January 27, 2006

Retail Roundup

Longtime Evergreen florist Cathy Gonzales finds a new home on the Web

Blossoms and Bows owner takes shop out of friendly Evergreen
confines, now does business via the Internet

By Diego Abeloos
Editor

For 25 years, Cathy Gonzales and her flower shop, Blossoms and Bows, called Evergreen home.

(from left) Blossoms and Bows employee Debra Hawkins and owner Cathy Gonzales have a new home on the Internet at www.blossomsnbows.com. Gonzales started her business in 1980 at the Evergreen Plaza, located on the corner of Aborn and White Roads.

Located in the Evergreen plaza, on the corner of Aborn and White roads, Blossoms and Bows became a common stop for bouquet-seeking shoppers over those 25 years, said Gonzales, 52, boasting a loyal customer base of more than 700 people to date.

But as of Nov. 1 of 2005, Gonzales has found a new home, both for her shop itself and for conducting business, on the Internet at www.blossomsnbows.com.

Gonzales moved her shop to a new location, at the Tully Business Center, located on the corner of Tully Road and Zachary Way, with the idea that her shop would serve as a floral hub for local Internet sales.

“From doing a lot of research, I found that a lot of people do Internet sales now,” Gonzales said. “Because of that, I felt that we just weren’t selling enough flowers and our business wasn’t producing as much to cover the large rent that we had in the retail center.”

For Gonzales, a career in the floral business was not at the forefront of her mind when she opened her shop in 1980. Fast-forward to 25 years later and armed with a new business plan, Gonzales is serenely at ease in this phase of her life and career.

“It was a 10-year plan,” Gonzales said of opening her own shop. “I had a son who was going to kindergarten and I thought that 10 years was about what I’d do. …Ten led on to ten more, and now with this new change with the business, I figure I’ll be here for a while longer.”

Gonzales first had the idea of opening up her own flower shop in 1980 when she worked as a media clerk for the school library at Evergreen Elementary School. Having worked as a teenager for a florist, Gonzales always enjoyed making flower arrangements in her spare time.

Several teachers from the school encouraged her to open up her own shop, recognizing her talents as a potential florist, and coupled with the new Evergreen Plaza in the area, Gonzales decided to take the plunge.

“I had been doing flowers since I was in high school,” said Gonzales, who held a contest at the school for the naming of her newly opened shop in 1980. “It was a background that I had and I did weddings for people that asked, so I always just did these things on the side. The teachers saw how artistic I was…it was something that just came to me naturally.”

Now in her new surroundings and with lower overhead costs, Gonzales is looking to grow her business.

Florist Cathy Gonzales and her floral business, Blossoms and Bows, have been a part of the Evergreen landscape for the past 25 years. In November of 2005, Gonzales moved her shop from the Evergreen Plaza to the Tully Business Center and now conducts her business mainly online.

“Basically, what I like is the challenge of having to go out and build the business again,” said Gonzales of her new venture. “It’s kind of exciting to see what the Web site is going to do and what kind of business it’s going to bring in.”

Although her new space at the Tully Business Center is slightly larger, up from 1,200 square feet to 1,400 square feet, the shop’s work area has increased to 500 square feet, allowing Gonzales to take on projects larger in scale, as well as several projects at the same time.

In addition, the lower overhead costs of conducting business online have allowed Gonzales to put that extra savings back into continually updating her product. Gonzales now also offers gift baskets themed for several occasions, featuring items such as stuffed animals coupled with candy and flowers, while still offering the same traditional services of a flower shop, such as bouquets for every day occasions as well as weddings.

“People tend to want something different,” said Gonzales. “Gift baskets are fun.”

Still, despite the changes, floral arrangements will always be Gonzales’ bread and butter. Overall, the floral business still holds plenty of exciting and new challenges for Gonzales, even 25 years later.

“It’s just the fact that my job changes everyday,” said Gonzales. “It’s creation. The thing you create is different from the last time you did it. I very seldom take pictures of my work because I don’t want to do the same thing over again.
I like change.”

For more information on Blossoms and Bows, go to www.blossomsnbows.com.