It’s only been a short time since Flourish in Olympia first opened their doors in downtown. But founder and local business owner Ruth Moss says it’s something she just may have been destined to do all along. “Personally, I don’t even know when this began. I feel like so much of my essence is in this project. So much of who I am and what I believe in. I think it has a lot to do with my ancestral history and the things I value in my culture. And, the fact that my mom and dad came from two different worlds,” she explains.
The daughter of a Vietnamese business owner and an American soldier, Ruth didn’t have the most traditional of upbringings. From a very early age she remembers her mother helping refugees as they arrived from Vietnam, always going the extra mile. “Mom was the welcome wagon and the halfway house and the person to help you get a new start. She was just so loved and I really want to be like that,” shares Ruth. And it seems she is following in her mother’s footsteps, making it her mission to help others realize their dreams and potential through Flourish in Olympia.
Located at the exact center of downtown Olympia, Ruth has created a much-needed positive space where people can go for a variety of healthy, vibrant classes, activities and events. With a full schedule of small, intimate classes including unique yoga offerings, dance, mommy and me groups and many others, both instructors and students can grow and build relationships. Flourish also offers perfect meeting space for non-profits and great community events, making Flourish a truly collaborative space where everyone is welcome. “I feel like one of my purposes to be here in Olympia is to help people celebrate and connect to each other. Flourish is a safe place to be able to build your business.”
Because it can be difficult to get started, Flourish offers many unique options for entrepreneurs. Whether you need an office, a conference room or a treatment space to offer massage, they have you covered.
“What I really want to promote is my desire to help people. Not just that I have these rental spaces, but that they’re flexible spaces. People can rent by the hour if that fits their business needs. People can work cooperatively,” Ruth explains. “My main goal is making it easier for people who have these dreams and passions, these gifts and skills and talents, so they don’t get crushed because they don’t have business skills. I just so happen to be my mother’s daughter.”
With such positive energy, it’s no wonder Ruth has attracted like-minded individuals. “A lot of the things I wanted, my visions, are starting to happen. We have a group of practitioners here and I feel like we are creating a space for healing and expression,” shares Ruth. Besides her own business, Full Circle Health and Healing, which focuses on recovery from chronic pain, offering massage therapy and Bowenwork services, Ruth has grown her team to include a variety of others. Which in turn, has taken her healing practice to a whole new level through the nurturing of place.
Molly Gleizes not only teaches OMnia Yoga, but also serves as a retreat coordinator for Black Ridge Wellness, focused on healthy practices. Along the same lines, Shelly Haas aims to enrich women’s lives through her business Shelly Haas Wellness Coaching. Radiant Earth Acupuncture also occupies space and is the vision of East Asian Medicine Practitioner and Licensed Acupuncturist, Callie Blackwood, who relocated from Montana to Olympia. For Jessica Nadine Blake, a former massage therapist, her business Bloom is all about making people feel good and beautiful through her skincare procedures and products. Hildi Flores with BubbleGunk and Megan Flint Yeager of Moon Flower are both fashion designers who have come together to form Firefly Fashion Lab.
At the center of it all is Ruth, bringing these people together, bonding them under the roof of Flourish.
But Flourish isn’t all about business. With a strong artistic background, Ruth knew art had to have a place in her “pollination station”, as she calls it. “Let’s bring art back to the people. Let’s bring artists opportunities to be a part of the community that’s not such a struggle. We’re not a fancy gallery, and we never will be, but it’s a gorgeous building and it’s very intimate. People really love being here and it just feels good,” she says with a smile. Ruth hopes her artistic displays will create conversation about the arts and culture in Olympia, while allowing people to socialize and form new connections.
Whether you’re looking for a new place to work, a place to meet, great local classes or specific services, Flourish is the place to be. And Ruth says it’s just going to keep getting better. “I can’t not do this. It’s in my blood. I’ve really poised myself to say there’s no turning back. It’s just something I really must do – there’s no stopping now. People want, especially now, things to feel good about. In this region, there are just so many different things to celebrate.”
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