Bloom-the Art of Flowers

After hearing good things about Patrice and Mary Lou from friends, we decided to contact them about vintage rentals for our October wedding. We emailed and called them back and forth for weeks when they finally gave us a price quote. This came after my fiance had to call and speak with both of them, basically begging them to send us one. We had emailed them letting them know we wanted to come in and view the pieces before we committed to anything, which we thought was legit since we live in the DC area.When my fiance spoke with Patrice on the phone, he asked her if it would be alright to come and visit on May 18th, since we had made appointments with our other vendors that weekend to confirm and discuss contracts, etc. She told him that this was "totally fine, stop by any time you are in the area and we can help you." I had also emailed both Mary Lou and Patrice before this (about 3 times), letting them know that we would be in town this weekend and were hoping to meet with them.My fiance and I arrived at the shop around 10:00am on Saturday, along with his dad and stepmom, excited to discuss our vintage pieces. We walked in and there was no one to help us. A couple minutes later we saw Patrice walk out from the back and introduce herself to us. We told her who we were and that we had an appt to talk about the rentals. She told us that she "didn't remember making an appt today since she had 2 weddings and that we would have to call on Monday to make another". Excuse me?? We drove over 3 hours to get there and meet with them! You have got to be kidding me.After this interaction, she told us to speak with Mary Lou who was just walking in the front door. We again introduced ourselves and she had absolutely no clue who we were. Now I'm getting angry. Are you serious lady?! She then said she doesn't remember us again and that she doesn't remember making an appt with anyone for today since "we have 2 weddings going on" but that we could look around and take some pictures of what we liked and "be sure to like us on Facebook." Needless to say, we decided right there to leave and not deal with people who didn't have their stuff together. But the kicker was the attitude we received as we were leaving. When Mary Lou asked if were interested in the pieces, I told her "Probably not" and she replied with a very short "Ok, fine, see ya."These people definitely don't know how to properly run a business. Mary Lou is completely incompetent and needs to be booted immediately. I asked her 4 times for a price quote and she had no idea what I was talking about. Seriously?! Learn what you're doing before opening a business. Sorry.

I have used Bloom many times and each arrangement have been beautiful and creative. I sent my better half a Valentine's day arrangement to work. She is always very pleased with what they come up with. My wife is not a Rose fan but loves Daisy's. Patrice and company have always come up with wonderful mixture of colors and a variety of flowers. They ask you what you want to pay and then have always done a great job giving me my money's worth. This last time I asked for a short vase so it is easier to bring home and the vase was was square glass with a wooden base, very cool! I will continue to use Bloom as they have always made my wife very happy!

I have ordered Mother's Day bouquets at Bloom the past two years in a row, and my family has been using Bloom for years. The arrangements are always beautiful, and this year the owner even met me at the store on Sunday to give me my flowers despite the fact that they were not normally open since I was out of town until then.

I have used Bloom for many years and have been satisfied with my purchases. My experience is limited to counter sales for bouquets and a few local deliveries. The prices for and quality compare favorably with FTD purchases I have made for distant locations.

Where do I begin... On the Monday prior to Mother's Day I placed an order to purchase 6 thematic bouquets for a ceremonial graduation, the owner was helpful we exchanged business cards and I left with the understanding that my order had in placed and would be ready for pick up by Friday at 4PM, I arrived at 345PM to pick up the flowers and they'd not even started to prepare them. I offered to return one hour later and when I did the owners started to shout at me, shout at a customer? They didn't think I was returning even though I'd clearly stated I'd be back. When I said I could not wait one of the owners chased me out the store screaming at me calling me a "fucking yoga bitch", this is no exaggeration this is the complete truth. If you are intending to conduct business with Bloom on Granby in Norfolk, Virginia please don't. Walk away. No, in fact, run. This place knows nothing about customer service, morals or etiquette.

