You may have wondered what the name of my shop means—or even how it’s pronounced! Certainly, it’s unique. The words blaithin blair mean “flower field” in Gaelic. Roughly, it’s pronounced “blah-HEEN blair.” The name also has a history for my business.
When I first started working with flowers, I was growing my own—most of which I sold fresh at the farmers’ market, but some of which I dried to sell in the fall after the growing season. I leased an approximately one-third-acre field, plowed it up, and then grew all kinds of flowers from seed, often with very little use of machinery.
Naturally, the work was grueling at times. It also wasn’t enough to sustain a year-round dried-flower business. So, I decided to focus on selling dried flowers in bunches and in arrangements. I searched for farmers around the country who offer high-quality products, and I’ve developed good relationships with a number of them.
Today, I do very little flower growing, but Blaithin Blair remains. I’ve been privileged to serve thousands of customers around the world, some of whom purchase dried flowers for their own crafts and some of whom purchase my arrangements. My work has even appeared in some well-known publications such as Southern Living and Victoria. But the name of my business reminds me of its roots in growing things!