Les' Blooms Floral
Flowers have always been Rasheedah Leslie’s thing. The owner of Les’ Blooms attributes it to having spent her early girlhood in Belize, watching her mother and grandmother tend to the family’s garden. But when she wanted to get flowers and plants in Flatbush, her home for the past 25 years, she had to travel outside the neighborhood for her desired greenery.
“It was either that or corner stores, which carry really run-of-the-mill stuff,” Rasheedah says. “So I thought, ‘Why not bring something here? Do something about it since you feel strongly about it.’” In December of 2017, she opened Les’ Blooms, offering a unique, curated selection of lush botanicals.
“Having flowers and plants shouldn’t be seen as a luxury,” says Rasheedah, who keeps her floral arrangements and potted plants at a reasonable price point. “I think it’s necessary — living things are important for your mental and spiritual health.”
At Les’ Blooms you’ll find the perfect choice for your space: spiky safflower blossoms, deep purple heather shrubs, maybe some velvety Proteas.
“Everything I design is emotionally driven,” says Rasheedah, who doesn’t do pre-made, preferring to create personalized arrangements for each customer. “People always come in and say, ‘I’m not good at this.’ But you know what you’d like to see, so let’s start there. If it’s for someone else, I’ll ask about the personality of who they’re buying for. I don’t think there should be a set way, because everyone is different.”
“Everybody is really welcoming and looks out for one another. Over here owning a business is almost a given, like it’s what you’re supposed to do.”
The first thing that hits you when you walk into Les’ Blooms is the fresh, sweet fragrance — during our visit, it was a mixture of rose-scented candle, mint and eucalyptus plants, plus lavender. And while the space is small, its minimal design serves as a blank canvas for the kaleidoscopic array of flowers and shrubs. Rasheedah says opening her own business in Flatbush felt like second nature.
“It’s not a rarity — there are a lot of small businesses here owned by people who live in the community,” she says, emphasizing the support she’s received from the Parkside Empire - Flatbush Avenue Merchants Association. “Everybody is really welcoming and looks out for one another. Over here owning a business is almost a given, like it’s what you’re supposed to do.”
65A Fenimore Street, 347-627-4740, lesbloomsfloral.com
