Flowers, creativity and even love bloom at The Bloomtique at 3849 Nekimi Ave. in Oshkosh. Started in April 2023 by Gena Tigert and her husband, Adam Tigert, the appropriately-named Bloomtique is a boutique and flower farm that offers a build-your-own bouquet experience from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
With fields of zinnias and wildflowers all in a variety of colors, you can customize the bouquet to your preference — or a loved one’s. Just buy a vase for $15, grab your shears and have fun with it. If you’re a student, senior or military member, you can get it at a discount for $12.
Gena Tigert will be there to offer tips and guidance, and at the end, you will have a bouquet as unique as you. When those flowers eventually die, you can take the vase back and refill it for just $12; almost like a perpetual bouquet that grows with you.
Afterwards, you can check out the “boutique” part of “Bloom-tique” where you can shop unique pieces, fun knick-knacks and pieces from local artists, and say “hi” to their shop cats, or as Gena Tigert likes to call them, “mascots,” Daisy and Lilly.
Whether you’re visiting alone or with loved ones, the experience is equally fun and therapeutic.
“When we make things with our hands, it’s a piece of your soul,” Gena Tigert said. “That’s nurturing; it frees us a little bit.”
It has also been scientifically proven that having flowers in your space can actually improve your emotional health.
According to a study by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, flowers have “an immediate impact on happiness,” “a long-term positive effect on moods” and they “make intimate connections.”
Luckily for your mom, the presence of flowers even leads to “increased contact with family and friends.”
This is a fun, cost-effective way to add life to your space as a college student, as bouquets can be expensive, and customizable ones are even more.
With “cuffing season” upon us, this can also be a great date idea. Everyone loves receiving flowers, let alone frolicking in a field of them.
You may be able to catch some of the good love ju-ju there, as there’s an airbnb that can be booked for weddings on the property — not to mention that the business itself was grown by two love-birds.
The pair met while Adam Tigert was beginning Bloomtique’s parent business, Brighton Acres; a family farm-turned-wedding venue.
Adam Tigert had originally renovated the farm’s machine shed into a basketball court, something he would use for pickup games or to help coach kids, until a family friend asked if they could host their wedding there.
It was around this time that the pair met, with Adam Tigert enlisting her help for Brighton Acre’s first wedding.
It was also around the time when rustic barn weddings were all the rage. They sold twelve weddings that first year, then sold almost quadruple that the following season, with around 42 bookings.
A few years into the business, the pair bought the farm that would one day become The Bloomtique as “a place to land” between living in the city and their busy schedules.
One day, Gena Tigert asked Adam Tigert to plant a garden at the farm for her because she felt lonely. Soon, perennials were planted, and so was an idea.
She had heard of other farmers doing you-pick, and decided to do the same with her flower garden.
“(I had) the desire to let people experience what I get to on a daily basis,” Gena Tigert said. “I want people to have that deeper connection to the whole thing… the flowers, the butterflies, the creating and the appreciation of the environment. I think it’s something everyone should get to enjoy.”
While The Bloomtique’s U-Pick will only last a few more Saturdays before the frost hits, you can stay tuned for new products and experiences, including lavender U-pick and products and art classes such as flower crown-making, bread-making, sun printing classes and more.
Gena Tigert also plans to continue doing Children’s Hour, an experience for families where they read a book, do a nature-themed scavenger hunt, pick flowers, make crafts and have ice cream.
No matter your age, there is fun to be had at The Bloomtique where Tigert employs her vision of “fostering creativity, (being) thoughtful of the environment and truly caring.”
