Welcome to The Novel Bloom
There once was a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down. And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there... jk lol
Welcome! My name is Sam, and I'm the owner and voice behind The Novel Bloom.
For the past 11 years, I have owned and operated a flower shop called River Valley Designs. It's right in the middle of downtown Savanna. About 2 years ago, I decided I needed a change. The business was thriving, yet I was so burnt out. I was working 6-7 days a week and 3-5 weddings a weekend, every weekend during busy season. I could not keep going. I decided to cut back, take a break, and reevaluate what i wanted this business to look like. I thought about throwing in the towel. I thought about going to get a 'regular' job. I was close. But ultimately, I love running a business. So, I started scheming...
That led me to the idea of the Novel Bloom. I wanted to ADD TO my already established flower shop. But with what??? Honestly, I can't even pinpoint when the idea came to my mind. Somewhere along the line I decided to add books and coffee. At first, I was like, how can I make this work? Then I was like, how could this NOT work? It's a beautiful blend of products that evoke emotion and create connection. So, I started to renovate my building.
FLOWERS: We are still a full-service flower shop! We have a large design room behind our coffee bar that we work out of creating everyday arrangements/daily delivery, funeral tributes, and wedding/event pieces. We still have a large flower farm in my front yard that we harvest all our blooms from during the growing season. We also sell our homegrown blooms at the Mt Carroll Farmers Market! We also host floral design workshops! These are super popular, and the next one is our Crowns and Cocktails on February 13th.
COFFEE: I'm not biased, but our coffee is GOOD. We started with a small menu to perfect our offerings and were slowly adding to it. Our flavors are simple, yet interesting and we take a lot of pride in creating your drinks. We use a local roasting company, and they create custom blends for us.
BOOKS: y'all. Surprised is the understatement of the century. I mean I knew the books would do well(I mean I had to think that I was opening a bookstore). But the number of books we have sold in the last 12 weeks is mind blowing. You all have a desire to read physical books. Turning pages. Smelling them. idk there's just something about a physical book that is making a comeback! I think it's also an experience that you cannot get from finding books online. Browsing the shelves and reading the back of the books. Getting lost for a bit. It is not an experience you can get from Amazon.
Our books are new, for sale. A used book section will be coming soon!
WINE/MARTINI BAR: This newest addition to the shop has really taken the space to a new level. We added local wines and espresso martinis (a few more cocktails coming soon!) For a Novel Bloom after dark experience! AND you guys are here for it It's a great spot to grab a glass of wine and read a book or clink martinis with a few girlfriends. We also sell wine by the bottle. Picture grabbing a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine, and maybe a chocolate bar on your way home for your hunny
If you haven't been in yet, or maybe in a while, stop by! We get new book arrivals every week and were pretty proud of our drink making skills, with both coffees and cocktails!
Love you all
Welcome! My name is Sam, and I'm the owner and voice behind The Novel Bloom.
For the past 11 years, I have owned and operated a flower shop called River Valley Designs. It's right in the middle of downtown Savanna. About 2 years ago, I decided I needed a change. The business was thriving, yet I was so burnt out. I was working 6-7 days a week and 3-5 weddings a weekend, every weekend during busy season. I could not keep going. I decided to cut back, take a break, and reevaluate what i wanted this business to look like. I thought about throwing in the towel. I thought about going to get a 'regular' job. I was close. But ultimately, I love running a business. So, I started scheming...
That led me to the idea of the Novel Bloom. I wanted to ADD TO my already established flower shop. But with what??? Honestly, I can't even pinpoint when the idea came to my mind. Somewhere along the line I decided to add books and coffee. At first, I was like, how can I make this work? Then I was like, how could this NOT work? It's a beautiful blend of products that evoke emotion and create connection. So, I started to renovate my building.
FLOWERS: We are still a full-service flower shop! We have a large design room behind our coffee bar that we work out of creating everyday arrangements/daily delivery, funeral tributes, and wedding/event pieces. We still have a large flower farm in my front yard that we harvest all our blooms from during the growing season. We also sell our homegrown blooms at the Mt Carroll Farmers Market! We also host floral design workshops! These are super popular, and the next one is our Crowns and Cocktails on February 13th.
COFFEE: I'm not biased, but our coffee is GOOD. We started with a small menu to perfect our offerings and were slowly adding to it. Our flavors are simple, yet interesting and we take a lot of pride in creating your drinks. We use a local roasting company, and they create custom blends for us.
BOOKS: y'all. Surprised is the understatement of the century. I mean I knew the books would do well(I mean I had to think that I was opening a bookstore). But the number of books we have sold in the last 12 weeks is mind blowing. You all have a desire to read physical books. Turning pages. Smelling them. idk there's just something about a physical book that is making a comeback! I think it's also an experience that you cannot get from finding books online. Browsing the shelves and reading the back of the books. Getting lost for a bit. It is not an experience you can get from Amazon.
Our books are new, for sale. A used book section will be coming soon!
WINE/MARTINI BAR: This newest addition to the shop has really taken the space to a new level. We added local wines and espresso martinis (a few more cocktails coming soon!) For a Novel Bloom after dark experience! AND you guys are here for it It's a great spot to grab a glass of wine and read a book or clink martinis with a few girlfriends. We also sell wine by the bottle. Picture grabbing a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine, and maybe a chocolate bar on your way home for your hunny
If you haven't been in yet, or maybe in a while, stop by! We get new book arrivals every week and were pretty proud of our drink making skills, with both coffees and cocktails!
Love you all
