Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP #64: Blooming Resilience: Kristen Bullard’s Journey with Full Bloom Florist and Community Connection

• Sophia Yvette

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What Makes Kristen Bullard with Full Bloom Florist a Good Neighbor?

Can fresh flowers truly transform your day? Kristen Bullard, the dedicated owner of Full Bloom Florist, thinks so—and she's here to share why. In this heartwarming episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast, Kristen takes us through her inspiring journey from starting Full Bloom from scratch six years ago to becoming a cornerstone in the community.

You'll hear about her expertise in sourcing the freshest blooms from Holland, Ecuador, Colombia, and California, and debunk myths about flower longevity. Kristen's passion for connecting people through floristry, along with practical tips on keeping your flowers fresh, makes this a must-listen for flower enthusiasts and curious minds alike.

Beyond her thriving business, Kristen opens up about her personal life, sharing delightful stories of short trips with her spirited 80-year-old mother, her love for fishing, and socializing with friends. She also reflects on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the courageous move to a warehouse just before the lockdowns and finding ways to keep her staff motivated and working. Kristen’s story is one of resilience, community, and the simple joys of life.

To learn more about Kristen Bullard and Full Bloom Florist, go to: https://fullbloom.shop/

 Full Bloom Florist
  204-720-5883

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a flower shop? Surprisingly, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to your neighbor, Kristen Bullard, with Full Bloom Florist. Kristen, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3:

I'm doing great, Sophia. How are you?

Speaker 2:

I'm great. We are so excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you tell us a bit about Full Bloom Florist?

Speaker 3:

I sure can. I started Full Bloom from scratch almost six years ago. Started Full Bloom from scratch almost six years ago. We do everything under the fresh flower umbrella, so everything from intimate dinners to hundred centerpiece events and everything in between. We have a large daily business and do weddings and all kinds of events, including the corporate events and then nonprofit events as well.

Speaker 2:

And how did you get into this business?

Speaker 3:

You know I have always had just kind of a love for people in general and I've always felt called to connect people. Ask all my friends from high school. They certainly know that I'm the nucleus for all of the get togethers, and so, taking that a step further, flowers really do serve as a conduit in connecting people. People love getting the flowers. Their face gets really excited and happy and then the first thing they do is reach for the card. They want to see who sent them and what the card says. So flowers are just a really interesting, cool, special way to connect people and that really is the driving force behind my passion and having full bloom.

Speaker 2:

And what are the myths or misconceptions in your industry?

Speaker 3:

That's such a great question. You know a lot of people say, well, I don't like roses because they only last two days, or I love hydrangea, but they just don't last. And, honestly, and there's just a couple of things that you can do super easy, that that make it really that that is a myth that you can have roses for upwards of two weeks. You can have hydrangea for upwards of two weeks and not putting them by a hot window or having hot air coming down on them or clipping the stems every three or four days and changing out the water. That will keep them fresh for a long time.

Speaker 3:

Now, that being said, I buy everything from Holland, ecuador, colombia and a little bit in California, so getting mine straight from the farm makes a big difference versus getting them at like a grocery store, because those flowers have sat in a warehouse for a couple of weeks prior to actually hitting the shelf, so you've already got a much older flower at that point. But when you order from a florist or certainly I can speak for full bloom you know ours come directly from Colombia, ecuador and Holland and a little bit from California, so you can't get them any fresher and they certainly should last if you take care of them.

Speaker 2:

And outside of work. What do you do for fun?

Speaker 3:

Well, I love to have fun. I like taking short trips with my mom. She's 80 years old and she is just like you would think she was 60. So I really really enjoy spending time with her, especially since I work a lot. I like to fish because I love anything water related, so I love to be in the sun and the beach, the lake, just whatever, just really like that. And then I also really like socializing. So I like doing, you know, going to ball games and hanging out with friends and having you know entertaining in my, in our home. Those are some of the things that I really like to do, okay.

Speaker 2:

And let's go ahead and change gears for a second. Can you describe one hardship or life challenge? You rose above and can now say because of it, you're better and stronger. When I say that, what comes to mind for you?

Speaker 3:

Well, actually, covid comes to mind. I was a year old business and had just moved in, moved my florist into a warehouse the November prior to the March of 2020. And my people just wanted to work. My staff really just wanted to work, and so what I did?

Speaker 3:

I ultimately knew that, even though I wasn't on the list of essential businesses, I knew outside of that I fit all the criteria, and so I called the governor's office and explained to them that, while I wasn't an essential business, people still had birthdays and anniversaries and had babies and events, and assuring them that we could successfully do contactless delivery.

Speaker 3:

I had less than 10 people on my staff and operated out of a warehouse. It was still really important to have that human bond. It was a little daunting and it was a challenge for sure, because I didn't want to have to lay off my staff. They needed to be able to put food on the table and they wanted just to be able to work. And so, after a little persuasion on my part, the governor's office sent me verbiage and allowed us to continue to operate, and it was gut-wrenching because I was one of the only floors in the area that could be open because I happened to be in a warehouse. So it strengthened me a lot. It pushed my limits a little bit, but it was really, really gratifying and I thought, man, if we can make it through that, we can make it through anything.

Speaker 2:

Most certainly Kristen. Please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Full Bloom Florist listeners one thing they should remember about Full Bloom Florist.

Speaker 3:

Well, you should know that our service is unparalleled. I have built this business. I built this business on. You know, people say, built it on a shoestring, I built it on half a shoestring, and I built it on the premise of the golden rule, which is to treat everyone the way I want to be treated. And that's what we do here.

Speaker 3:

In every aspect of this business, from delivery to taking the order to making the arrangements, we treat people the way they want to be treated in this, and I have a pretty high bar. I I expect good service, because in most cases, good service doesn't cost a dime, and so what we do here is just make sure that everyone has a good experience. And during the high volume you know, valentine's, mother's Day, uh, during those times, if something falls through the cracks, we have a no questions, no pictures required policy and we'll replace and make it right to ensure that everyone ultimately can say that, even if there was a glitch, they had an excellent experience. And I think, between having first class white glove service coupled with the freshest flowers possible, full bloom is is truly just a great option as it relates to fresh flowers in this area in North Texas.

Speaker 2:

And how can our listeners learn more about full bloom florist?

Speaker 3:

And how can our listeners learn more about Full Bloom Florist? Yeah, sure, so we can. You can always go to the website, which is fullbloomshop, and Instagram. Facebook is at Full Bloom TX. And then also we are opening a second location in Salina and that is opening October the 4th next Friday and if you just tune into Facebook or Instagram, for sure you're going to know a lot more about what's going on. We're about to get real aggressive on doing some fun things for the fall and more affordable things to give everyone an opportunity and be able to have fresh flowers in their home or for their event.

Speaker 2:

Well, Kristen, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you so much, Sophie. It's really been an enjoyable time with you forward. Thank you so much, Sophie. It's really been an enjoyable time with you today.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPFriscocom. That's GNPFriscocom, or call 469-221-9345.