Bristol Launches New Wholesale Flower Market to Boost Local Farmers and Florists
The vibrant city of Bristol has opened its arms to a wholesale flower market, a new venture created by the local Asian and South American farmers. This initiative is aimed at aiding local farmers and florists alike and ensuring the financial profits are retained within the community.
The Bristol Bloom Flower Collective
The Bristol Bloom Flower Collective, the primary orchestrator of the wholesale flower market, is targeting a wide audience range, starting from professional florists, wedding planners, event managers, to anyone interested in purchasing wholesale flowers.
Danielle Smith, the Founder of Bristol Bloom Collective, mentioned that the wholesale flower market is banking on exploiting an industry that represents sales of over 6.5 billion dollars, according to last year’s USDA report.
The majority of these flowers are imported from countries like Ecuador, South America, Mexico, and even far-flung areas like California, often sidelining the smaller local farm productions. “We have incredible blooms right here in our area,” Smith argues.
Impact on Local Community
For several vendors involved in the flower trade, having a significant flower market nearby is a dream come true. It tackles their primary issue of time management and nurtures a sustainable growth environment for their business.
“A lot of us don’t want to go to all these farmer’s markets every week. It’s a huge time commitment so being able to just grow and sell would be incredible,” Smith claimed.
Currently, the flower market has ten major vendors selling a versatile variety of blooms. Local flower farmer Ashley Johnson from Elizabethton believes there are distinctive benefits of having a flower wholesaler nearby.
“If there is something that you don’t know the name of or a certain variety that you’ve not seen before, you can come here and see it in hand to get a feel of it to see how you can incorporate it into your floral designs,” Johnson explained.
A Community Building Initiative
The market not only offers financial assistance but also fosters a sense of community. “As a flower collective, we can collectively combine forces to fill really large orders together… It’s really nice that we’ve all established that we will do better together,” Johnson remarked.
The Bristol wholesale flower market is open every Wednesday from 9 am to 12 pm at 1509 West State Street, Bristol VA 24201. Stay glued for more updates regarding this refreshing addition to the local business scene of Bristol.
