My Faces of Columbia City Series Continues! It may have been the sweet old lab in the window that made me really want to step foot in this cute shop for the first time. I did… peering behind the counter to see his sweet smile – I really love dogs. Feeling silly I bought a balloon for my then 6 month old son. I came home with that red balloon and unknowingly started a tradition. He loves balloons and I love dogs – it was a win win. The owners are kind and so good to my son letting him come behind the counter to watch them blow it up! It was time to add them to my Series and get to know this shop better!
Meet the family at Columbia City Bouquet
Why Columbia City to run your business?
Actually, this wasn’t a fully intentional action. We were looking for a floral and gift shop for sale and Columbia City Bouquet (was KCs Flowers) was a great fit. We didn’t know much about Columbia City before we started researching the shop and the more we learned and the more time we spent in the neighborhood the more we loved it. From the business perspective, the retail center is thriving, full and growing. There is a buzz around Columbia City and people are coming from all over the region to visit. It is a destination and we want to provide a great local experience.
What do you love about being in business in CC?
Our shop is over 100 years old and we have a good number of customers who have lived in the neighborhood for all their lives. There is a history and pride in the people. It is even in the folks that haven’t lived here as long because you can’t help but feel a part of what’s happening here. It is hard to not feel the presence of the neighbor that weaves itself through every street and person.
How did this shop get started? How long has it been around?
The shop started in 1906 as Matthieson’s Flowers for a hundred years and after a few owner changes and name changes we took over in September of 2011. I have lived in Seattle for over 10 years and my parents moved to Columbia City to buy the business and run a family business with me!
Any history or fun stories you would like to share?
Our fresh flowers sign that hangs in our window has been around for years and years (and it even has a bullet hole in it from a shoot out in one of the seedier time periods of Columbia City)
What may the citizens of CC not know about you or your store that would be fun for them to know?
I am a volleyball coach at Seattle prep high school and a Young Life leader at Ballard high school. My mom is a Young Lives leader at South Lake high school and my dad is a volunteer baseball coach at Rainier Beach high school and one of the Seattle RBI teams. We have a passion for youth outreach and during holiday times you can find a handful of them making some extra cash processing flowers. We also have a shop dog! He is a chocolate lab named Cody and he loves to say hi to people!