PHOTOGRAPHY THIS PAGE : COURTESY OF BLOOMING BLOSSOMS / LAUREN CLARK ; OPPOSITE PAGE : COURTESY OF FRANCOIS LUKS .
THE FLOWER SHOP ON THE EAST SIDE OF PROVIDENCE OFFERS MYRIAD OPTIONS FOR NATURE LOVERS , INCLUDING WELL-DESIGNED BOUQUETS , HOUSEPLANTS , CARDS AND MORE . BY ASHLYN MESSIER
The floral business wasn ’ t always on Pam Maddox ’ s radar ; it more or less fell into her lap .
“ I was going to school to be a teacher ,” says Maddox . “ My friend owned a shop and needed to sell it , and I thought it was a good opportunity . So I helped out my friend and it was life-changing .”
She ’ s always had an interest in flowers , going door to door selling flower seed packets in the neighborhood and propagating plants in high school science classes . She grew to love the craft and continued to sharpen her skills for four decades . In the sunny corner shop on the East Side of Providence , Maddox crafts bouquets for all types of events , the most popular occasion being weddings . The shop also offers floral arrangements for parties , proms and anniversaries and has a robust website for online purchases .
“ We ’ re happy to expand our online offerings ,” says Maddox .
Maddox has five people working at Blooming Blossoms and says her goal is to teach and train as many floral designers as possible . She says the industry is suffering and she wants to introduce more people to the art of flowers and get people excited about making arrangements .
“ You always have to keep up with the trends and stay edgy . It takes work and if you don ’ t challenge yourself to do the work , you ’ ll just stay the same ,” she says .
When searching for inspiration for her bouquets , Maddox looks to Mother Nature . She adds that there isn ’ t much trial and error when it comes to her designing .
“ If you ’ re a designer , you are pretty confident in your design choices . I think the trial and error is more in the area of a product that you might introduce to your shop — if it worked or not ,” says Maddox , who hopes the people she trains carry on floral design in the world .
Going into her fortieth year of business , Maddox is humbled that the community has supported her throughout her journey . “ It ’ s really a big deal . I still have the same customers come in today that I ’ ve known for more than twenty years — we ’ ve seen our kids grow up !”
In recent years , the shop expanded to sell even more products , including houseplants , cards and candles . Whether you ’ re in need of a succulent for a friend or a bunch of sunflowers for your table , Blooming Blossoms is a one-stop shop for nature lovers .
Blooming Blossoms Floral Boutique , 780 Hope St ., Providence , 274-3929 , bloomingblossoms . com .
66 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l APRIL 2022