|
|
 |
Tivoli Florist
Tivoli Florist |
|
Written by Amanda Ryder
|
European Style at Its Finest
When owner Michael Corbeil first opened the shop in
Ottawa, Ont., in 1989, he knew he had to do something unique to set the
business apart from all the others in the Ottawa area. In order to
deliver customers with something new and fresh, Corbeil opted to bring
a European feel to his shop.
 |
| Above photo: A few members of the staff and management at Tivoli Florist in Ottawa, Ont. From left, Erica Leszkowiat, manager Sue Courtney, owner Michael Corbeil and Pat Cattran. |
He got the idea after visiting florists in Montreal and Toronto. Shops there were just starting to exhibit a more European style where the flowers were more accessible to customers due to an open market type of feel. Corbeil admits the style was slow to catch on in the beginning. “Eighteen years ago, it was a bit of a hard sell. Now florists are being more creative,” he says. Looking back, the decision isn’t one he regrets as this approach has become something Tivoli Florist is known for. The shop’s motto is “a florist in the European style.”
 |
| Tivoli’s keeps fresh product out in the open and ready for purchase. |
One of the trademark items at the shop are the beautiful European hand-tied bouquets, crafted by him and his staff of six designers. The bouquets are kept very natural, wrapped in raffia, and as with everything in the store, branded with a Tivoli sticker. Although the shop constantly changes what goes into the bouquets, Corbeil says one recent arrangement used a combination of peonies, delphiniums, lady’s mantle and campanula.
With seven employees between the two Tivoli shops, Corbeil keeps his staff trained and up to date on the latest designs. “I like to be able to have a situation where anyone on staff can deal with a client,” he says. Because Ottawa doesn’t typically attract a lot of design stores, Corbeil and his staff travel to shows in Toronto and Montreal as much as possible to see what’s new in the design world. They also subscribe to European design magazines to get a look at different ideas and concepts. Corbeil says it “keeps us challenged.”
The main Tivoli shop is located in Ottawa’s trendy Westboro Village and a smaller shop, which opened two years ago, sits in the historic ByWard Market. Corbeil says having the two shops has actually worked to their advantage in a way they hadn’t expected. Many customers see the shop in the market and it serves as an advertisement for the main store. “It really acts as an interactive billboard. They see our things there and that brings them to the main shop,” he says.
|
| Tivoli Florist’s motto is “a florist in the European style.” |
Both shops are set up for customer ease. Corbeil says they keep a lot of their fresh product out in the open, out of the cooler, and they keep all the arrangements in a vase and water. The store prides itself on featuring a fresh selection of flowers. You won’t find standard carnations, baby’s breath, mums or any artificial flowers on Tivoli shelves. The shop carries one of the biggest selections of cut flowers in the Ottawa area, featuring between 65 and 70 different types of flowers. Tivoli receives a fresh shipment of flowers every day, some coming from Toronto, Montreal and as far as Holland. Corbeil tries to choose suppliers outside of the Ottawa area to ensure his selection differs from other area shops.
Innovative thinking is key for Corbeil and his staff at Tivoli Florist. Years ago when florists were packaging flowers in paper and bunching them in cardboard, Tivoli was one of the first to think outside of the box, literally. “We were one of the first florists to wrap the followers in clear cellophane, thinking that it would be easier for the customer to actually see what they were buying.”
Tivoli also likes to be original in their arrangements as well. “People call up and say they can always tell which flowers come from Tivoli,” Corbeil says. He says this is especially true at funerals. Corbeil refuses to include the typical gladiolus in a funeral arrangement. They try to create a design that people can take home after the funeral and it won’t remind them of the funeral. “It’s a sad occasion, but that doesn’t mean the flowers have to look sad.” Whenever possible, Corbeil prefers that customers don’t specify what they want in their arrangement when they place an order. “We discourage specifics. It gives us the opportunity to use whatever is the nicest and it saves stress on our part and on our suppliers. In the end, the customer ends up with a better product too.” This is also one of the reason’s Tivoli Florist does few transactions on their website. The site is simply a place for customers to peruse their selection and to give an example of their style.
As far as clientele, Tivoli Florist doesn’t target a certain market, although Corbeil says their prices are a little higher than the average florist’s because they are particular about the flowers they offer. With that being said, Corbeil says he still gets brides who come in and are amazed at the reasonable rates the shop offers. When it comes to wire services, Corbeil uses Teleflora when doing business with small towns, but deals one-on-one with familiar florists in big cities. