Community Oasis ​“Blooms” in Westville

A ​“community oasis” is blossoming on the corner of Edgewood and Central Avenue — where handmade birdhouses hang from the ceiling, flowers spring from shelves, and a garden sprouts lavender.

The self-described lifestyle boutique is called BLOOM. It is located at 794 Edgewood Ave. in an old office space that has been repurposed into a store, cafe, and social space for the neighborhood.

When BLOOM opens on July 8, store owner and creative director Alisha Crutchfield-McLean hopes it will be a space where people can attend community-run workshops, sit and sip a plant-based mocktail, and get to know their neighbors.

Crutchfield-McLean’s vision for ​“BLOOM” lies somewhere between an urban oasis and a community center.

“BLOOM is powered by nature,” said Crutchfield-McLean, who is lives in Westville. ​“It’s a community space for upliftment and rejuvenation; that’s why I chose the name.”

BLOOM plans to host movie nights, bingo, chess, and workshops for the local community with a low, nominal fee. Crutchfield-McLean hopes to invite community members to lead workshops of their own in the space. For now, she plans to teach people to make terrariums and the handcrafted birdhouses that hang around the store. The birdhouses are made out of recycled wood from the building’s old ceiling.

When Crutchfield-McLean leased the space in March, she intended to fuse her background in fashion — she helped style Kanye West, Ludacris, Trey Songs, and Bette Midler at different points in her career — with her love for the community.

“I asked myself: What would my community want from me?” said Crutchfield-McLean. ​“I knew Westville didn’t need another clothing store. But how about a lifestyle boutique?”

One aspect of BLOOM is born out of a recognition for the work-from-home lifestyle. The store will offer a membership program intended for those who would like access to office space. Members would have full access to the boutique’s workspace and private courtyard as well as to food and beverages, printing, and wifi.

Traveling aestheticians, massage therapists, or other wellness workers will be able to rent out the store’s health and wellness room, which will feature a window-side sunbed, aromatherapy diffusers, and a selection of health products.

Crutchfield-McLean’s four employees are all artists in one way or another. Amelia Treat and Shizah Mangi, both 18 years old, helped draw a large flower on BLOOM’s chalk wall. Treat enjoys watercolor and oil painting, while Mangi uses her talents to raise money for impoverished villages in Pakistan through the Ali Hasan Mangi Trust.

Eddy Caves, who runs BLOOM’s beverage program, has worked as a bartender and mixologist at New Haven eats ranging from Barracuda to House of Naan. He designed a nonalcoholic drink menu for the lifestyle boutique, featuring locally sourced ingredients. Many of the herbs for the syrups Caves uses in drinks are sourced from BLOOM’s backyard — including lavender, rosemary, and basil.

“I want to offer people refreshments and a jolt of energy,” said Caves. ​“I see this as an artistic space which can attract other artists and people can be inspired.”

Vijor McCray, who is 25, is a painter, stylist, and creative director from New York. She said BLOOM is a space that can bridge the gap among neighbors, artists, and friends and can be transformed into anything that the community needs.

BLOOM is still a work in progress. Some of the store’s equipment, flowers, and furniture are still arriving. By the official opening day and ribbon cutting on July 8th, Crutchfield-McLean said, she plans to make everyone feel welcome.