Bloem celebrates 40 years of selling flowers, chocolates, cards

Johanna Julyan grew up surrounded by flowers.

When she was a little girl in the Netherlands, her family always had many bouquets around the house. She remembers riding her bike to deliver flowers from her uncle’s floral shop, which still does business in a little old brick building in the town where she grew up in central Holland.

Though Julyan’s family left the Netherlands to move to the U.S. when she was 12, her love of flowers never wilted. When she and her late husband, Ren, moved to Spokane and bought Boehms Candies in 1977, she knew she had to find a way to sell flowers alongside candy.

Now known as Bloem Flowers, Chocolates and Paperie, the store is one of two original tenants in downtown’s River Park Square; the other is Nordstrom’s. River Park Sqaure is owned by Cowles Co., which also publishes The Spokesman-Review.

This week, Bloem is celebrating its 40th anniversary, a milestone that means a great deal to Julyan.

The key to owning a successful business is to do what you love, Julyan said. Her husband was passionate about chocolate, and Julyan loved flowers.

They never looked at owning Bloem as temporary, she said, even in tough times like the 1980s, when the Davenport and several downtown businesses closed.

It’s also important to keep things small, Julyan said. She has had people come to her wanting to expand her business and open new locations, and she has always turned them down. Her business wouldn’t be as hands-on, she said, and she likes the control she has with just one store.

Over the years, Julyan has had to learn how to adjust to changing business climates.

“When she sees an opportunity, she goes for it,” said Lyndsey Henry, social media and events manager for River Park Square.

Julyan has sold items such as lamps and air plants to cater to certain trends, she said. When then-President Ronald Reagan endorsed Jelly Bellies as his favorite candy in the ’80s, the Julyans had a waiting list of people to call when her next shipment arrived.

More than anything, Julyan attributes her success to her family, employees and customers, many of whom are adults who have come into the shop since they were children.

“They’re the reason why we’ve been here so long,” she said.