Built By Family, Strengthened By Community
The In Bloom Florist story is a tale of two deep-rooted floral families: one built in Central Florida, the other shaped in Pennsylvania, coming together to keep a beloved local shop growing.
A Legacy Begins in Pennsylvania
The McCarthy family's floral roots go back to 1952, when Kevin McCarthy's grandfather opened a small flower shop near Scranton, Pennsylvania. Kevin's father grew up in that world, working alongside his own father for many years, learning the business from the ground up. Kevin's mother also has flowers in her DNA. She worked through high school at another florist in the Scranton area.
After college, Kevin's father doubled down on the trade. He took out a loan and lived and worked in a small flower shop in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, putting in the kind of years that build real staying power. Over time, the family was able to purchase Kevin's grandfather's original shop and expand into additional locations. As opportunities came up, they acquired other stores in different areas, carrying forward not just their own family history, but also the teams and traditions of well-loved local florists they were able to steward. For Kevin, that dual responsibility of honoring his family's name while protecting the spirit of the shops they purchased became a point of pride.
In Bloom is Founded in Orlando
While the McCarthy story was growing up north, a distinctly Orlando story was taking shape. In Bloom Florist was founded in 1990 by Orlando native John Kobylinski. He studied horticulture in college and started working at a local flower shop when he was 22, taking a job as a delivery driver. Within just a couple of years, he had worked his way up to managing five locations, a fast climb that speaks to both talent and serious work ethic.
John's path crossed with his wife, Sally Kobylinski, through weddings, always a classic way for floral aficionados to find each other. He met her when Sally's mother bought flowers from him for her sister's wedding. Sally's family also came from a strong floral lineage: her mother was a floral designer in upstate New York, where their family had operated multiple shops dating back to the 1930s.
That shared background led to a big step. In 1990, John and Sally opened their own shop, Orlando Flower Mart. They raised their children right in the middle of the business, surrounded by buckets of blooms, holiday rushes, and the everyday rhythm of a neighborhood florist.
As the business grew, John and Sally expanded from one shop into two locations, rebranding as In Bloom Florist and adding a wholesale division. The company's identity evolved from a single storefront into a broader floral operation, still local at heart, but built to serve the greater Orlando area with expanded reach and capability.
A New Chapter: Purchased by the McCarthy Family
In 2026, the McCarthy Family of Flowers acquired In Bloom Florist, connecting the Orlando roots with the McCarthy family's multi-generation floral legacy.
Kevin, now helming the family business as a fourth-generation florist, grew up inside flower shops, too. In one of the Scranton-area locations, he spent afternoons after school sweeping floors, cutting stems, and filling water tubes (the kind of "flower shop childhood" many insiders recognize). After college, he felt the pull of the industry and stepped fully into the work. Kevin's parents, Brian and Erin, remain owners in the business, and his sister Meghan supports with marketing and social media, keeping it firmly a family-run operation.
In Bloom today: Central Florida's Premier Florist
Today, In Bloom Florist is one of the largest flower shops in Central Florida. It continues to grow year after year, driven largely by the loyalty of the community it serves. The team prides itself on being part of people's stories: celebrations, condolences, milestones, and all the moments when flowers speak to our deepest emotions.
In Bloom Florist now serves the area through two convenient locations in Orlando and Lake Mary, with the primary shop on Gore Street. The company has also expanded its offerings into dedicated fresh flower, plant, and event divisions, designed to support everyday gifting as well as larger-scale floral needs throughout the Orlando area.
And that's the through-line, really: a business built on family, strengthened by community, and carried forward with care, so In Bloom Florist can keep showing up for Central Florida, one meaningful arrangement at a time.
