First & Bloom

First & Bloom Local, Sustainable, and Beautiful Flowers

Visit www.firstandbloom.com First & Bloom specializes in American grown flowers.

Premium quality flowers, custom design every time, eco-friendly practices, excellence in service. Primary serving Issaquah, Sammamish, and Bellevue areas but please reach out for special requests in the Seattle area. Also, follow our blog, This Country Life at http://www.firstandbloom.com/this-country-life

Tulips in Portland 🌷 These gorgeous, get well tulips shipped yesterday and arrived today. Want to send flowers to someon...
04/03/2024

Tulips in Portland 🌷 These gorgeous, get well tulips shipped yesterday and arrived today. Want to send flowers to someone special and help me with a new product test? 🙋‍♀️ Don't forget! I'm offering an amazing deal on First & Bloom right now. $35 + tax + delivery, and I'll ship local tulips like these, two bunches. These beauties are grown by in Preston, WA.
#

Happy Monday, everyone! 💫 Today, I had a brief but eventful visit from my friend .flowers. In preparation for her upcomi...
03/26/2024

Happy Monday, everyone! 💫 Today, I had a brief but eventful visit from my friend .flowers. In preparation for her upcoming sustainable farewell workshop with .creative, she and I ventured into the woods behind my house for moss. It's hard to see in the picture, but I'm showing my muddy leg and elbow. While crossing a small creek bed, I slipped on the mud and fell in. 🤣 It was a rather comical sight. I was grabbing brush, and Lori was pulling me up with a stick. We had a good laugh! Florists will go to any length to get the good stuff! 😉 Also, Lori brought me these beautiful daffodils from her yard, which are now behind my kitchen sink in a vase.

Shipped Tulips Deal! 🌷 Earlier this week, I posted tulips grown by that were shipped to the east coast. Good news! They...
03/23/2024

Shipped Tulips Deal! 🌷 Earlier this week, I posted tulips grown by that were shipped to the east coast. Good news! They arrived beautifully and on time. Several responded and wanted to help me familiarize myself with this new shipping process by purchasing tulips of their own. Thank you!!!
I'm ready... Next week, I can ship this beautiful buttery-yellow variety called Verona. For $35, you'll receive 2 bunches of local tulips - a smoking good deal! (Some of you might think this deal is crazy... yes, crazy good and will probably not be so low again. Remember, this is about me learning a new process!) You'll need to pay for the shipping and select the 2-day shipping or less. I can't control the shipping costs, but I can tell you the discounts on shipping are around 70%. ---- > follow the link above. 👆
Then, I'll ship the flowers out Mon, Tue, or Wed., only. I cannot make any guarantee on the exact date of arrival. I'm at the mercy of the shipping carriers.
Lastly, all I ask is to let me know when they arrive and perhaps a picture of what they look like after fully hydrated. This helps with quality control and my anxiety levels!
Thank you so much for your willingness to help... if all goes well, I'll be expanding my online shipping collection soon. Please reach out with any questions. 😘

Spring, where are you? 🌷 I have turned into a bit of a hermit these days. It's Quincy who pulls me out. He actually anno...
03/08/2024

Spring, where are you? 🌷 I have turned into a bit of a hermit these days. It's Quincy who pulls me out. He actually annoys me until I relent and put my coat on to venture outside. What gets you outside?

Now that I've spilled the beans on my plans, I want to share some of the results received from last week's unofficial su...
03/06/2024

Now that I've spilled the beans on my plans, I want to share some of the results received from last week's unofficial survey.  
Biz Tip💡 Always keep customer top of mind.  Ask questions and listen to their experiences.  Brands that go deeper and self-reflect generate more loyalty and long-term customers!
This survey was active for about four days.  Sharing it on social, in Facebook groups, and with friends, I'm pretty pleased with 52 participants!  Thank you so much for those who took my survey.  It was so unbelievably helpful and very insightful.  I'll eventually share more of the results, but these three pie charts caught my attention in a big way.  It's clear there's opportunity for fresh flowers on Amazon and sustainability is top of mind.  Stay tuned for more! 💐 (sorry if the font is small on image)

Part 3 👉 For years, I've been wanting to make an impact on the floral industry in a big way. Let's jump right into it. M...
03/05/2024

