Hope and Joy at the Center of it All:
The Collaboration of Bloom Shakalaka
and East of These

Next time you find yourself shopping downtown, take a turn down Trader’s Alley, find the white brick building with a pink awning and green doors, and step inside. The interior of the shop is somehow even more charming than the outside. The architectural design of this store would make Chip and Joanna Gaines jealous with rustic exposed beams and white wooden staircases splitting the shop down the middle and branching off into separate flights of stairs that lead to a lofted makerspace.

Of course, downstairs is where the real fun happens. The left side of the store at 214 Trader’s Alley is full of fresh cut flowers, vases, coffee table books and other funky and fresh home decorations courtesy of Bloom Shakalaka. The right side features handmade headbands and scrunchies from East of These as well as t-shirts featuring local designs, dresses and tailored jeans for men.

Whether you came to the store with a specific flower arrangement or hair accessory in mind, or you just want to look around (and perhaps get some fashion advice) you will certainly feel welcome. There is a window seat filled with pillows for you to simply take a breather, and so many products to smell, look at, feel, or try on. By the time you leave, it’s likely you will have spent more time in the shop than anticipated.

East of These is all about the hope that comes when the sun rises in the east, and Bloom Shakalaka is a business built on spreading joy to the world through flowers. With similar clientele and positive messages, it seems only right that friends-turned-business-partners Taylor Ard (East of These) and Laura Shannon (Bloom Shakalaka) would collaborate to bring this wonderful new addition to the downtown area. Shannon said it best when she shared how “the heartbeat behind the shop for both of us has been [that] we want it to be a destination that uplifts people.”

“the heartbeat behind the shop for both of us has been [that] we want it to be a destination that uplifts people.”

– Laura Shannon, owner of Bloom Shakalaka

Bloom Shakalaka

Laura Shannon’s first business venture, Ashton Events, specialized in wedding planning, design, and, of course, florals for the big day. In 2020, Bloom Shakalaka was born out of customer demand for individual floral arrangements–something for a wife’s birthday or a gift to commemorate a special milestone. Shannon’s first location was inside The Joinery, though her growing business soon needed more space than the food hall could provide. In order to offer more products and floral options, Shannon began seeking a partner to open a new storefront with.

Walking into the store and looking at the bright and fun space, it is obvious that something makes the bouquets and arrangements at Bloom Shakalaka different from any bunch of flowers you can pick up at a grocery store. The main goal behind Bloom Shakalaka is to “spread joy with every bloom,” Shannon says. Sometimes, the joy is abundant, such as with a wedding or a celebration, and other times, those going through hardships allow Bloom Shakalaka to be “the avenue…to find joy in a hard situation,” as she puts it.

Since starting Bloom Shakalaka, Shannon said she has learned to appreciate the impact flowers can have on a room. A highlight of her business truly blooming has been seeing customers who may not have cared much about flowers before grow into an appreciation for the art of flower arranging. Getting to know regular customers is also a perk of the job when previous wedding clients decide to use Bloom for anniversary and
birthday celebrations.

“We are very community minded.” she explained about her staff. “We love collaboration,” whether adding fresh flowers to a wedding venue, or helping celebrate a retirement, as Bloom Shakalaka was pleased to do last month, during President and CEO Carol Sipe’s retirement from Summit Consulting LLC held at Bonnet Springs Park.

With the larger storefront, Shannon and her team are able to offer a stem bar every day, as well as a pop-up stem bar during the farmer’s market. This stem bar allows anyone to participate in the art of floral arranging by picking single flowers that look good together. Shannon said that retired florists will even stop by and pick some stems to arrange at home to rekindle an
old passion.

Bloom Shakalaka prides itself in pushing boundaries and offering a modern approach to florals. Shannon works with her suppliers to offer customers new flower varieties that no other local vendor has.

Bringing the new space to life has been a team effort, and Shannon said her staff, her family and her faith have all been pillars on this journey.

East of These

Taylor Ard, who started East of These, a company known for its handmade hair accessories, chose to partner with Bloom Shakalaka because she was facing a similar situation. Ard’s loyal customers wanted an in-store experience and the ability to visit any day of the week, not just on Saturdays at the farmer’s market. Anyone who has been downtown on a Saturday during the market has seen the two large tents that East of These is located under.

The scrunchies, t-shirts and headbands will still be sold street-side but a much wider selection of Ard’s creations can be found day-to-day inside the store on Trader’s Alley.

Taylor Ard, was not necessarily planning on starting her own brick-and-mortar shop, but when Laura Shannon asked the founder of East of These to share the downtown storefront, the answer was an easy “Yes.” This was the perfect way for Ard to satisfy her customers’ desire for a daily shopping experience, and was a solution for the fact she had begun to outgrow her farmer’s market stand. Now, she is able to display more of her own products and diversify her offerings to include men’s and women’s clothing to create a more “traditional boutique” setting. The boutique recently announced that they would be carrying Marc Nelson Denim, designed by one of Ard’s personal mentors, Marcus Hall.

At East of These, Ard finds creative ways to be involved in the community. She formed a partnership with Gospel Inc., a local nonprofit ministry that offers living spaces and work opportunities to the formerly homeless. At one point, East of These hired several Gospel Inc. residents as part of a sewing rehabilitation program.

Another way Ard gets involved in the community is through her business collaborations.

“We’ve been able to celebrate Lakeland culture by incorporating things that people love about Lakeland into our products,” explained Ard. One of the shop’s most popular prints, “Miss Morton,” is based on the beautiful swans that give this city its nickname. East of These has also collaborated on trucker hat designs for Fat Jack’s Deli & Pub and Mister Fish, which is Ard’s personal favorite piece of local merchandise. For fans of her locally inspired collection, be on the lookout in the near future for new hats and t-shirts from
upcoming collaborations.

Ard humbly credits the Lord, the supportive community of Lakeland, and her amazing team of hardworking women as the reasons that East of These has been able to thrive. On a practical level, she also acknowledged that the heat and humidity of Florida creates a demand for her ever popular scrunchies as a necessary means to keep hair up and out of the way. Finally, she said that the support of her husband (also named Taylor) has been so valuable. “If he were not in the picture…supporting me, then we would not be here.”

The love that these women—Taylor Ard and Laura Shannon—have for the people of Lakeland is evident in every corner of their shop. Both women have expressed their gratitude for this community that “just love[s] getting behind small businesses” as Ard put it. Downtown is a more hopeful and more joyful place because of the new shop on 214 Trader’s Alley, and it is something that everyone must experience. Stop by one Saturday and see for yourself!