Rose & Blossom owner purchases former Clover restaurant space

The former Clover restaurant space in the Logan Neighborhood is gaining new life as a flower shop.

Rose & Blossom owner Terri O’Connor purchased the 1910-era restored Craftsman-style property, at 913 E. Sharp Ave., earlier this month.

O’Connor’s current flower shop, at 2010 N. Ruby St., will be relocated to the nearly 4,000-square-foot Sharp Avenue property.

“We’ve grown so much. The Ruby (Street) location is just too small and we needed a larger location,” O’Connor said. “It all fell into place and it seems to be a perfect building for us.”

Rose & Blossom also operates a flower shop at 219 N. Pines Road in Spokane Valley.

The Sharp Avenue property provides the company with additional space to teach hands-on, floral-arrangement classes and expand gift options, including items made by local artists and Rose & Blossom employees, O’Connor said.

“I really want to do some local gifts,” O’Connor said. “I’m super excited to do that and feature (items made by) some of our own employees.”

By next summer, Rose & Blossom will be growing flowers on-site at the property, O’Connor said.

“We are going to put some raised (garden) beds in and grow our own flowers on the west side of the building where it used to be outdoor dining,” she said.

Clover, which was known for its locally-sourced ingredients and seasonal menus, closed last year after owners Scott and Liz McCandless announced plans to retire.

O’Connor has owned Rose & Blossom for more than 30 years. She opened the flower shop as Just Roses in 1992, specializing in supplying customers fresh, farm-direct roses.

The business rebranded to Rose & Blossom in 2014 and expanded to become a full-service florist, providing handmade arrangements for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and funerals from its two Spokane-area locations.

O’Connor said she always thought her business would remain in its Ruby Street building, but after taking a look online to see what properties are available, she came across a listing for the former Clover restaurant space.

“I loved Clover and knew the building really well,” she said. “It felt like it was just meant for me.”

O’Connor called her Realtor to put in an offer on the building. A few days later, she signed a contract to purchase the property.

Spokane County Assessor’s Office records show O’Connor purchased the property for $575,000.

“It was a quick decision, but it felt really right,” O’Connor said of the purchase. “We love being in the Gonzaga (University) district.”

O’Connor hopes to open Rose & Blossom in the former Clover space in July, following some light remodeling work.

“The whole footprint of the property is much bigger and has all kinds of potential,” she said.