Mayesh Design Star Featured Designer: Akiko Senda

Even though we've been doing Mayesh March Madness all month, that doesn't mean we don't have a new Mayesh Design Star or video to share with y'all! While we're on a short break this week from the contest while our finalists create their final designs, we're certain you'll be excited to resume our normal Design Star programming!

So without further ado, we give you...

Akiko Senda is the owner of Bloom Maven, a retail flower shop and wedding & event studio in Tucson, AZ. You may recognize the name Bloom Maven as we have posted about the "flower bombs" she and her team have created in Downtown Tucson with the help of our Mayesh Chandler team in the past!

Bloom Maven Flower Bomb

We're excited for Akiko to bring her retail experience to you and share some of the things that are successful for her shop. And on top of that, she's our first Design Star from the Southwest, so get ready for those desert vibes! And with that, let's learn a bit more about our Design Star from Akiko herself:

My career started in Retail Merchandising which then led me to Ecommerce where I worked with several action sports companies in Southern California. I always had some side hustles, however, which led me to open up a boutique retail shop in 2011. Through creating displays and events in the store, I discovered a passion for styling weddings and quickly fell in love with floral design.

I continued to work a corporate job for a few years, living in Los Angeles and traveling to my hometown in Tucson, Arizona for weekends during the wedding seasons and working with an events planning company, Soiree Girls. I took every opportunity and event to gain skills and create my own floral identity and watched a ton of YouTube videos, of course!

In 2015, I decided to take the leap and start my own company, and Bloom Maven was born. Tired of the LA life, my husband and I decided to move permanently to Tucson in 2017 to start our own businesses, and in December I opened my first Bloom Maven retail boutique. I figured that if people trusted me with their wedding florals, they could also enjoy my designs every day! I found a niche in my hometown and a very supportive community, and Bloom Maven has been flourishing since then! Our ever growing team now includes 6 amazing designers and assistants who run both the retail floral and events businesses plus teach the occasional
workshop. My husband and I also own a small Japanese restaurant in the same neighborhood as the shop, and we live in downtown Tucson with our 3 kiddos and cute dog.

Mayesh Design Star Akiko Senda