We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alli Coy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alli below.

Alli, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I approached my Grandfather 15 years ago when I first decided to buy an existing flower shop, and asked him what he’d thought a good, catchy name for my shop would be. He had been in business for decades and run plenty of successful ones. He’d also never thought that me buying this business was a good idea, he said that shops that deal in perishable products never turned a profit, but he obliged me and gave me his best advice. He explained when naming a business, you want something short, concise and at the beginning of the alphabet, that way you always get mentioned in publications at the top of the list! He said to not “make it too personal” something that makes people take you seriously. I racked my brains coming up with ideas like Allison’s Flowers, Alli’s Arrangements, A Coy & Company, all with A’s so I did what my Grandfather suggested. I hated them all. My Mother one day randomly popped out, Allioops! and I LOVED it. Allioops! Flowers & Gifts. ALWAYS with an exclamation point! When I asked my Grandfather his thoughts, he said it was an awful name and way too childish, no one would take me seriously. I acknowledged his opinion and decided I would ignore his advice, and go with my gut. Always go with your gut. Years later when my Grandfather was passing, he said to me, “I need to admit something to you, naming your shop Allioops! was the best decision you could’ve made”. I felt so honored. As all the years have passed, I have a little laugh and think of my Grandfather every time someone says how much they like my shops name. No one ever forgets it and I’ll never forget him.

Alli, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Allioops! was born 14 years ago from an existing flower shop that needed a little refresh and new life brought into it. Trends were changing and things were evolving and growing fast within small businesses. I, personally was in limbo with what I was deciding to do with my life. Move to the west coast and start a new life at the age of 29 or find my niche in my small town here in the NH. I had just left a business that I helped get off the ground and realized I truly wanted to have my own shop and be my own boss. I had dreamed of it since I was little. So with the support of a close friend, I approached the owner of the shop and went for it! I worked at this shop for years on and off, and at another florist when I was much younger but I did not have any true floral design experience. Eight years before, I graduated college with a degree in Landscape Design, worked for a landscape company under and incredible boss that I learned so much from but really wanted my own business. Both of my parents were business owners at one point, so it just felt natural to follow in their footsteps. Fast forward to 2009 and I was opening my shop! I started with two close friends that both had more experience in floral design and I was the business end of things. It took a lot of hard work but we opened on November 2nd 2009. It was a huge and beautiful success. My shop focused on sustainable and responsible floral design as well as purchasing and selling products made locally and in the US. The beginning was very tough, bills were very hard to pay but we kept plugging along. We moved to our current location 11 years ago and it was the best decision we could’ve made. Right on Main St. with large beautiful windows and a view of our town green. We started hosting design classes and it really took off. When Covid-19 came along 3 years ago and we were scared. I was sure my business would not survive being shut down for so long. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Within a week of being closed, I was getting calls and emails requesting flowers for loved ones that they could not see in person for birthdays, anniversaries, get wells, condolences, etc. Our Governor deemed our business essential and we were back in business! We worked diligently within our “bubble” safely with no contact. We served our customers from our beloved yellow Dutch Door (a door split in half), fully masked and offered deliveries without delivery fees. Weddings went to the wayside but our everyday orders made up for it! It was truly amazing. As restrictions lightened up, weddings started again and we went from an average of 50 weddings a year to over 100! With a lot of love, sweat and tears we’ve made it this far. We have 9 woman staff members and we truly are family. Some of us have had babies, staff has moved, come back and survived more than our fair share of up and downs. We also host young adults with special needs and with it being such a success over the years, two have become official paycheck receiving team members! We love our jobs, no matter how stressful it gets, because we know we are bring joy to someone even on their darkest days. Our informal slogan is “Fresh Flowers, Great Gifts and Good Friends” because we honestly feel its what you get when you come to Allioops!, our little sliced of heaven.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

From the beginning I had decided I would get fresh product daily, guaranteeing the freshness of all of our flowers for at least a week. Many florists only guarantee their flowers for 24hours! I wanted our customers to remember just how long their flowers lasted and regularly come back for more. There is always an extra cost for daily deliveries but we felt the outcome of multiple phone calls weekly from happy customers, was well worth it. After 14 years, people are still complimenting us on how long lasting and fresh our flowers are!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth! Real honest reviews from customers is the best way, no questions asked. Sometimes a gentle nudge, follow up email and tell them that they can place a review anytime, they usually appreciate it and leave more of a heartfelt review. The best kind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allioops.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allioopsflowers
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllioopsFlowers
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/allioops-flowers-and-gifts-new-london