In Bloom Orlando

You may recognize John and Sally as the founders and owners of In Bloom Florist, but few people are aware of the company's origins and John and Sally's years of sacrifice, tenacity, and dedication to their community and business that have led to its current success. John, an Orlando native, enjoyed learning about different flower and plant species while working in the yard with his father. John was fascinated by the broad variety of growing things, while his father, ever pragmatic, was focused on plants and trees that gave food and shade. John's initial pastime turned into a desire to further his education, so he enrolled in a program to earn a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. One of his early lecturers urged all of his students to pursue a career in the field of plants and flowers. So, at the age of 20, John began an apparently routine job as a delivery driver for an Orlando flower shop. Despite the fact that it wasn't intended, he was promoted to manager of this flower shop within three years. John and Sally met around this time, at a mutual friend's Valentine's Day wedding in 1983. They married two years later, in 1985. Within a decade after starting his first delivery job, John was approached by an angel investor who assisted him in realizing his ambition of opening his own flower store. John opened his second store, Orlando Flower Mart, in 1990. He was able to service both residents and companies in most of Central Florida from this site. John discovered an opportunity to open a second shop in Heathrow near the end of 1998. The store couldn't be branded Orlando Flower Mart because the new location was roughly 20 miles north of Orlando. He chose to rebrand the original location, Orlando Flower Mart, and rename the shop at Heathrow In Bloom Florist. Sally didn't initially plan on being a florist, but her family had a long history with flowers and plants. In the 1930s, Sally's paternal grandparents established a greenhouse and flower shop in Upstate New York. Sally's parents opened a flower business in the early 1960s, following in their family's footsteps. She worked in the multifamily sector during the early years of In Bloom Florist. Sally joined In Bloom in 2001 and was immediately impressed by John's dedication to building strong client relationships.