Tucked away in downtown Hattiesburg lies Blooms A Garden Shop, a family owned floral and retail space. Mother-daughter duo Joyce Hicks and Adrienne Hicks Garanich designed their business with God at the center and sentiment all around.  Blooms airs on the side of traditional, but with a mix of antique, clean lines, layered textures and all things symmetric. We had the opportunity to speak with Adrienne about the founding of Blooms and where the business is going.  

{Tell us a bit about your background.}
My mom, Joyce Hicks, is the founder/heart and soul of Blooms! I've just been lucky enough to carry on what she began in 1994. When you are young, you don't really know what you want! But I feel so fortunate that all my roads led me back home to Hattiesburg and ultimately to Blooms! I worked with my mom for the first few years of business while in high school. I got into property management when I was 18, but quickly decided I needed to go to college and chose The University of Southern Mississippi. I worked in advertising (Cliff Brown Advertising & RARE Design) during college and loved it, so it was easy to choose business and marketing as a major. Through study abroad at Southern Miss I became interested in language and living abroad. Just before I graduated from Southern Miss with a BS in business with an emphasis in marketing and a BA in French, I had the opportunity to finish my French degree in France. Once I left, I really thought I would never come back! My mom sold Blooms in 2004, so when I returned after three years in Paris, we no longer owned Blooms. I jumped right back into advertising and sales, but all roads led me back to Blooms when my mom and I bought it back in 2010. And no regrets!
 
{Have you always been interested in retail/owning your own business?}
The short answer is No, I have never been interested in owning a retail business, but I've always been an entrepreneur. At the young age of 10 I had fliers that I passed out in the neighborhood for babysitting, petsitting, and dog walking. I love to work!

{Fast forward to now and you and your mom are making moves in the floral and retail industries. Can you tell us about Blooms?}
 Blooms was established in 1994 by my mom in a quaint historic home on Hardy Street (the main street that runs from one end of Hattiesburg to the other) where it grew and prospered for 10 years. She sold it in 2004 and it changed ownership and locations a couple of times. My mom and I bought it back in 2010 in its current location, in The Bakery Building in downtown Hattiesburg.
 
Blooms A Garden Shop is our official name and we have always had a focus on gardening. When my mom opened the shop she wanted to carry lines that all pertained to gardening and while we still have a focus on the gardens, our primary focus is carrying local Hattiesburg and Mississippi made products. Our main MS made line is Peter's Pottery, but in total we have 10-20 (inventory changes and some are seasonal) local artist who share their talents with Blooms.
 
We are a full service florist, meaning we design florals for everyday, sympathy and special events/weddings. This side of the business started strong in 2010 and continues to flourish! I am amazed and humbled!
 
{What sets Blooms apart?}
 Blooms is so much more than a retail gift shop and florist! What we offer is an experience and a relationship! We want everyone who enters our shop to feel welcome and like they are part of our family. The staff that we have plays a huge part in this and they do a great job! The experience at Blooms is more than just buying a gift or something for yourself. We wrap every gift and hand tie each bow. If someone is giving a gift that same day we will put a flower on the package as well. One of my favorite traditions is one my mom started. When young girls come in the shop she always gives them a rose, but the impact of this is realized when a mother and daughter come in and it was that little girls mom who received a rose in the early days of Blooms and now her daughter get to have the same experience. Our customers are our friends and if we have never met them before, they are a friend by the time they leave! If a customer walks in and walks out empty handed my mom and I have been known to chase them down the side walk just to be sure they were greeted and found what they were looking for (even if they had been asked and said they were just looking) and many times they come back in and we help them find exactly what they needed....the shop can be some what overwhelming with so much inventory. We want people to be inspired in and by Blooms! You never know the impact you have on others with just a smile and hello!
 
This might sound strange, but Blooms is rooted in something so much bigger than us as individuals! When my mom started Blooms she was told over and over that it would never work much less succeed! But she felt God was calling her to do Blooms! She dreamed about Blooms for an entire year before she opened the doors. To have had a successful business for 10 year, sell it,  and then for it to come back to us six years later is no coincidence! In a similar way, in 2010 I felt God calling me and my mom to do it again together, but it took me persuading her this time around because she knew the amount of work it would take and she was ready to retire. Blooms has always been a ministry! When our customers come in the shop we laugh with them, we cry with them, we pray with them, we do life with them through Blooms! What sets Blooms apart is the people who work long hours to serve our customers, the loyal customers who change us by sharing their lives with us and the God that we serve as we seek to serve others!

{Are there any memorable experiences you have had since you opened you might want to share with our readers?}
Honestly, we have had so many memorable experiences that there is no way to share all of them! When you celebrate the birth of babies, couples embarking on a journey through marriage, and loved ones that are no longer with us each of these is memorable! These moments are a time we connect with people on a deeper level! We are so honored to celebrate the big and small moments in the lives of our customers.

The seasons may be changing, but the events show know signs of slowing.  Consider turning to your favorite local spots like Saltine for your next party or dinner.  The Jackson oyster hub hosted a rehearsal dinner complete with seasonal delicacies and inviting atmosphere that catered to the laid-back couple's needs.  Take a look to see how Saltine transformed for an enchanting evening.   

Have a taste of Christmases past with Seafood R’evolution's Southern-style Réveillon wine dinner on Monday, December 18, beginning at 6 p.m. The evening will include a six-course menu with perfect wine pairings specially chosen by Chef John Folse, executive chef and managing partner of Seafood R'evolution in Ridgeland. “This year we are presenting Réveillon with a twist,” Folse remarked.