The Novel Bloom

The Novel Bloom River Valley Designs is now The Novel Bloom: Books, coffee, flowers by day, wine and martini bar by night.

01/15/2025

ARE YOU READY FOR ONYX STORM?!

Release date: January 21st, 2025 8am!

I. Am. Speechless. What a turnout. That was not what I was expecting at all and once again I was totally unprepared for ...
01/15/2025

I. Am. Speechless.

What a turnout. That was not what I was expecting at all and once again I was totally unprepared for all your support.

What a blessing❤️

Book club 2025 is gonna be FUN🥂

Come get weird with me at Book Reveal Party @ The Novel Bloom! Can't wait!Doors open at 6:30pm
01/14/2025

Come get weird with me at Book Reveal Party @ The Novel Bloom! Can't wait!

Doors open at 6:30pm

I wouldn't call these resolutions more like 2025 goals😜 But I wanna hear yours! Did you start any? Have you already gi...
01/12/2025

I wouldn't call these resolutions more like 2025 goals😜 But I wanna hear yours! Did you start any? Have you already given up? Lol no shame!

Have you ever started a New Years Resolution that changed your life?

We have so many new followers! Grab a seat, I'm a bit long winded today! There once was a story all about how my life go...
01/11/2025

We have so many new followers! Grab a seat, I'm a bit long winded today!

There once was a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down. And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there... jk lol

Welcome! I know how spammy your feed can get, so I appreciate you following along! My name is Sam, and im the owner and voice behind The Novel Bloom.

For the past 11 years, I have owned and operated a flower shop called River Valley Designs. It's right in the middle of downtown Savanna. About 2 years ago, I decided I needed a change. The business was thriving, yet I was so burnt out. I was working 6-7 days a week and 3-5 weddings a weekend, every weekend during busy season. I could not keep going. I decided to cut back, take a break, and reevaluate what i wanted this business to look like. I thought about throwing in the towel. I thought about going to get a 'regular' job. I was close. But ultimately I love running a business. So, I started scheming...

That led me to the idea of the Novel Bloom. I wanted to ADD TO my already established flower shop. But with what??? Honestly, I can't even pin point when the idea came to my mind. Somewhere along the line I decided to add books and coffee. At first I was like, how can I make this work? Then I was like, how could this NOT work? It's a beautiful blend of products that evoke emotion and create connection. So I started to renovate my building.

FLOWERS: We are still a full service flower shop! We have a large design room behind our coffee bar that we work out of creating everyday arrangements/daily delivery, funeral tributes, and wedding/event pieces. We still have a large flower farm in my front yard that we harvest all our blooms from during the growing season. We also sell our homegrown blooms at the Mt Carroll Farmers Market! We also host floral design workshops! These are super popular, and the next one is our Crowns and Cocktails on February 13th.

COFFEE: I'm not biased, but our coffee is GOOD. We started with a small menu to perfect our offerings and were slowly adding to it. Our flavors are simple, yet interesting and we take a lot of pride in creating your drinks. We use a local roasting company and they create custom blends for us.

BOOKS: ya'll. Surprised is the understatement of the century. I mean I knew the books would do well( Imean I had to think that, I was opening a book store). But the amount of books we have sold in the last 12 weeks is mind blowing. You all have a desire to read physical books. Turning pages. Smelling them. 😅idk theres just something about a physical book that is making a comeback! I think its also an experience that you cannot get from finding books online. Browsing the shelves and reading the back of the books. Getting lost for a bit. It is not an experience you can get from Amazon.

Our books are new, for sale. A used book section will be coming soon!

WINE/MARTINI BAR: This newest addition to the shop has really taken the space to a new level. We added local wines and espresso martinis(a few more cocktails coming soon!) For a Novel Bloom after dark experience! AND you guys are here for it😍 It's a great spot to grab a glass of wine and read a book or clink martinis with a few girlfriends. We also sell wine by the bottle. Picture grabbing a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine, and maybe a chocolate bar on your way home for your hunny😉

If you havent been in yet, or maybe in a while, stop by! We get new book arrivals every week and were pretty proud of our drink making skills, with both coffees and cocktails!

Love you all😘

Tuesday-thursday 7:30am-5pm

Friday 7:30am-9pm

Saturday 8am-9pm

Grab a glass of wine and dive into a new book!Friday 7:30am-9pmSaturday 8am-9pm
01/10/2025

Grab a glass of wine and dive into a new book!

Friday 7:30am-9pm
Saturday 8am-9pm

01/09/2025

Spill it! Comment with your best and worst book of 2024!

The Valentine's Day vibes are strong this year😍🥰
01/08/2025

The Valentine's Day vibes are strong this year😍🥰

From all the comments on Sunday of what you're all reading, I think only 1 was on our book club list! Will you be joinin...
01/07/2025

From all the comments on Sunday of what you're all reading, I think only 1 was on our book club list!

Will you be joining us for our FIRST EVER Book Reveal Party @ The Novel Bloom! ?

Coffee/wine/martinis will be available, and we're offering a discount on the book club books that night, so if you plan to join bookclub, you don't want to miss it! I cannot wait!

