Lisa Kelly and Anne Marie Breyer have dedicated a lifetime to the floral arts. Anne Marie began working at a plant nursery at 16 years old and proceeded to receive a bachelor’s degree in Plant Sciences. That’s all before training at The New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture. Lisa has studied Ornamental Horticulture at SUNY FSC and earned a BFA from the highly regarded Pratt Institute. From there, she worked as the education director at Old Westbury Gardens. That’s where the duo worked when they met.
It was a business match made in heaven. Half Nassau, Half Suffolk, the two creatively compliment each other with great results. Their startup, Nectar & Bloom, has been flourishing due to weddings delayed by the pandemic. “I don’t know if it’s just the stress and anxiety of having to postpone,” Breyer explained to Bloomberg, “or if it’s more an appreciation of, ‘well, we didn’t get to do this for so long.’”
Nectar & Bloom is an 100% woman-owned special events floral design team, focusing on horticulture, elevated design style, and providing a special touch to events spanning every season. Their outdoor wedding arrangements and decor are beautiful yet understated, providing a soul-stirring backdrop for elegant ceremonies throughout New York City and Long Island. Curating celebrations both large and small from Manhattan to Montauk, Nectar & Bloom shines when challenged with making unique, client-specific floral visions a reality.
Incorporated in 2017, Nectar & Bloom decided to take a leap in August 2020 to secure a workshop space with O’Shea in Central Islip – no small feat for a small business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The workshop space has proved positive, assisting them in optimizing the floral design process and further professionalizing their brand. Between the spacious warehouse and the modern office area, the workshop is the perfect combination of form and function.
The 46 Windsor Place tenants are rising to the challenge of this increased workload, in part from the SCORE mentorship program. Anthony Fabbo, the mentor who worked with them, told NewsDay that only about 15% of aspiring entrepreneurs actually launch their business. Nectar & Bloom is one of the few that has broken through and found success.
Through Fabbo’s mentorship, Kelly and Breyer have honed their strategic planning skills and ability to navigate in the industry. The result is a blossoming business, realizing the life ambition of two Long Island locals.
O’Shea Properties is proud to be a hub for local businesses like Nectar & Bloom, which further enhance Long Island’s natural beauty. Lisa and Anne Marie have mastered their craft, and beat the insurmountable odds faced by entrepreneurs.
Already elbow deep in the busy 2022 spring wedding season, a visit to Nectar & Bloom finds the space abuzz with event prep and a permeable scent of fresh flowers (as well as the sweet smell of success). Their passion-oriented business takes inquiries through their website.