Founder Feature: Annie Heath of Ida Blooms
I first met Annie years ago at my first Portrait Pop-Up event, which ironically: was at a flower shop!
Fast forward a few years, Annie launched her very own floral business: Ida Blooms, as well as a stunning studio space Narrowest Shop SF.
I’m endlessly inspired by her stunning arrangements, thoughtful floral education and such genuine, open, vulnerable content and conversations along the way.
I’ve hosted and attended numerous events and workshops with Annie and the warm, creative, comfortable and fun environment she creates is that rare kind of immediate cozy you can settle right into. It’s clear how much joy Annie finds in her work, and I’ve been lucky enough to shoot a few bits and pieces of that beauty and joy along the way.
Whether you’re looking to plan a group workshop in the future, or find the perfect floral partner for your wedding, look no further than Ida Blooms.
What inspired you to start Ida Blooms?
When I was planning our wedding back in 2017, I decided it would be a fun and cost-effective project to DIY our flowers. I ordered my favorites in bulk from Blooms by the Box and called it a day and called it a day. About a month before our wedding, I suddenly realized I had no idea what I was doing - ha. I hired a professional designer to build the personal bouquets, but I kept my order for the bulk thistle, lavender and eucalyptus and used it to deck out the reception hall.
That was the start of my love affair with flowers. When I returned to San Francisco, I started to take classes, visit the flower mart, and practice arrangements for my friends. Slowly, I transitioned into full time floral work, with a special focus on DIY brides (like me).
adore your unique and accessible ways to enjoy blooms, fill us in on the services you offer.
Ida Blooms offers full service floral design for weddings and events, but I also offer DIY services for brides on a budget. Basically, my goal is to make DIY design more achievable. I’m like a flower sherpa, lol. Leading up to the celebration, we consult about the floral pieces you’ll need for the wedding, the types of flowers you want to incorporate, etc. Then, I handle the more detailed work, like order quantities, tools needed, recipes, etc. When it comes time to DIY, clients pick up their bulk flowers, tools, and recipes from my studio, they leave with both the confidence, and all the product they need, to tackle their DIY florals.
Since flowers have had such a positive affect on my life, I also introduced a second branch of Ida Blooms to spread that joy via DIY workshops. I love to teach groups of coworkers, friends, or just flower-loving strangers how to build bouquets, flowers crowns, wreaths, and other flower projects.
How have photos and creative content supported your business growth?
Flowers are such a visual medium, and having good photos of my work has been crucial to the success of Ida Blooms. I regularly use photos from weddings, events, workshops, etc to reach new clients, engage with my community, and share my portfolio.
Without photos, my brand would quickly fail!
What’s ahead in your business within the next year?
I have no idea what’s ahead for Ida Blooms, ha. Honestly, Covid 19 has crippled the event industry for 2020 and changed our future drastically.
I have a feeling that DIY packages are going to be even more popular moving forward - as weddings become smaller occasions overall. But, I’m just excited to get my hands back in some blooms!
And one piece of advice for entrepreneurs who are just getting started?
I think my biggest advice to entrepreneurs is to just take the leap. If I had known all the things ahead of me in entrepreneurship, I don’t know that I would have had the courage to leave my full time job in 2018.
But, things have a way of working themselves out - especially when you don’t have any other options.