It's been a minute since we've done this!🤩
01/05/2025

It's been a minute since we've done this!🤩

Our monthly drink specials are also espresso martinis flavors🤩Bar hours:Friday 5p-9pSaturday 2p-9pGrab a gal pal and joi...
01/05/2025

Our monthly drink specials are also espresso martinis flavors🤩

Bar hours:
Friday 5p-9p
Saturday 2p-9p

Grab a gal pal and join us!

Just dropped our January drinks! Come give them a try!
01/04/2025

Just dropped our January drinks! Come give them a try!

We got the essentials for you this weekend!🤩Saturday 8am-9pm!
01/04/2025

We got the essentials for you this weekend!🤩
Saturday 8am-9pm!

Cheers! Just a friendly reminder that sometimes when you see a pretty photo on social, it's really just Sarah hiding und...
01/03/2025

Cheers! Just a friendly reminder that sometimes when you see a pretty photo on social, it's really just Sarah hiding under the table...

Also a friendly reminder that we're open tonight until 9pm, see you soon!

A big ol' stack of book club books just arrived for Book Reveal Party @ The Novel Bloom! Will you be joining us on Janua...
01/02/2025

A big ol' stack of book club books just arrived for Book Reveal Party @ The Novel Bloom!

Will you be joining us on January 14th?

Tag your bestie to invite her to the fun!

We're back to whipping up your fav drinks and creating the best vibes✨️ see you soon!Two Lanes Media
01/02/2025

We're back to whipping up your fav drinks and creating the best vibes✨️ see you soon!

Two Lanes Media

Reminder: we're closed today and tomorrow. See you in the new year!
12/31/2024

Reminder: we're closed today and tomorrow. See you in the new year!

The lineup for tonight🤩
12/28/2024

The lineup for tonight🤩


Address

218 Main Street
Savanna, IL
61074

Opening Hours

Tuesday 7:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5pm
Thursday 7:30am - 5pm
Friday 7:30am - 9pm
Saturday 8am - 9pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Novel Bloom posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Novel Bloom:

Videos

ARE YOU READY FOR ONYX STORM?! Release date: January 21st, 2025 8am!

Spill it! Comment with your best and worst book of 2024!

Have you purchased a book from The Novel Bloom yet? I may be biased, but I think the selection is *chefs kiss*😉

The Novel Bloom is the place to be today! 8am-2pm

A moment from the grand opening weekend: I was chatting with a customer and I said "thank you so much for coming in and supporting." She replied with, "no, thank YOU for creating a space for US!" Man, that got me🥲 Now, I know I can be a mush ball on this platform. But dang, that really hit me. How much the community yearned for a place like this. I'm sorry it took me so darn long to come up with the idea and create the space. But I'm thrilled its finally here for you to enjoy. I've said it once and I'll say it again: I am not here to be a millionaire. Financially stable, sure. Lol I'm just a girl trying to build a life I love, and if I can build something that helps you to create a life you love too, then I'm doing something right. Thats all. I'll come back with some jokes tomorrow to lighten the mood cuz man that was too much🤣

WOWZA! What a fantastic weekend! Thanks for all the love! If you stopped in, would you consider leaving a review? I'd soooo appreciate it! ALSOOOOO, new hours starting TUESDAY! 7:30am-5pm Tues-Fri 8am-2pm Saturdays

I'm not trying to be dramatic or anything, but can we skip to the last 2 phases??!?! Really hoping to have a grand opening date soon!

You guys, we only have to sell like a thousand crew necks to recover our renovation costs🤣 Tshirts $20 Crewnecks $49 Comment below with your order and I'll message you for more info like email for invoicing and pick up or shipping details. Yano, stuff you don't want public🙃 THANK YOU!!

NATIONAL BOOK LOVERS DAY! Where are my book lovers at???? We celebrated all week by sanding and painting bookshelves for The Novel Bloom! 🤣

Wow, what a beautiful evening on the farm. The hummingbirds are busy, the bugs and frogs are singing, and the water is flowing... *record scratch* dang nabbit, Finn! Our cat likes to chew on our irrigation line. Another leak to fix🙃 Anywho, join us tomorrow for our kids workshop on the farm at 5pm!

It's been a week since I've released the big announcement so here's a little sneaky peek: it's getting DARK in here!

LAST CHANCE TO BOOK CROWNS & COCKTAILS TICKETS! July 21st, 6pm Use code CC2024 for buy one get one 1/2 off tickets! https://rivervalleydesigns.us/workshops/crowns-cocktails-night-july-21st-2024-at6pm.html

Shortcuts

Share

Category

The Roots

Hey! It’s me, Samantha. The girl behind River Valley Designs.

Ever since I was a little girl, I had this infatuation with flowers and plants. It all started when I would help my mom in the garden. She would let me pick out a pot, a few annuals, and create my own little planter. It was always my responsibility to water and tend to each of my creations. I cared for those plants like most little girls cared for their dolls!

That little girl who loved her plants is still inside of me. As I grew up, I realized this wasn’t just a hobby or interest. It was a deep-rooted passion that I KNEW I had to somehow make a career out of.

I worked at River Valley Designs in high school. I "started from the bottom", cleaning buckets and running deliveries. After graduating from Kirkwood College with a certificate in floral design, I moved back home and purchased River Valley Designs. As a young 19-year-old, I jumped right in and made this already 20-year-old business my own. I've worked for 5 years to create something that I am so unbelievably proud of.