Flowers 24/7: All In Bloom unveils unique floral vending machine

CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — Did you forget your anniversary? Mother’s Day sneak up on you? Maybe you owe someone a really big apology?

Whatever the reason, or hour, Dale Jones has you covered. Her long-awaited flower vending machine at All In Bloom Studio has finally arrived in downtown Clarkesville, offering fresh floral arrangements 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“It takes all of 20 seconds,” Jones said during a ribbon cutting at her shop Tuesday. “You just tap in, the door opens, and you’re good to go. And it is that easy.”

A rare concept in Georgia

While flower vending machines are common in some parts of Europe and Asia, Jones said they remain relatively rare in the United States. She estimates there are only about 20 nationwide and, based on her research, only two in Georgia.

Jones first discovered the concept by following florists around the world on social media.

“You can find a ton in Holland, China, Japan. Oh, they’re everywhere,” she said.

She had wanted one for years, but bringing the idea to Clarkesville proved more complicated than simply placing an order.

“It took about eight months to actually arrive here and then about two months to actually get it going,” Jones said.

What’s in a name?

Even naming the machine took time and thought.

Jones considered calling it a flower ATM but decided that didn’t fit the image she wanted. She also wanted customers searching online to understand that Floral Express was part of All In Bloom rather than a competing downtown florist.

“We didn’t want them to think it was a different flower shop right in downtown, so we had to again go back to All In Bloom,” she said.

The shop even asked followers on Facebook for naming suggestions, generating plenty of ideas before settling on All In Bloom Floral Express.

City and business leaders joined Jones and her staff for a ribbon cutting on Aug. 11 celebrating the new addition.

Paying off

The machine had to be shipped from overseas, and Jones said getting the technology working presented its own challenges. Despite a brief credit card glitch while demonstrating the machine to Chamber of Commerce members at Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting, the machine clearly works and is paying off.

Jones said Floral Express recorded 48 sales during its first month, with nearly all occurring outside the shop’s regular business hours. Some customers have stopped by as early as 5 or 6 a.m.

That convenience is exactly what Jones envisioned when she first discussed the idea with Now Georgia earlier this year.

She said the shop regularly receives frantic calls from people who forgot to order flowers for prom, Valentine’s Day or another special occasion. The vending concept provides an option for those last-minute customers, as well as people who simply want to grab flowers without going inside a store.

“Some people don’t want that face-to-face,” Jones said. “They’re just like, ‘I need it quick to go. I don’t want to come in and talk to anybody.’”

Business is ‘blooming’

Floral Express is the latest chapter in the growth of All In Bloom Studio. Last year, the business recorded its best year ever, handling 87 weddings in addition to everyday floral orders and a busy Christmas decorating schedule for homes, churches, event centers and hotels. After moving into its new storefront at 1325 Washington Street in Clarkesville just off the downtown square this winter, business is still ‘blooming.’

Jones began her entrepreneurial journey in 2012 after changing course from accounting and earning a degree in landscape design from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. All In Bloom Studio took shape in 2020 and, after years of moving and reinventing the business, settled into its current location.

Through all that growth, Jones maintains that flowers remain relevant despite the conveniences and changing habits of modern life.

“Every day, people are born. Every day, people have anniversaries. Every day, people die. Every day, there is some sort of celebration—a new home, a milestone,” she said. “So therefore, flowers are essential for everyday deliveries.”

For a business built around helping people mark life’s planned — and sometimes forgotten — moments, Jones now has a way to serve customers virtually at any time.