Inside look at Rood & Bloem

‘For me, typical TICA is that even when you are in a hurry you can still shop there lol. The constantly changing collections keep you inspired as an entrepreneur.’

Typisch TICA Binnenkijken bij | Rood & Bloem

Rood & Bloem; a green oasis in Utrecht

When walking through the city centre of Utrecht, the green window display full of flower pots, houseplants and colourful dried flowers soon catches your eye. Together with her team of six colleagues, owner Carolien manages to create more than just an urban garden shop; Rood & Bloem is a green oasis of peace and inspiration. The music, delicious fragrances and genuine customer contact colour Rood & Bloem’s unique identity. TICA’s editors spoke to Carolien about the success of her shop format, her vision for the shop’s range and the importance of Instagram.

With whom do we have the pleasure?

My name is Carolien and I am 40 years old. I have two young children (Pleun and Kato) and worked for a long time as a stylist at Edelman, a large international interior design company. At the time, I wanted to develop myself further and entrepreneurship started to itch. About eight years ago, the plan arose to set up the shop Rood & Bloem.

How did Rood & Bloem come into existence?

After making the choice for myself to start working as an entrepreneur, I first started at a creative incubator in Utrecht. A nice start to experience whether I liked it. I gave green workshops and worked as a stylist. I slowly built up brand awareness. Finally, after eighteen months, I dared to take the next step; I decided to rent a building in the centre of Utrecht. Exciting! But from the very first moment, I felt very much at home in this monumental building. Eight years on, the Rood & Bloem team now consists of six girls.

Get inspired by Rood & Bloem

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What kind of shop concept is Rood & Bloem?

It is a plant shop. But, actually, much more than that. The music, fragrance, cosiness and inspiration ensure that many customers refer to the shop as the ‘peace oasis in town’. Rood & Bloem sells plants, silk flowers, greeting cards, flower pots and home accessories. We also give plant and styling advice at customers’ homes and companies.

Can you describe Rood & Bloem’s target audience?

Rood & Bloem’s target audience is quite diverse. We have young students, but also grandmothers and grandfathers looking for a nice gift for their grandchild. So I take this into account in the offer; there is something for everyone.

How is Rood & Bloem different from other lifestyle shops?

We really give our customers the attention they deserve. A smile as well as a listening ear. We find that very important in a time when everyone is always busy. We also do a lot of styling to inspire customers. The shop looks different every week because of the different combinations we make. Because I buy by the piece at TICA, I can match my stock to the needs of my customers. Sometimes we test ‘gems’ on Instagram. Then we post the items – which are really great in our eyes – and when it also sells out in no time, we and the team get so much energy from that. That’s when we apparently understand our target market!

What is considered when selecting the shop assortment for Rood & Bloem?

I select everything by feel. If I experience that ‘wow’ feeling myself and really want to buy the items for myself, my customers often feel the same way. So it is nice to see that this method works well.

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While putting together your shop collection, do you also take into account a holiday such as Easter?

Yes, we definitely respond to that! We even create a special corner in the shop for this and buy matching products for it. At TICA, we were able to shop a lot in line with the Eclectic Sunset theme. Very nice! We then promote this ‘Easter corner’ well on Instagram. Among other things, we then post content that shows how to decorate a beautiful Easter table. This inspires our customers and then they can come to our shop for beautiful Easter combinations.

What can we expect from Rood & Bloem this Easter and next spring?

Lots of colour! Think of a beautifully laid and coloured Easter table with lots of striking Easter branches. This combined with silk flowers; a real hit at the moment, we notice! The use of many colours makes for a cheerful whole. Of course, a few funny Easter bunnies, chickens and chicks cannot be missing. After all, they are part of Easter.

The shop range of Rood & Bloem

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Can you give an example of a successful procurement decision at TICA?

At TICA, I am always looking for unique items. Then we promote them on Instagram and it often goes really fast. Instagram is a good sales channel for us. It allows us to expand our brand awareness not only in the province of Utrecht, but throughout the Netherlands. After all, we have a shipping service (even to Belgium!) which means we can make many customers happy with a Rood & Bloem order.

Do you have any tips for start-ups?

Do your ‘own’ thing! I never want anything else because every day is a treat to set your own course. At the same time, of course, entrepreneurship never stands still, which also makes it very intense at times. When you undertake from your passion, you are never wrong and you experience so many happy moments; that’s what you do it for. Like seeing your customer’s smile and having beautiful encounters in the shop. It is a joy to showcase the shop every day together with a great, fine team!