Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Young.
Hi Rachael, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
RUNNING ON BLOOMS started with a vintage Volkswagen flower truck, and evolved into a brick & mortar floral shop and event space filled with party supplies and creative gifts. We are a full service flower shop and we also specialize in hosting aesthetic kids parties and selling unique gifts that you won’t find anywhere else (especially in rural Ohio).
I was visiting Nashville with my 3 kids for a wedding in summer of 2022, and we stumbled upon Amelia’s Flower Truck, an old Volkswagen truck someone was selling flowers out of. Long after we left Nashville, I found myself looking back at those pictures of my kids and their flowers. It was such a unique concept! I was actually doing freelance work for a local florist at the time, so I was already researching the floral industry. I started looking on Facebook Marketplace for old Volkswagens, and that’s when I found Bonny. I offered to buy the flower truck for the florist, since I knew nothing about flowers, but she was not interested in running a flower truck. I still couldn’t get the idea out of my head, so we went to buy the truck.
Bonny was a red, rough around the edges, 1964 Volkswagen Transporter. She was parked in an old barn, and hadn’t been running for quite some time. The seller helped us get her started, and we set off on one of my wildest rides to date! The transmission was absolutely trashed. The manual brakes would only stop as hard as I could press my foot onto the pedal. Anytime I got under 10 mph, the truck stalled. Going around a roundabout, the truck stalled. Going into third gear, the truck stalled. It was something! We had to make it to the title shop and then home, and we did, but barely!
Garret, software engineer by day, bought a Volkswagen manual and became a mechanic by necessity. He has, over time, completely rebuilt Bonny’s engine and systems. We contacted a local paint shop, and dropped Bonny off to be painted white. Fun Fact: Bonny was originally white when she came out of the factory in Germany in 1964! This took over a year, and in the meantime we found ourselves missing our Volkswagen, so we ended up buying another. I won Betti in an online auction, and had her shipped from Colorado. Betti is a white Type 2, the year a little unclear (she’s got parts from both Germany and Brazil). Her engine came ready to go, and we did our first couple events with a Flower Bus instead of a Flower Truck.
Liberty Center, a local shopping center, contacted us to see if we’d be interested in opening a pop-up shop. We said no for many months, but after doing a few Flower Bus events on site, we became interested. When they offered us our current location, we went for it! It was a complete renovation, as the space was empty and just drywall. It took the summer of 2023 to get set up, and by fall 2023, we were officially open!
Alright, 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?
I had a ton of learning to do about the floral industry in the beginning. Learning about each flower and the required care took me about a year to get comfortable. I was an Art Director at Apple prior to starting Running on Blooms, so the art/design part of floristry came easily to me, but the business side (still) does not.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We specialize in designer floral arrangements that utilize every dollar of a customer’s budget. Pricing by the stem allows us to know exactly what goes into each arrangement, and we don’t have to stick to traditional floral recipes.
We also focus on kids, where traditional florists do not. It was important to me that my kids were included in my business. My kids, ages 10, 8, and 5, help me choose things to go into the shop. We host aesthetic kids’ birthday parties and workshops with a flower focus. This has turned our space into a creative community space for all.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
So far, I think the biggest lesson for me, has been patience. I wanted to open and have my shelves filled and everything perfectly decorated, but I ran out of money pretty quickly. That first year really sucked the life out of our family funds too and it took the second year to recover. I wish I would have gone slower and added pieces as time went on, instead of taking out a loan and going to town. The shop has always looked nice and full, but I am now much more patient in year three.
Pricing:
- Average flower order: $80
- Kids Party: $499
- Adult Party: $599
Contact Info:
- Website: https://runningonblooms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningonblooms
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runningonblooms
