When David Daneshgar was busy with professional poker tournaments as the #5 player in the world, according to Card Player Magazine, he never thought his poker winnings would help fund BloomNation.com, a company that directly connects consumers with 3000 artisanal florists across the country. Joined by co-founders Farbod Shoraka and Gregg Weisstein, the young triumvirate pooled their personal finances and entered David into a poker tournament where he won the approximately $30,000 grand prize and BloomNation was able to get off the ground and consequently later be VC funded.
The company’s signature is the BloomSnap, a photo of the ordered arrangement sent to the sender so they will know in real-time the details and quality of the order. BloomNation is shying away from cookie-cutter arrangements and striving to encourage more unique and meaningful designs, many of which can be ordered and delivered the same day. Here David gives a few tips on wowing your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day.
Roses are so old-school, what is the new Valentine’s Day floral? Tulips have actually been growing in popularity lately, but roses can still really be in, as long as you intertwine other types of florals within the arrangements. Take the Fiusha arrangement by Design Shop in Glendale, CA, for example. There are red roses featured, but they’re also surrounded by hydrangeas and lisianthus. The vase is also critical these days. Depending on the personality of the person and the aesthetic of the design, make sure you find an arrangement that includes a vessel that really stands out and fits that person.
What type of flowers would you suggest for someone you just started dating (a few weeks), to someone three months, to someone you want to marry? For someone you just started seeing, you can incorporate roses – but don’t use red roses. It’s too soon for those as they scream, “I love you.” Make sure it includes some extra little accents and flowers but nothing that’s too extravagant or show stopping. It’s too early for that!
For someone you’ve been with for a few months, find something that has a bit more texture. Really tone in on the person’s personality and the styles they like. Do they like the modern look? Are they inspired by the rustic look? Or do they sport vintage apparel? You’ve been together long enough that you’d know enough about that person to find a design that reminds you of them.
For someone you’ve been in a relationship with for a while, it’s time to step up your game a little more and do something that’s a bit more over the top. Go for a design that’s a little bit taller than what you’re normally used to getting and make sure a variety of textures are featured. This is someone you could be with the rest of your life, show them how much you care.
For someone you’re engaged to, find an arrangement that has more of a wedding feel. Make sure it’s really romantic with a lot of pinks, pretty greenery and freesia (the smell is amazing). You’re getting married so the arrangement will express how excited you are!
And if a girl wants to send her guy flowers, can you suggest some man-friendly blooms? Definitely succulents. They’re incredibly easy to take care of and they last a LONG time. There’s barely any work that needs to go into taking care of them and the style is very simple and not overbearing whatsoever.
Valentine’s is just a few days away… Can BloomNation get him/her flowers in time Absolutely – BloomNation provides same day hand delivery – even on Valentine’s Day – but it’s best to get your orders in as soon as possible before your favorite florists and designs start selling out!
Why BloomNation above the old online ordering standbys? Other sites in the flower industry are just wire services, which means when you order arrangements from those sites, that order gets wired to a local florist in your recipient’s area. You have absolutely no idea who your order is getting wired to (meaning it could be a florist with a 1-star average on Yelp). The images on said wire services are just stock images of very basic, cookie-cutter designs. Local florists are just following a recipe to create your arrangement without getting the opportunity to promote and sell their original creations online. (These florists may not even have those flowers or the vase you fell in love with in their store that you see in the stock images, ultimately meaning the florist will substitute the design with whatever they have that’s available). With no transparency between you and the florist, the florist has no way to contact you to let you know that they will have to substitute.
BloomNation, however, displays images of florists’ actual original creations — stock photos are not even permitted on the site. There’s 100% transparency between you and the florist where you’re able to compare local florists’ reviews, styles and prices all in one place as the site is an online flower marketplace. With no stock images, you can be ensured that the local florist you’re shopping directly with has the experience of creating the arrangement you see online. In addition, you’ll even receive a BloomSnap, which is a photo of your completed order before anything is hand delivered (eliminating flowers delivered in a box once and for all) so you know that what you ordered is what the recipient will receive (it’s a huge issue in the flower industry that customers don’t get what they paid for). And of course, BloomNation offers same-day, hand delivery.
