spray paints, Bitsy’s Emporium for amazing bites to eat, and Claws in Wigston for my insane nail art. I’m also a big fan of my fellow Clarendon Park businesses; Green & Pleasant, The Social Coffee Club, Martin Bros Pizzeria, Prettiez and The Verandah just to name a few!