Part 3 👉 For years, I've been wanting to make an impact on the floral industry in a big way. Let's jump right into it. My second major goal for 2024 is to launch a USA grown and sustainable product line on both Amazon and my brand site. Not everyone is going to be ok with this concept, and I accept that reality.  
While I don't have exact numbers, with certainty, I can tell you millions upon millions of fresh flowers are sold on Amazon every year. Entire companies are dedicated to selling exclusively on Amazon and making millions. If you weren't aware of the magnitude of flowers sold on Amazon, shop "fresh flowers" and you'll see what pops up. The vast majority of these flowers are imported.  I believe the 230 million Amazon users in the United States should have the option to choose between imported flowers and domestic. 💐 Unbeknownst to the average Amazon customer, they choose from the selection available to them.  It's just like any other major grocery store or online retailer. I call this the "mainstream." You know when people say they've never seen the flowers you're selling before? That's because they see the same 10-15 varieties of flowers at grocery stores, Costco, FTD, Teleflora, and so on.  It's just like that on Amazon.  I believe all customers have the right and desire to know their options.  By entering the "mainstream" flower market of major retailers, only then can the local and sustainable floral communities chip away at the unbalanced majority of imported flowers sold in the US every year. 
It's taken me a long time to come around to this concept, but I'm finally here and fully committed.  I have worried a lot about what some people would think of this decision and my choice to sell on Amazon.  I'm here to tell you that I'm an Amazon customer.  Amazon is not all bad, and I take the negative and positive with a grain of salt. If this bothers you, it might be a good time to unfollow me now because I need all the love, support, and positive energy imaginable from today forward. 
Again, thanks to all my supporters and followers. Please send me your 💪 !!!

Sunshine came in the form of purple, double tulips today. My 💜 melted when I picked up these beauties from . They are s...
03/01/2024

Sunshine came in the form of purple, double tulips today. My 💜 melted when I picked up these beauties from . They are so gorgeous! I kept one bunch for myself and gave another to a friend who had a double mastectomy this week.
Did you know tulips are excellent shippers? Kept cool, they need no water for days. When you cut the stems and add to fresh water, they will perk right up. Tulips also react to sunlight. I have never used any of the tricks associated with tulips. Give them fresh clean water and let their personalities shine!
#🌷

Part 2 | Yesterday, I gave a brief recap of the last ten years of First & Bloom.  Now, it's time to share some exciting ...
03/01/2024

Part 2 | Yesterday, I gave a brief recap of the last ten years of First & Bloom.  Now, it's time to share some exciting news about how I've evolved.  I decided there's going to need to be a Part 3... 
If you know me, you know I love e-commerce.  Having a strong background in online retail, I understand how websites work and how customers respond to them.  I built my last three sites and have worked with several different platforms and even attempted to build a mobile app that evolved into a proof-of-concept marketplace (on Shopify). One thing I am not is a coder.  It's not entirely necessary anymore.  Most websites for small business can operate and function very well on many of the mainstream platforms seen today. In fact, Covid pushed these platforms to remarkable levels, enabling the small business owner to achieve amazing self-sufficiency. A website is like virtual real estate.  It puts a stake in the ground, sort of speaking.  It's the customers' first impression and should operate smoothly, even if it's simple. More than ever, the backend mechanics of a site are crucial. Backlinks, SEO, and how a site is discovered on search engines are very important. Thinking like the customer is critical. Every decision I make puts the customer first.  It doesn't mean I don't set boundaries for myself, but customer experience is crucial for the longevity of any business.
Last fall, I made some really big discoveries about how I wanted to evolve in 2024.  One, I found I love helping other small business owners.  I am an entrepreneur to the core. I love new business ideas and figuring out how to make them grow. I've made a lot of mistakes in my past and want to help influence business owners to make fewer.  Failure is inevitable, but it's what is learned from failure that takes a business to the next level.  So, I've been doing business consulting the last few months and LOVE it!!  I've helped revamp two fellow flower friend's sites and have three more businesses on the horizon.  If you are interested in learning more... reach out!!  I would love to talk more! 
Final words to part 2 in the comments below... couldn't squeeze it all in. 😁

Hey there! It's me, Tammy Myers, the owner of First & Bloom. It's been a minute and time to reintroduce myself. Launchi...
02/28/2024

