Get to know Robyn, Founder of Blooms + Flora, with a little Q + A
How did Blooms + Flora come to be?
Blooms + Flora was created out of a desire to work with my hands, to have control over my career, and the flexibility of being at home with my children - wow, was I dreaming! Self-employment is maybe the opposite of all I had imagined, but I wouldn't change it for the world - ok maybe I'd make some little changes.
We actually started as a private floral studio in 2011, focused solely on wedding and event florals which lead to opening the first iteration of our brick & mortar flower shop in June of 2015 in Downtown Guelph. In the Fall of 2017, we expanded into our current home, a second adjacent unit on Woolwich Street, giving us a bigger and brighter storefront with space for more flowers, more plants, more home decor and everyday essentials.
What is your favourite part of your job?
I love the people I work with. My crew are the most creative, hilarious, and kind folks I have have ever met. We spend so much time together that we are each other's extended family. Floristry is a tough industry - you work all major Holidays, you work long hours on your feet all day, you stress about perishable product, tight timelines, making beautiful things, and getting everything done in a day. I am lucky to work alongside people who understand this wild life and have fun while they're doing it.
What is your most important tool?
My florist's knife. With the fast-paced environment of our shop, there's no time for putting your tools down. I cannot design without it and you'll definitely hear me complain if I can't find it - and I am always the one who has misplaced it. Wait, is coffee a tool? If yes, coffee first - then my knife.
What are your favourite flowers to work with?
That's like choosing a favourite child! Hellebores, Japanese anemones, and tulips would be my top 3 if you're making me choose.
What is it about our relationship to flowers that is so extraordinary?
I like to think that we have an instinctual reaction to flowers and the act of giving and receiving them. After all, this timeless ritual of gifting flowers dates back to Ancient Egypt and spans almost all cultures. Flowers can convey such a variety of sentiments from love to friendship, to sympathy and loss. Their fleeting beauty reminds us to enjoy them that much more, as they won't last forever - a good reminder for our everyday moments, however small too.
