We recently connected with Christy, Peyton & MaryKate McCarroll and have shared our conversation below.

Christy, Peyton & MaryKate, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Finding those key vendors can often be make or break for a brand. Can you talk to us about how you found your key vendors?

When we opened Bloom in 2023, we knew finding designers that aligned with our style and vision would be critical in our success. The bridal business is very unique in that designers use a mileage exclusivity in large cities to allow boutiques to be the only stockist of their gowns in that area. For example, if another Bridal store in Nashville carried a designer, we would not be able to carry that same designer. Exclusivity is earned once a boutique purchases the minimum amount of stock items required per calendar year (this varies from designer to designer).

When it came to initiating a relationship with designers we were interested in (and weren’t yet available in Nashville) it was much simpler than we anticipated. We either met with them during NYBFW or expressed interest via email where we could further the conversation or schedule a virtual meeting. Once we decided that they were a designer we wanted to “stock” in Bloom, we would order gowns based on our personal style and what we felt was needed in not only our collection, but in the Nashville area.

As a new business, we wanted to work with designers who would understand the journey we were on and found that smaller designers such as House of Renhue and Prea James allowed us to have close relationships and learn directly from the designer.

Bloom being a family business is something we feel allows our brides to feel welcomed and comfortable in our boutique. The three of us are the only employees at Bloom and when you come in for your appointment, you will work directly with one of us. We pride ourselves on the designers, dresses, and experience you receive when you come to see us!

Christy, Peyton & MaryKate, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

From a young age, my sister MaryKate and I became infatuated with anything weddings, but specifically the dresses. It started with Elizabeth James in the movie The Parent Trap and Say Yes to the Dress on TLC. My mom then started putting bridal magazines in our Christmas stockings every year where my sister and I would flip through and give the dresses a check mark or an X.

Following our younger years, bridal and fashion continued to be passions of ours as MaryKate would begin to work at a bridal boutique in Boston, MA and I worked at a retail women’s clothing boutique in Lexington, KY. We would dream about what it would look like to own our own business and even started a few collaborative business plans where we could write down our ideas. We truly never thought our dream would become a reality- or at least not until we were much older.

In 2018, MaryKate moved to Nashville where she managed a bridal boutique called Posh at the time. She loved every moment of it and I envied her for getting to be around all of the gorgeous gowns every day.

In 2021, my mom Christy decided to make the move to Nashville to be with my sister and I. We began discussing what the reality of opening Bloom might look like, and reopened that collaborative business plan document that we had started years before. We researched, researched and researched some more before we felt like we knew what we were actually getting into. MaryKate’s expertise from her experience was super helpful too! And from there, Bloom was born. We jumped in feet first and have never looked back.

We found our space in East Nashville in early 2023 and opened our doors in April of 2023. We carry 10 designers and around 150 dresses in store. We also carry veils and other accessories to help our brides envision their entire look! We feel our designers fill a gap in the Nashville bridal industry and provide unique dresses for the bride who wants exude confidence and personality on their big day! We have had brides travel from all over the US to come to Bloom and the designers we carry is the reason for that.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think a lesson we have had to unlearn is that not every bride is going to find their dress with us at Bloom. As much as we strive to provide a variety of styles, sometimes another dress, at another store is the one! And that is OK!

When we opened Bloom, we wanted to be unique and with being unique means that it may not be for everyone. We have had to remind ourselves that our vision is our vision for a reason and we will be successful because we stay aligned with our values.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When opening Bloom, we knew our social media presence would be critical in our success. We worked hard to gather and create content that would begin to share our aesthetic and style to our audience. We realized quickly that we didn’t have the time nor the knowledge to grow our Instagram platform to where we wanted it to be.

In January of 2024, we began working with Ahna, the owner of Olive and Bee Creative here in Nashville, TN. She helped us take our instagram profile to the next level and implemented a strategy beyond anything we would’ve been able to create on our own. We now have monthly content days at Bloom where we capture content for the month. Ahna also boosts our posts to help with visibility. This has also helped our profile be shown to targeted audiences on the ap who may have not followed us or even known about us.

Social media has proven its importance in our success at Bloom and we plan to continue to invest in it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Bloombridalnashville.com
• Instagram: @bloomnashville
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bloom-nashville?osq=Bloom

Image Credits

Jessica Steddom