The Novel Bloom

09/25/2026

Its going to be a busy day today!

FILL A TRAY FRIDAY! 20% OFF 4 DRINKS!

Stop in and grab a coffee, cocktail(4-9p), bouquet, and/or a new witchy book!

Open today 8a-9p

09/25/2026

Our 2nd/13th anniversary celebration is coming up October 2nd and 3rd, so I thought it would be fun to make a series called '13  things i've learned over the last 13 years.' Follow along!

3. You cannot make everyone happy.

I spent way too much time learning this one.

A few examples:

Your prices are too high.

Your prices are too low.

Your hours are inconvenient.

You didn’t message back within 5 minutes about something that can literally be found anywhere else… like our hours.

You didn’t recreate the floral arrangement to look exactly like the AI-generated photo.

You added one too many cubes of ice to my drink.

Expectation is a wild thing. And social media definitely doesn’t help.

I try really hard to be transparent — both in person and online — but everyone perceives things differently. What feels obvious to one person can feel completely different to someone else.

13 years in, and I still sometimes struggle with the idea that The Novel Bloom (and me) are not everyone’s cup of tea.

And you know what?

That’s okay.

Because trying to make everyone happy would mean constantly changing who we are, what we offer, and what we stand for.

And I’m finally learning that I’d rather be deeply loved by the people who get it than constantly chasing the approval of people who don’t.

09/24/2026

Our 2nd/13th anniversary celebration is coming up October 2nd and 3rd, so I thought it would be fun to make a series called '13 things i've learned over the last 13 years.' Follow along!

2. Putting out fires is a business skill.

I think that’s the actual definition of owning a biz. Constantly putting out fires, fixing problems, making quick decisions, and figuring s**t out as you go.

Things will go wrong. Plans will change. Something will break five minutes before you need it. And boy did I learn that as a wedding florist. Eventually, you just learn to take a breath, figure out what needs to happen next, and handle it.

I’ve learned that being a good business owner isn’t about preventing every problem—it’s about knowing how to handle the ones you can’t prevent. And honestly, I’ve gotten really damn good at putting out fires. 🔥

Can any of my fellow business owners relate?

Video circa 2021

09/23/2026

Not your neighborhood book dealer with 2 boxes of THRESHING DAY! 😉

AVAILABLE TUESDAY 9/29

09/23/2026

09/23/2026

Our 2nd/13th anniversary celebration is coming up October 2nd and 3rd, so I thought it would be fun to make a series called '13 things i've learned over the last 13 years.' Follow along!

1. You will outgrow the business you started.

13 years ago, I purchased River Valley Designs. It was a 20 year old flower shop. A turn-key business. I purchased the building and the 'blue sky'. I was only 19 years old, and I didn't know what I didn't know. And sometimes, I think that was for the best. At 218 Main street, I found myself. I grew up. I learned grit, determination, integrity, and courage. I had more embarrasing, humbling, exhausting moments than I can count.

For years, I thought growing a business meant making the business I started bigger.

But somewhere around 2022, I realized I didn't actually want to make that business bigger. I had changed. My ideas had changed. What I wanted my days to look like had changed. And honestly, the business had started to feel like a version of me that I had already outgrown.

So after putting 10 years into the same business: I started over.

River Valley Designs became The Novel Bloom.

It wasn't just a new name and a new sign. It was letting go of a lot of things that were familiar and giving myself permission to build something that felt more like me—flowers, books, coffee, cocktails, creativity, community, and a whole lot of things I never could have imagined when I started 13 years ago.

Rebranding wasn't starting over from nothing.

It was taking everything I'd learned, everything I'd built, and everything I'd become—and finally letting the business flourish!

And I think that's one of the hardest parts of owning a business: realizing that success doesn't always mean continuing down the same path.

Sometimes it means being brave enough to make a new one.

If you ask me if I would do it over again?

100 times yes.

09/20/2026

HOCO orders this past week! Still time to order for this coming weekend!

Thank you to all of those who ordered from surrounding school districts!

09/20/2026

Happy Sunday!

09/19/2026

Rainy days are for book browsing...and flights! Stop in today for both!

Open 8a-9p[bar hours 4-9]

09/18/2026

Extra special birthday arrangements with blooms harvested this morning!