Hey there! It's me, Tammy Myers, the owner of First & Bloom. It's been a minute and time to reintroduce myself. Launching a decade ago (yes!), I've seen a lot of change within the industry. I've seen many advances in how flowers distribute within retail and wholesale channels and how customers are sourcing their flowers. More unique varieties of flowers are popping up in grocery stores, typically only available through the professionals and at far cheaper prices, too. It's hard being a florist. In fact, it sometimes feels like everyone is their own florist with so many DIY tutorials and influencers sharing ideas. What hasn't changed; though, are some of the institutionalized practices the floral industry will not let go of.
I've been a local and sustainable florist since 2015. One day, while working on flowers for my son's preschool holiday party, I realized I was cutting floral foam on my kitchen counter with a bread knife. Rubbing my fingers together, I noticed a dry film on my hands from a foreign substance after processing flowers with no idea of their source. I had an epiphany. After that, I never wanted to use floral foam again and know where my flowers came from. Since then, I've maintained my promise to sell primarily USA grown product and built a reputation within my community for unique, high quality, and organic designs. I also don't use any preservatives in water, as proper processing and temperature control is key to long-lasting florals. While I've covered almost everything in floristry, I slowly learned my true passion was local delivery. I love the quick turnaround of ordering flowers online and over the phone. As much as I stress about big holidays like Valentine's Day, I love the rush of business.
Outside of work, I'm a country girl at heart. I live with my family in the Snoqualmie Valley, an active volunteer for my son's soccer club, an occasional gardener, love sunsets, a diehard coffee drinker, and my all-time favorite drink is a lemon drop shot. I am a huge country music fan, and if I have to choose between fun with friends and chores, I'll likely choose the friends!

Stay tuned for Part 2.... Tammy's 2024 plans. 😘

Friends, I'd love your help!  I have some questions about shipped flowers.  Would you take my quick survey (only 15 ques...
02/26/2024

Friends, I'd love your help!  I have some questions about shipped flowers.  Would you take my quick survey (only 15 questions)? 
I firmly believe customer feedback and perspective are some of the most valuable information a business can obtain when it comes to creating longevity and loyalty within a company. While it might be hard for a business owner to read at times, the customer's opinion means everything! 
These questions can apply to anyone whether they have shipped flowers or not. Having not shipped flowers before is just as important! Thank you so much! I very much appreciate your perspective. 😘

Yes, I will absorb every second of sun I can get today! 🌞 What a winter's day!
02/22/2024

Yes, I will absorb every second of sun I can get today! 🌞 What a winter's day!

The funeral industry. 😔 I'm sharing one of the best posts I've seen in a while with a bold, in your face kind of reali...
02/22/2024

The funeral industry. 😔 I'm sharing one of the best posts I've seen in a while with a bold, in your face kind of reality. It happens to be posted by my dear florist friend .flowers. No one wants to go through the reality of a funeral. It's painful, traumatic, and incredibly personal.
Did you know 60% of my daily deliveries were for sympathy arrangements? 60%!!!!! Not only was it incredibly rewarding, but funeral work has a massive market share in the floral industry rarely addressed. It sort of goes unnoticed. I've heard florists say many times that it's too sensitive of a topic; too close to the heart. Yes, I understand that and can totally sympathize. I've heard florists say they love getting to know their couples' stories. Along the same lines, it's equally special to celebrate the life of someone who lived an incredible life. Honestly, I rarely talked to the people who ordered sympathy flowers. It was much like all other orders if the site was set up right. Remember, it's a sensitive topic for the person ordering the flowers, too.
However, I took GREAT comfort and pride in knowing I helped that family go through a difficult situation with ease and honor. Making a beautiful design and providing them a smooth process is what was needed and wanted. Additionally, funeral arrangements usually require minimal coordination. It's a quick turnaround and can be as profitable as a wedding without the year or months of planning. That doesn't mean there's exploitation or corruption involved. By florists not leaning into this ignored line of floristry, it's contributing to the powerful leverage manufacturers of floral foams, importers, and online retailers have.
I highly encourage florists to learn more about funeral floristry and here's the perfect opportunity!! Lori Poliski has been doing this work for years and deep dived into the world of funerals at a process level. How the industry works is as important as how to create a beautiful and sustainable casket spray. Together with Alicia Schwede of .creative, they have created a fantastic day-long workshop focused entirely on funerals. I'll post the class details in my comments. 💗

Address

123 No Public Location/sorry
Issaquah, WA
98027

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14254454614

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when First & Bloom posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to First & Bloom:

Shortcuts

Share

Category