Two Years of Anna May in Rathgar Thank You

Today marks two years since we took over The Flower Bowl in Rathgar and opened the doors as Anna May Floristry.

And I genuinely can't quite believe I'm writing that.

Looking back through the photographs from those first few days — the old Flower Bowl sign above the door, the ladders out, the painting starting and all of us wondering what on earth we'd taken on — has made me a little emotional.

Never could I have dreamt it would become or grow to where we are today! And lots more to come!

Because we weren't simply taking over a shop.

The Flower Bowl had been selling flowers from this little shop in Rathgar for the previous 47 years.

Forty-seven years.

Generations of birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, new babies, Valentine's Days, Mother's Days, celebrations and goodbyes had been marked with flowers from behind that very same counter.

So when the keys were handed over to us on 31st August 2024, we knew we had very big boots to fill.

Then Rathgar welcomed us

I'll admit, there were nerves.

We were taking over a flower shop that had been part of Rathgar for almost half a century.

There was going to be a new name above the door. We had our own ideas, our own style and lots of dreams about what Anna May could become.

But whatever we created, one thing mattered enormously to us:

we wanted it to remain a proper local flower shop.

And we needn't have worried.

The welcome we received was incredible.

People popped in simply to wish us well. Neighbours introduced themselves. Customers shared memories of buying flowers from The Flower Bowl over the years and told us how happy they were that there would still be a florist here.

Then something even lovelier happened.

You came back.

And you kept coming back.

Slowly, Anna May found her feet

There wasn't one big moment when the shop suddenly became Anna May.

It happened little by little.

The new sign went up.

The windows changed.

The flowers began creeping outside.

Then up the walls.

And occasionally around anything that stood still for long enough.

We experimented. We learned. We changed things. We found our style.

And slowly this little flower shop started to feel like ours.

Wild, whimsical, abundant and unmistakably Anna May.

But the best part has been the people

Two years later, there are so many faces we now know when they walk through the door.

And we absolutely love the chats.

People pop in for a bouquet and stay to tell us what's happening in their lives.

We hear about the birthdays, the new jobs, the new houses and the holidays.

We hear when somebody has gotten engaged — and sometimes we're lucky enough to make the wedding flowers afterwards.

We've made flowers to welcome babies, celebrate milestones, say thank you, say I love you, say I'm thinking of you and sometimes simply because somebody deserves flowers on an ordinary Tuesday.

We've also been trusted to make flowers during some of life's hardest moments.

That's something we never forget.

Because after two years behind this counter, one thing has become very clear:

Flowers turn up for life.

The enormous moments.

The heartbreaking ones.

The wonderfully ordinary ones.

And you've trusted Anna May to be part of them.

That's an enormous privilege.

You've watched us grow

Quite a lot has happened beyond the shop door too.

You've watched us head off around Ireland with vans full of flowers for weddings.

You've followed along as we've created events, worked with brilliant businesses and brands, introduced new ideas and pushed ourselves creatively.

You've celebrated the lovely moments with us too — the awards and nominations, and of course watching Raygan become Newcomer Florist of the Year 2025 at just sixteen, which was a particularly special one.

But when I think about these past two years, it's not really the awards or the big events that come to mind first.

It's the people.

Our customers.

Our little team.

Our suppliers.

The businesses around us in Rathgar.

The couples who trusted us with one of the biggest days of their lives.

And the people who recommend Anna May to somebody else because they think we'll look after them.

That's how a small business grows.

One order.

One recommendation.

One wedding.

One customer who comes back.

One bunch of flowers at a time.

It takes a village — quite literally

Anna May may have started as my dream, but what it has become certainly hasn't been built by me alone.

I'm incredibly grateful for our team who turn up, condition mountains of flowers, make beautiful bouquets, answer phones, pack vans, carry buckets, deliver flowers and somehow pull everything together when things inevitably get a little mad.

I'm grateful to our suppliers and the people within the flower industry who have encouraged us, taught us and helped us along the way.

And I'm incredibly grateful to my family.

Building a small business has a funny habit of becoming a family affair.

There have been early mornings, late nights and plenty of supposedly “tiny favours” that turned into considerably bigger jobs.

Anna May simply wouldn't be what it is today without the people behind it.

And most of all — thank you

This is the part I really wanted to say.

Thank you.

To everyone in Rathgar who welcomed us so warmly two years ago.

To those who had been buying their flowers from this shop long before Anna May appeared above the door — thank you for giving the new girls a chance.

To those who discovered us afterwards — thank you for becoming part of it.

Thank you for every bouquet ordered.

Every wedding entrusted to us.

Every event.

Every Google review.

Every Instagram share.

Every recommendation to a friend.

Every wave through the window.

Every “I'll leave it up to you.”

And, most definitely...

thank you for the chats.

Two years later…

Sometimes I look at the old photographs of The Flower Bowl and then look at the shop today.

And yes, I'm proud of how much has changed.

But I'm equally proud of what hasn't.

After 47 years as The Flower Bowl and now two years as Anna May, there is still a flower shop at number 11 in Rathgar.

People still walk through the door looking for flowers for someone they love.

There are still buckets everywhere.

There are still conversations happening over the counter.

There are still beautiful flowers leaving the shop every day to become part of somebody's story.

Two years ago, we wondered whether we could fill those very big boots.

I don't think we've replaced them.

We've simply added our own pair beside them.

We've respected the history of this little flower shop while slowly writing the next chapter.

And you have allowed us to do it.

So, from me and everyone at Anna May:

Thank you for making room for us.

Thank you for trusting us.

And thank you for making Anna May feel so completely at home in Rathgar.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Anna May.

Here's to Year Three — and whatever it brings.

Leah, Paddy & all of us at Anna May x

For Life's Moments.