Meet Jennifer Zerrer | Owner & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Zerrer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I grew up watching my dad spend days building parks & early mornings plowing snow from the street. He was an entrepreneur at heart with an incredible work ethic that instilled in me early on the importance of believing in what you do and giving it all you got. That experience really shaped how I approached my career, and led me right out of college to become a business reporter covering retail and surf apparel companies in Orange County. I got to interview other entrepreneurs & see what they went through to bring a idea to fruition. Flash forward to now & starting my own business just felt right. It’s part of my journey and I also wanted to involve my own kids in that journey, so they can see from the inside what it’s like to really build something from scratch & make it into something you’re proud of.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Bloom & Co. has grown into a multipronged business over the last several years. It was originally a line of flowery girls clothes I designed, called SheBloom, that later evolved into a home decor & design business., with an online store, pop-up shops, DIY workshops, an 1895 TX farmhouse Airbnb and a new brick-and-mortar store too.

It’s been a lot of testing, changing, risking & working hard to push things ahead. It’s definitely not always easy. I’m constantly learning and adapting to what the new demands are while trying to plan ahead & design. It’s a juggle.

With Bloom & Co. home design, my focus has been on mixing old & new through antique finds & items we make using repurposed or vintage fabrics. It’s something I love & live at my own home, which I think is super important. You’ve got to know the products you’re selling & really believe in them to tell a compelling story.

I took one of my passions, pillows, and created a small-batch, curated line of them using globally sourced vintage fabrics & linen. I make them here in CA. They’re fun, unique & help quell my own pillow obsession, since I get to help people select fun patterns for their projects & rooms. Pillows are now our top seller.

Another big part of Bloom & Co. is flowers.

I incorporate them in all our displays & also hold DIY flower wreath workshops so our customers can get together to create, mingle & love on their homes.

Flowers, and the blooming possibility of them, is also behind the feel of our TX farmhouse AirBNB we call The Bloom Inn. We renovated and purchased the historic home 3.5 years ago, as a way to bring the Bloom & Co. brand to a place that our customers could live themselves. The farmhouse, which is near Round Top, TX, a hub for all things antique, is decorated with Bloom & Co. home decor. Guests can shop that same decor at our Bloom & Co. brick-and-mortar store, which is just two blocks away from the Airbnb on the town square.

The idea was to bring the brand full circle, from the farmhouse, to the shop, to where folks can leave & go home and shop the online store if they’d like.

Bloom & Co. has definitely challenged me to keep an open mind & pivot when it’s needed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a big beach person, so I’d start us at one of my favorite spots, T-Street beach, in San Clemente. It’s a great place to surf or swim, and to take a long walk along the beach trail. You can grab a coffee by the pier & head up Avenida Del Mar to window shop & grab an acai bowl at Alohana. Get the Swamis (named after a popular surf spot), with freshly sliced bananas and strawberries and add fresh coconut shavings. So good.

Another day I’d head up the coast to Laguna Beach and do some snorkeling at the Montage resort or Diver’s Cove. Both are great spots for that. The ocean at Diver’s is usually super clear & you can spot a lot of fish, even a shark or two. Then, head over to downtown Laguna for some great Mexican food at South of Nick’s. Laguna is also known for the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters, which are fun to check out.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There is no doubt that I would not be able to do what I love without the support of my family. They are my engine and I thank them tremendously for their love. My dad instilled in me a work ethic & an attention to detail that I remember vividly as a little girl. And it still drives me today. My mom, always so innovative on thoughts & design, is my No. 1 person to bounce ideas off of. Even if sometimes she thinks I’m a bit crazy. And then there’s my husband and three kids. They are my backbone & my constant cheerleaders that continue to inspire me. Not to mention they are also my muscle, whether it be loading furniture for pop-up shows, painting & cleaning at our AirBNB, or arranging things at our TX retail shop.

Website: www.shebloom.com www.thebloominn.com

Instagram: @shebloomshop @thebloominn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shebloomshop

Image Credits
Diane Mueller Photography Jennifer Zerrer