Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Bookout.
Hi Ashley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2015 I was working as a paralegal for a corporation in Charlotte, NC. I had a passion for flowers and dreamed of opening my own florist. I started providing flowers for friends and family and jumped into doing events on the side while still working full time. At the end of the summer (2015) a friend from high school contacted me about an opening in her building. I immediately jumped into the conversation and negotiated a lease for a ‘open-air’ market style location in South-End Charlotte. Being from Charlotte, I knew that the area was up and coming and I was excited to see what would come. I open ‘Bookout Blooms’ flower shop in October of 2015. As the next few years went by I gained clients and worked many weddings, funerals and corporate events learning and growing along the way. In 2017 the land lord informed everyone that the space would be renovated and we would all be pushed out. I knew that there was no going back and that I was meant to own my own florist. I spoke to the leasing team and negotiated a long term lease in the building next to where it all started. Since then we have grown our business to one of the top florist in Charlotte, NC employing dozens of team members. Some of our services include subscription services, funerals, weddings, corporate events and workshops.
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?
In 2017 we had just opened out business and had many clients when the landlord told us that our space would be developed and we were to move out. This was a scary time but with faith we were able to negotiate another space in the same area -what a relief. Also, finding good employees is always a struggle- finding people that have floral knowledge as well as retail experience is very complicated.
Operating during the covid pandemic was another challenge. Many weddings were canceled and large scale events had to be scaled down. We stayed open (the only store in the building that remained open) and pivoted to more daily delivery and everyday arrangements.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Our Shop Bookout Blooms is a full service florist studio located in South End, Charlotte. We specialize in everyday flower delivery, in store shopping and full scale events. We have a unique ‘on trend’ style that you do not see at other florist or grocery store arrangements. We are also very proud of our customer service and care we take in each and every flower delivery. We have worked hard for our 4.9 star rating on google.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
The biggest risk was taking on our lease while the whole area was under construction. The area of South End Charlotte was up and coming when we first started and when we moved into our studio the entire area (including the parking lot) was under construction -also there is no outside signage. For several years during construction it was difficult to even get into the building but we made sure to put ourselves out there and book events to keep revenue going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bookoutblooms.com
- Instagram: bookoutblooms
- Facebook: bookoutblooms
