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Rachel Kesler, founder of A Bloom Bar, has turned a hobby into a business that not only fuels her passion for flowers but allows her to work with other local businesses.
Photo: Darren Iozia | Journal-CourierRachel Kesler, founder of A Bloom Bar, has turned a hobby into a business that not only fuels her passion for flowers but allows her to work with other local businesses.
Rachel Kesler, founder of A Bloom Bar, has turned a hobby into a business that not only fuels her passion for flowers but allows her to work with other local businesses.
Rachel Kesler, founder of A Bloom Bar, has turned a hobby into a business that not only fuels her passion for flowers but allows her to work with other local businesses.
Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Jacksonville native Rachel Kesler carries with her a positive attitude.
Taking a glass-half-full approach, Kesler decided to use the free time she had by staying at home and social distancing to turn a hobby into a business.
That business, A Bloom Bar, is a do-it-yourself flower shop that offer succulents, handmade pots and vases that are mostly made or donated by local businesses and residents.
“People bring me the coolest stuff,” Kesler said. “We have old, glass vases that women have stored for years. They don’t want them, but they don’t want to throw them out either.”
Kesler’s hobby was inspired by her travels, when she saw how people would sell flowers in the streets of Paris.
“They were all so beautiful,” she said. “People would just walk up, pick what they wanted and take them — everything was so fresh.”
Since then, including while living in Chicago, she would have small pop-up events for people to attend and make their own arrangements — duplicating what she saw in Europe.
“This basically allowed me to form my business plan,” she said of renting small, temporary spaces in Chicago.
Moving back to Jacksonville, Kesler set up small pop-up stands at businesses such as Our Town Books, Jax Yoga and Home Girls Boutique Shopping and Retail during the city’s First Friday events.
“They were self-service stands,” she said.
However, as the stands grew, Kesler found herself hauling inventory a lot.
“I was hauling flowers around from the basement,” she said.
Then the pandemic hit; for Kesler, it was a perfect time to redirect her plans.
“I do think it helped because it gave me an opportunity to keep going and take a break at the same time,” Kesler said.
Kesler has been renovating a family-owned building at 1121 Veterans Drive to turn it into a permanent place for her business while keeping everything local.
“I can use locally grown flowers,” she said.
The store has limited hours as the business grows, though it also will be impacted by cooler weather. Her next public pop-up event is scheduled for Oct. 3.
“I would like to expand my hours at some point,” she said.
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September 24, 2020 at 04:29PM
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Do-it-yourself flower shop blossoms amid pandemic - Jacksonville Journal-Courier
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