The second-largest florist in New Zealand is right here on Rosebank Road — and Best Blooms is thrilled to welcome you to their new, beautifully refurbished studio and retail store.
“It’s a gorgeous space,” says co-owner and Operations Manager Philip Selwyn. “Beautiful wooden floor, open gable ceilings, light and airy — and very spacious.”
Philip and his wife, co-owner and Managing Director Jo-Ann Moss, started Best Blooms 17 years ago in Henderson. In the years since, the last seven of which have been on Rosebank Road, the couple has grown their business into an award-winning, million-dollar retailer of gifts and flowers. The business is predominantly online, a shift that began organically and got a major push during Covid-19, but the new location provides a fresh and welcoming space to showcase their incredible range of high-quality gifting items, sourced after years of learning what their customers want and need.
“Our roots are in gifting,” says Philip. “What we’re classically known for is combo gifts: flowers and pampering.” In 2007, Best Blooms was named Auckland’s Best Gift Shop in the Retail Association Top Shop Awards, and they’ve only grown their offering from there. The shop is proud to offer everything from candles and gourmet treats to a range of beautifully made baby apparel and gifts. “It’s all high-quality,” says Philip. “We don’t have any filler in there.”
The move to the new shop, says Jo-Ann, was facilitated in part by an enormous show of support from the Rosebank community.
“We’ve had so much support from everyone locally,” she says. After getting the news that Best Blooms would be forced to relocate — their former building was set to be demolished — she and Philip reached out to their neighbours, local contacts, and fellow RBA members to see what was out there (on top of using real estate agents and other traditional channels). At one point, the search got tough, and the couple had to face the unwelcome idea of moving away from Rosebank. Luckily, the community came to their aid.
“I had so many calls from people trying to help us find a place, saying ‘What about that one?’ or ‘Have you tried there?’” recalls Jo-Ann. “They were actively trying to find somewhere for us so we could stay in the area. We’re really grateful.”
Jo-Ann has been a florist for most of her working life, training in the trade at just 16 years old. “I’ve always been fascinated by flowers. My mom used to do the church flowers, and that really inspired me when I was younger. I loved flower fairies and the garden and all the nostalgic things about flowers.”
Philip, by contrast, started out as a painter — a skill that has come in handy as they decorated the new building. He later changed careers and trained as a florist, even teaching the florist course at Unitech. “When we met and started our relationship,” says Jo-Ann, “we decided this was something we wanted to do together.”
The couple launched Best Blooms in the spring of 2006, after returning from a stint of overseas travel with their young baby. They began in Henderson, then shifted to their first Rosebank location in 2015, a move that proved fantastic from a logistical standpoint.
“Rosebank is such a good hub for deliveries,” says Jo-Ann. “Lots of our local businesses order online or give us a call, and we have customers ordering online from around the world.”
Sending out flowers to customers far and wide across Auckland is a huge part of the business, and with the new, bigger building, Jo-Ann and Philip have taken the opportunity to design a layout that specifically supports the daily rhythm of their team of nine.
“Three times a week, early in the mornings, fresh flowers come in from the markets,” describes Jo-Ann. “Our team processes the flowers to ensure they’re long-lasting, and then we make up the orders for dispatch. We do a lot of Internet orders, so we’re a very busy delivery system. We’ve set it all up to perfectly support our workflow.”
“A lot of thought has gone into the way we’ve set things out,” adds Philip. “We’re all on one level, and people at the counter can see everything going on in the flower studio all at once. There’s a lot more focus on our retail offering — so much focus that we’re still finalising our signage!”
The size and setup of the new building aren’t the only benefits; Best Bloom’s new storefront will be much closer to the road, an ideal spot to catch the eyes of passersby.
“In our old spot, we had people coming in who would say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know there was a florist here,’” says Philip, something he says was frustrating but understandable, with the shop being set back 30 m from the road. The new location perfectly balances kerb appeal with offstreet parking, and Philip and Jo-Ann have taken an additional step to ensure easy access to the shop. “We have an agreement with Payless Paints,” says Philip, referring to the business next door, “where our customers can come in directly through their gate. It’s so much easier and safer, and when we tell people ‘We’re on Payless Paints corner,’ they know where we are immediately.”
Jo-Ann is deeply grateful for the patronage of local businesses — “We have a big support network amongst the Rosebank community” — and for those who haven’t yet experienced the bloom of fresh flowers about their workplace, she happily testifies to the benefits.
“Flowers have certainly been proven to enhance work environments,” she says. “It’s not only the flowers and plants themselves, with the fresh air and positive vibes they bring, but I think the biggest thing is the surprise gifting you can do with flowers for clients or staff. Giving flowers can be the perfect thank you or sign of appreciation.”
Best Blooms’ customer service is equally as thoughtful as the gifts and flowers they send. “We offer free delivery throughout Auckland, and as part of our service, we send our customers a photo of what they’ve ordered so they can make sure they’re happy with what’s being sent on their behalf,” says Jo-Ann. “A photo also lets them share in the moment. When you order online, you can feel really removed from what you’re sending, but when you get a picture that you can share amongst the office and say, ‘Look, this is what we’ve sent Jenny for the passing of her mum,’ you feel part of it.”
“We put a guarantee on the back of every delivery,” adds Philip. “If there’s an issue, we fix it right away. People do know us and they know us really well – we have more than 7000 reviews on our website and over 480 reviews on Google. We have a reputation for our customer service, and we’re really proud of that.”
Visit Best Blooms online at bestblooms.co.nz or drop by their new location at 571A Rosebank Road (next to Payless Paints).