Meet Abbie Blossom and Afton Neal N/A | Wedding Industry Professionals & Gift Makers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abbie Blossom and Afton Neal N/A and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abbie Blossom and Afton Neal, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Abbie and I are both in the wedding industry in our own businesses and decided to do something that combines something we both enjoy doing, giving gifts! Abbie is a wedding planner and I (Afton) own a bridal shop in Western Colorado. As we started working with each other more, we realized that we both enjoyed the relationships you make in this industry and also in life. We value that connection and are always wanting to show people that we care or are thinking of them. The more we learned that not everyone knows how to put gifts together, has the time to put gifts together or maybe has a short deadline, we thought there would be a need for it in our community. While we both thought it may be used in the wedding industry we really felt the every day “thinking of you” or “congratulations” gifts would be the focus.
Starting another business in 2020 proved to be a bit more challenging but we found, more than ever, that people crave that connection and miss the important people in their lives. Knowing you could send a gift to your best friend across town and bring a smile to their face became our why for doing this.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As we started Everwood Collective we were both running our own businesses so it felt a bit more familiar than starting brand new. Even with that experience, nothing is easy and you quickly learn along the way that it is never going to work how you think it will. We had to adapt quickly as March 2020 hit and serving our local community was the focus we had. We still offer local delivery and don’t normally ship our boxes, unless it is with company collaborations. We decided to do this so that the presentation of the boxes stayed exactly how we wanted. we knew people could get a gift to their friend across town when local stores were temporarily closed and they would still be supporting local too.
It quickly became such a special way to get to know people and build relationships with others and the word of mouth and social media support has been the way we’ve grown.
I think in this industry you can definitely grow your business by shipping nationwide and we have been happy to say that growth in your own city is possible and rewarding.

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?
Part of the reason we wanted to really focus on our own community is because we have the BEST one! Afton’s bridal shop is in Downtown Grand Junction so we are drinking coffee or kombucha at our favorite shop Kiln Coffee Bar. They have great atmosphere, share and support local artwork and really give back. We also can never decide where to each lunch because we love it all, but Taco Party and Suehiros are always a good choice. Craving Brunch? Stop by Dream Cafe. Pasteries and treats? Sweet Kiwi Bakery is your place!

We are surrounded by local breweries and wineries from Fruita to Palisade so there is always a place to stop on your bike ride and grab something to drink. Most of these great spots will probably have a food truck outside too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Afton – I have been drawn to being a business owner since I was young and I think my dad instilled that in me. I am always trying to learn new things and I feel like books and podcasts really help me related to other business owners and how to find meaning and growth along the way. Surrounding myself with other creators, businesses owners and friends that help lift you up and cheer you on. I am grateful to have many these people surrounding me.

Abbie – I haven’t necessarily been drawn to being a business owner as much as I have been drawn to helping people. Whether that is helping plan and design their wedding day or designing the perfect gift with that person in mind. I find joy in making others happy, I feel like that was instilled in me from being raised by loving and supporting parents and grandparents. Growing up I watched mentors and family members around me take care of others and help with supporting them and I feel blessed to have had some of that rub off on me.

Website: www.everwoodcollective.com

Instagram: instagram.com/everwoodcollective

Facebook: facebook.com/everwoodcollective

Image Credits
Kimberly Crist Photography Jason and Daris Photocinema