Springtime is a time of new growth, and for 12-year-old Hattie Bennett, her blooming business is booming.
She started Hattie Lou Blooms in 2023. She uses flowers from her Franklin backyard to create fresh, hand-picked flower arrangements.
“We were looking for something we already had, and my mom plants a ton of flowers,” Hattie said. “We had so many, so we thought we could sell flowers.”
“After Mother’s Day [2023] when we sold out, we went and bought all of the annual seeds we could find,” said Hattie’s mom, Kailee Bennett. “It’s been a wild adventure and it just sort of rolled from there. We grew zinnias and cosmos and sunflowers.”
Each arrangement comes in a jar or vase, ready to be gifted or enjoyed in your home. All are donated, giving a second life to many spaghetti and pickle jars.
This spring, Hattie and Kailee planted a wide variety of seeds. Through their Facebook page, Hattie Lou Blooms, the mother-daughter duo shares updates on what they’re growing, their progress and where you can purchase their blooming beauties.
“I really like meeting new people, doing farmers markets and getting to see new places,” Hattie said. “I like seeing all the things that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t start the business. We’ve had weddings and wedding showers ask for our flowers.”
Hattie Lou Blooms has allowed Hattie to partner with local businesses for pop-ups and events like For the Love of Design, Courthouse Coney’s and Farm Girl Mercantile in Franklin.
This year you can find Hattie Lou Blooms at farmers markets and the Bargersville Kids Market.
When she’s not in school or running her business, Hattie plays volleyball and enjoys being an older sister and mentor to her younger brother, who decided to start his own candy machine business. (You can find those at Courthouse Coney’s and Farm Girl Mercantile.) Through Hattie Lou Blooms, she’s been able to spend more time with her mom.
“If we do anything, most of the time it’s the whole family,” Hattie said. “I feel like [Hattie Lou Blooms] has given us more time to be with each other one-on-one.”
Twenty percent of Hattie Lou Blooms’ proceeds goes to local charities. Hattie and Kailee save those funds until the total reaches $100, and then they make a donation. So far, organizations like the Franklin Community Middle School theater department and the Johnson County Public Library Foundation have received their thoughtful donations.
“I think it’s important to give back because if you’re just keeping all the money for your business, I feel like people aren’t going to want to buy from you because you’re not doing anything for others,” Hattie said. “It really makes me happy to see people happy to see us giving back and selling flowers.”
“It was her idea to start with Riley and change it up to give $100 to different organizations,” Kailee said. “She’s heard of things at school; we bought hats, scarves and gloves for the corporation when they were building up their closet for the winter. We talk about how it’s not hard to find ways to spread kindness. Things pop up and we’re like, ‘OK, that will be our next organization.’”
New this year are donation-only bouquet pop-ups, where families donate flowers from their loved one’s memorial service, and Hattie repackages them into smaller bouquets. From these efforts, she’s raised more than $500 for both the Humane Society of Johnson County and the Johnson County Community Foundation. These funds are donated in memory of the loved one who has passed.
In a similar vein, Kailee expanded the Hattie Lou Blooms services to include floral preservation, after customers asked for help to create lasting pieces out of their special blooms like wedding bouquets and memorial flowers.
Be sure to look for Hattie Lou Blooms at the Franklin Farmers Market in July and August! For more information or to place an order, visit hattieloublooms.com or follow them on Facebook.
