Lindsay Page, right, and Jenny Passavant work on arrangements during their first week in their new Bloom Waco storefront on Washington Avenue.
Bloom Waco got its official start in September at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market, and will continue to operate there.
Lindsay Page works on a flower arrangement at Bloom Waco's booth at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market. The shop recently added a storefront at 1124 Washington Ave.
Lindsay Page works on flower arrangement in Bloom Waco's new shop. At 400 square feet, it is the smallest of the new shops in the former Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home building on Washington Avenue.
Lindsay Page, left, and Jenny Passavant are both natives of the Waco area, and their new Bloom Waco focuses on offering locally grown flowers.
Jenny Passavant, left, and Lindsay Page are both natives of the Waco area, and their new Bloom Waco focuses on offering locally grown flowers.
Bloom Waco got its official start in September at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market, and will continue to operate there.
Lindsay Page, left, and Jenny Passavant work on arrangements during their first week in their new Bloom Waco storefront on Washington Avenue.
Lindsay Page works on a flower arrangement at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market. Her Bloom Waco shop will continue to operate at the farmers market after recently opening a storefront on Washington Avenue.
Jenny Passavant traded the country life in China Spring for the world of high fashion in the Big Apple, designing denim looks for the Ralph Lauren brand and soaking up all New York had to offer socially and professionally.
But her roots and those of best friend Lindsay Page remain in Central Texas, so here is where they are growing a business from the ground up called Bloom Waco. They will sell flowers wholesale and retail, relying on three local growers and an importer to assist in pursuing that sweet smell of success.
They started small, displaying product at Waco Downtown Farmers Market on Saturdays and cultivating a clientele. Now home base is 400 square feet at The Market at Washington Avenue, a smattering of shops at 1124 Washington Ave. The site for decades served as home to the Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home.
Nearby is Mighty Wind Worship Center, where Jenny and Lindsay got to know each other as toddlers attending church services with their families.
"It's a cool building," Passavant said. "There are several small shops here, with clothing, a hair salon, a beer-and-wine place. We're the smallest."
Passavant and Page returned to China Spring last year, Passavant having spent 11 years in New York, where she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, specializing in menswear design. She would serve an internship at Ralph Lauren before joining the company as a denim designer.
Between assignments, she met and later married Jon, a model whose portfolio includes shots for fragrance and fashion brands including Armani, Estee Lauder, Christian Dior and, like Jenny, Ralph Lauren. His image appeared in GQ, Vogue and Esquire magazines.
But Jon Passavant was an entrepreneur at heart, having joined a fellow model and friend in opening men's accessories shops in New York and London.
He was hired last year as CEO for Hustle, Start Up Waco's one-stop shop for would-be and fledgling business owners needing work space, professional advice and possibly financing to get their dreams rolling.
Jenny Passavant said her husband has been an invaluable resource as she and Page moved from concept to grand opening of Waco Bloom.
"He has been our behind-the-scenes champion," she said.
But the seed began to germinate on the streets of New York.
"Lindsay worked in Dallas and Memphis, so we both were coming from cities with so much going on from a creative arts standpoint," Jenny Passavant said. "In New York, there were flowers everywhere. Every shop had flowers. You could buy fresh flowers on the way home, on the way to work. When I moved back, I immediately noticed there were no places to buy fresh flowers. I felt as if there was a pretty clear hole in the flower scene."
Though not necessarily knocking offerings at H-E-B and local floral shops, Passavant said prices are fine at the grocery chain, "but the selection is quite poor, and you're not going to see anything creative or unique."
With a relatively small number of local florists, prices for for smaller arrangements of fewer than 12 flowers are high, and Bloom Waco plans to bring some competition to the table.
Passavant said Bloom Waco hopes to offer the best of both worlds, having signed with four local operations to establish a supply chain: Franklin Buds and Blooms, with locations in Woodway and Valley Mills; Orchard Hollow Farm in Moody; Hoover House Farms in Valley Mills; and Wolfe Wholesale Florist a flower importer in Waco.
They will become an abundant source of sunflowers, snapdragons, daffodils, sweet peas, tulips, larkspur, zinnias, poppies "and 50 more varieties I can't name off the top of my head," she said with a laugh.
"Stop in and shop, make a bouquet as big or as small as you want. Pick out a vase, and you can do your own arranging. One of us will be here to help," Passavant said. "We are considering a larger delivery service, and we have a subscription model. If you want flowers once a month, every other week or once a week, we'll make sure you get them. We dream of having a van or a truck, but an SUV works just fine for now. We also would consider pop-up locations, but we'll see how spring works for us first."
Now, during the cold holiday season, the shop is preparing wreaths, garlands and "Christmasy" bouquets, having secured pine and cedar from East Texas, fir from Wolfe Wholesale Florist.
Passavant said securing materials from local sources if possible "is part of our brand and mission."
Many florists secure product from a worldwide wholesale market, "which is a good thing and a not-so-good thing," she said.
"That means you can get beautiful flowers that wouldn't normally grow here," Passavant said. "But our prices are better, and our growers are accessible."
She said a trendy price locally is $75 to $95 for an arrangement.
"Ours start at $65, including the vessel," Passavant said.
Bloom Waco will rely on Waco-based Black Oak Art to make vases available. She said the shop looks forward to working with brides, wedding planners, event planners, and even parents wanting to surprise students with a small bouquet.
Passavant said she and her husband were pregnant with their third child when they moved back to China Spring from New York last year.
"It's hard enough being in the city with two," she said. "Waco came at a perfect time. I'm so grateful my parents are still living here. Having a family is so important. I miss the restaurants, the shopping in New York, but I'm so glad I'm not there. This has always been home."
The shop is open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. The team will continue selling at Waco Downtown Farmers Market on Saturdays.
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December 06, 2020 at 05:19AM
https://wacotrib.com/business/local/new-flower-shop-focusing-on-blooms-with-waco-roots/article_5faa4b10-359b-11eb-88d5-2ba6b61ccf12.html
New flower shop focusing on blooms with Waco roots - Waco Tribune-Herald
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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