If you are walking around Rabindra Sarobar in the late afternoon, chances are you will spot a cycle stacked with jhuris of fresh flowers wrapped neatly into bouquets. While bouquets at New Market, Lake Market or Tollygunge usually start from Rs 200, these begin at just Rs 29. The price has turned heads, and the story behind it has made the sellers viral.
The three musketeers of Whimsyy Blooms — Preetam Mukherjee, Ambarish Mitra and Soumyadeep Saha — are childhood friends from Tollygunge who studied at Narmada High School and are now pursuing different degrees in college. In their early 20s, the trio decided to rethink flower gifting in Kolkata.
“We’re three college friends on a mission to revolutionise flower gifting in Kolkata,” said Preetam Mukherjee, who is pursuing a Bachelor's in Microbiology Honours at Asutosh College and looks after strategy and social media for the brand.
Ambarish Mitra, a B.Com student at Netaji Nagar Day College and the head florist, designs the bouquets, while Soumyadeep Saha, pursuing B.Com Honours from Syamaprasad College, manages finance and operations.
The idea was born over tea. “Basically, on a random day, I went to a tea stall with my friends and got an idea to start something. We thought of this and that, and we found a market gap in the flower market where bouquets only came at a premium cost. That's how we started this,” said Soumyadeep.
The Rs 29 starting price and the location, they admit, are a marketing strategy to draw customers. Their larger goal is to bridge the gap between local florists and online giants by offering modern designs at affordable prices. Tired of what they call ’90s-style bouquets and pricing that makes romance feel pricey, the friends decided to build something economical.
They source flowers directly from farmers and small growers to ensure freshness while keeping costs in check.
Evenings at Rabindra Sarobar now see young couples, friends and passersby stopping by their cycle for a bouquet that does not pinch the pocket.
Talking about the response of their customers, Preetam said, “It seems positive and viral in local circles — posts and reels highlight it as an affordable, cute option for couples.”