Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie-Louise Hatem.
Hi Marie-Louise, 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?
My mom Sophie, started working in florals a little over 13 years ago! After about a year of starting her company La-Joy in 2007, which was also an event floral and decor business, my parents decided to move to Lebanon, she had to pause her dreams of owning her own shop. While we were in Lebanon, my mom started a business, that was also in the event and decor field, but not specifically florals, but yet again not long after she had settled and started building her clientele, they had decided to move back to CLE, and yet again she had to close shop and relocate.
We had been back in Cleveland for about 3 years when we all started encouraging her to start getting back into the floral industry. At this time, I was a junior in high school and was not really involved in any of this business, since I was focused on my school work. After a lot of convincing, my mom finally decided to start working again, she slowly started getting back into it by doing small events here and there for family members and friends, from a small at-home studio. And just like that So Bloom started, in hopes that this time she would be able to see it through!
She started using websites like Wedding Wire and The Knot (which are now one company) to advertise and reach a wider audience. As more and more clients started reaching out, and as our inventory started growing, we decided it was finally time to look into finding a space. During this time, I was about to graduate college and was planning on taking some time off before starting my master’s program. So, I had the time to be a bit more involved and help my mom out with her business. I feel like I have always been drawn to this line of work or this specific field of “event life”, I had previously worked as an assistant wedding photographer, as well as a cake consultant at a local bakery, so I felt like helping with my mom with floral and decor work would be the best thing for me to do while I was on my educational break.
After a while of looking for the perfect space, we finally found the perfect spot for the So Bloom showroom and workspace. It needed a lot of work, but my dad was able to transform the area and it is the absolute perfect spot for us for now! Once we had the space, we felt like we needed to grow our business further and reach people outside our circle, which is when we decided to take part in the Today’s Bride Bridal Show. Being a part of the Today’s Bride Family really helped us grow and get our name in the field and meet other vendors. Since then, we have grown so much and learned so much, and have been able to broaden our work abilities. We have been able to collaborate with amazing vendors and work with really great and awesome people!
While I take care of all the logistics such as social media, emails, consultations, designs, etc… Sophie is the artist behind all the physical work that makes all the ideas come to life. We work really well together and complement each other’s abilities, and we really cannot do it without each other, it is surprising to many how well we get along and work together as mother and daughter, but I love it and wouldn’t change it for anything! My dad and brother also help us a lot! My dad is a creative mind that is able to build and help with any construction needs! Most of our rentals, such as backdrop walls arches, etc… are all handcrafted by him! And my brother is always ready to help when it comes to setting up and taking down! So, you can safely say that we are a very family-oriented business. But with that being said, we have 5 So Bloom employees that we love and appreciate and have also become a part of our So Bloom family, and we hope this family keeps growing!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think for the most part we’ve been blessed and it has been a smooth road for us. Opening and starting any new business can have its struggles, and I think we faced any struggles a new business owner would face, but nothing out of the ordinary. In general, it can be a very stressful process because this isn’t a regular 9-to-5 job it’s technically a 24-hour nonstop job, and I think I can speak for both Sophie and me, it sometimes feels like it’s nonstop and we can’t get away from all the “So Blooming”, because we feel like we need to consistently be hustling and improving to make a name for ourselves in the industry. So, Bloom has become our “baby” and we just want to see it succeed.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
So, Bloom is an Event Floral and Decor business, while we do take custom arrangement orders, we are more known for our event work. We can do anything floral from A to Zill. We also offer different decor rental options such as backdrops, walls, arches, champagne walls, mirrors, and so much more! This is why we encourage our brides to come in for consultations because it is so nice for them to see our showroom with everything, we offer displayed! We have also started to do resin floral preservation which is a great way to preserve your wedding florals after your wedding!
I think I am proud of how eager and ready we are to take on events or projects that may be challenging for us, we don’t like to say no, so we will do anything and everything it takes to fulfill what our clients have asked. The feeling of being able to accomplish the requests that we were worried about is the best because we can prove to ourselves that we are capable and that nothing is too hard or out of reach when we set our mind to it!
I think something that sets us apart from others is our mix of American and Lebanese styles. I hadn’t noticed that until we received many compliments about how unique and different our work is, as well as when a family friend made a comment and said that we stand out because we have meshed two different styles and cultures almost, which is bringing unique and new ideas that have not really been seen. This comment stuck with me and makes me very happy, it makes me feel like in some way we are bringing in that middle eastern touch to the event scene in CLE!
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We work with many different vendors; planners, photographers, entertainment people, venues, etc… we refer them and they refer us! We love having those connections, and we love being able to recommend and tell our clients about these amazing people we work with and know are helpful and great at what they do. These connections open so many doors and building these connections really makes you feel a part of the EVENT industry/world.
We collaborate with many different vendors for different styled shoots! Styled shoots are very fun because we are all able to showcase our work and work together to put together mock events so clients have a chance to see what we are capable of and what we can do and provide for them. These styled shoots are great because we have free range and can be very creative with what we present! This is also a great way to build connections and meet new people in the field!
Contact Info:
- Email: sobloomcle@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sobloom/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sobloomcle
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sobloomcle?_d=secCgsIARCbDRgBIAIoARI%2BCjzjwp8sQwx02P6YZu5%2FkJ6LVc7dJoRnZs61wgdDG1tTlcg5VXuPvgYCbPadbDgUHRjNy54O%2BKYqUn4jbO0aAA%3D%3D&language=en&sec_uid=MS4wLjABAAAAM2HCjJfoYWkwMHSq2qkEaHtdcY15NYM7xYPzDNourCJme2INVOZEK6PbmytrhPOp&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAM2HCjJfoYWkwMHSq2qkEaHtdcY15NYM7xYPzDNourCJme2INVOZEK6PbmytrhPOp&share_author_id=6900600077769999365&share_link_id=A9D5CAC9-6D8F-4637-B0AC-65F04E9207D8&tt_from=copy&u_code=dfk8b7b3hh7ig8&user_id=6900600077769999365&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&source=h5_m&_r=1
