With their buckets of bright flowers and earthy-palette paint jobs, it’s hard to miss Amelia’s Flower Trucks.
Heather Hauser
The fleet of three Volkswagen Transporters are regularly parked around town in front of businesses like White’s Mercantile, Imogene + Willie, Dose, and at a spot in the Gulch. Now, you can find the floral company parked permanently inside L&L Marketplace on Charlotte Avenue, too.
Launched in 2016 by entrepreneur Mattie Bush, the mobile business started as a way to give customers the power to build their own bouquets from a selection of seasonal stems, with prices ranging from $1 to $6 per stem. Before starting the business, Bush was managing a food truck.
“I was already in the mobile business mindset, and then my sister inspired me with flowers because she really loves to do her own floral design,” she says.
Her dad helped her find her first Transporter from a seller online, which she outfitted with a canopy and rack system for the flowers. She quickly followed that up with a second truck, then a third. In November 2018, Bush opened her first brick-and-mortar inside the Factory at Franklin—the 400-square-foot space has become a nice trial run for the Nashville store, she says.
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Heather Hauser
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Heather Hauser
Inside L&L, Amelia’s Flowers is slightly larger than the Franklin location with a Parisian-feeling storefront that opens up to reveal a bright, modern space. Up front, there are retail items, like floral shears, aprons, candles, coffee beans, and vases—“a one-stop-shop for gifts,” Bush says—while the back of the space houses a floral design studio with a large table for building bouquets.
“Some people are really confident and know just what they want when they come in, but others are more hesitant,” she says. Bush’s team is there to guide with individual help, and also with educational events, like group workshops and conversations with a flower farmer. “We can do workshops for up to 15 in this space, so it’s great for bridal parties or groups,” she adds.
You can still find the trucks—Amy, Melody, and Rory, named for Bush’s favorite characters from Doctor Who—parked around town, and the shop also offers subscription services. Choose from weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly deliveries for freshly arranged bouquets to arrive at your door. These won’t be delivered in the Volkswagen trucks (though, they are available for private events on request), but they will deliver a fresh, fragrant bit of joy to your doorstep, as often as you like.
Amelia’s Flowers inside L&L Marketplace, 3814 Charlotte Ave.; ameliasflowertruck.com