I'm very surprised with the review submitted by Caitlin T on 5/27/13. Our experience was totally different. My wedding was in August 31, 2013. After reviewing many local vendors listed on The Knot and interviewing some, I decided to visit The Bloom. I was blown away the moment I stepped in The Bloom. Patrice and Marylou, the owners, were professional and attentive. I was able to see some arrangements she was making for another weeding that day and I fell in love. Immediately I knew she was the one. She understood exactly what I wanted. We are two brides getting married, it can be challenging ;) The flowers for our vintage wedding were spectacular!! Our bouquets different yet similar were georgeus...Patrice and her team exceeded our expectations. Everything was perfect!! beautiful, delicate, different...definetly artistic!!! Thank you so much Patrice and The Bloom!!!! you made our wedding absolutely beautiful!!!!!

I had called a few places to place an order for a sympathy gift basket. After find many rude persons IT WAS SO NICE! to speak to the lady who answered the phone. She was very professional, knew exactly what I was asking for, and treated me with most sincere concern. Yes This florist is sort of Pricey but in my opinion with these people being as nice and concerned about my needs the price is the least of the worry, I want to be treated like a real person and NOt like I am someones lunch ticket.This florist sure knows how to treat a customer like a true friend. Thank you so very much Bloom-Art of Flowers Florist for handling my needs with such care. The Tolleys

Update: was told i was getting a refund and never did. avoid this vendor!!A wedding is a once in a life time experience. If you want perfect flowers with a professional environment -- be prepared to manage the vendor better than I did.Positive experiences:1. I screwed up my order and the sweet lady who dropped off the flowers scrambled to make me another bridesmaid bouquet.2. They worked in my budget and didn't try to sell me $10,000 in flowers. (this is a good option if you're on a budget!)3. The flowers at my reception were beautiful.Negative experiences:1. Didn't type anything I ordered up and scribbled everything to the point where I couldn't read it. Had i known this was important I would have made her read the entire thing with me so I would have known the way I wanted my bridal bouquet was not written properly and that I didn't order a throw away bouquet.2. 2 days before the wedding Patrice left me a voice mail. When I called back someone picked up the phone, told me Patrice had stepped out and when i stated my full name so they knew I was calling about my wedding in 2 days and that i was returning a phone call I was told "yeah right" and the promptly hung up on because they thought I was a telemarketer. (this threw me into a panic)When I attempted to call back, Patrice herself picked up the phone and told me she was out. When I pleaded to talk to her because i had a wedding that Saturday, she told me it was her and that she thought I was a telemarketer. (When I've told people this story they couldn't believe the customer service level)3. The grand finale is that my bridal bouquet was embarrassing: wilted flowers throughout, NOT the design I ordered and FAKE greenery!! **Note: Patrice is planning on refunding me for the bridal bouquet, but that was something that I wanted to save and have lots of pictures of. I hated it so much I threw it away almost immediately and there are no pictures other than ones of me walking down the isle. It was actually the only thing at my wedding that had me truly upset.Long story short, they're not great, they had some bright spots but overall, I wouldn't use them again.

I was attracted to Bloom, The Art of the Flowers for the creativity and design of Patrice. With 2 consultations, I believe we had thought of some amazing flower arrangements for my wedding reception in October. Unfortunately, what we planned did not happen. As is sometimes the case, Patrice said some of the most interesting design elements were delivered to her "dead" so she decided not to use them. Instead of notifying me or coming up with an alternative, she let it go leaving a lackluster arrangement. With the amount of money I paid, I was deeply disappointed. My flowers were not spectacular. They were boring. All the creativity we had discussed was missing.After the wedding, I spoke with Patrice and all she said was, "sorry." Well, I was sorry too, I was sorry I invested so much money in lame flower arrangements.If you choose to go with Patrice, make sure you get every element you want in writing - typed out. Her handwriting is not legible so I don't think she even can read her own notes. I would also make sure *she* is doing the arrangements and not someone else. I believe that was part of the problem with my flowers.

I did not have a chance to do business with Bloom The Art of Crappy Customer Service because when I called they indicated I must come in for an in-person consultation. Problem is I live 5 hours away, and was calling to request flowers for my wedding very near the florist. They were unwilling to accomodate, and further went on to explain that they do not want to be the florist for everyone. They said I should call Norfolk Florist because they'll "take my money" and give me cookie cutter pricing. What a bunch of snobs! They deleted my comment on their Facebook page. Find another florist.