You may have seen Lauren’s bright blue floral shop, Gather & Bloom, while exploring downtown Woodstock. From the Bloom Bar, where customers pick their own bouquets, to crafting one-of-a-kind arrangements for weddings, prom, and other events, Gather & Bloom is a flourishing local business.
Run by Lauren and her mother, the shop is home to 18 women-owned local businesses including goods such as tea, candles, art, stationery, and other self care items. “We try to source flowers locally as much as possible, and it's just forming a really cool community of women and empowering women in our store,” said Lauren. Gather & Bloom isn’t just a shop, it’s a space for fellowship and community for everyone, but especially women.
“Many of our products are geared towards women and even just self-care or things that make you feel good; uplifting things like spiritual books and journals and self-care items like soaps and bath bombs. I think it's just so easy to come in here and feel like you can take care of yourself,” said Lauren.
Lauren often hosts workshops where attendees learn a new skill while making new friends. The Spring Floral Workshop was no exception. Each participant brought their eagerness and anxieties and shared their personal stories, anxieties, and everything in between.
Everyone wore their hearts on their sleeves. We learned how to arrange a gorgeous Spring arrangement, identify flowers and maintain a bouquet’s longevity, and walked away with a vase of flowers arranged uniquely, reflecting each person’s creativity.
More than that, we made memories. The kind that can only be made when women come together in fellowship. Something magical happens when women, strangers to each other, gather in community. It’s simultaneously tender and empowering; two words that only begin to encompass the complexity we all know as women.
Gather & Bloom is open from 10 AM - 6PM, Monday-Saturday and 1 PM to 6 PM on Sunday. Visit gatherandbloomboutique.com for more info or to register for a workshop.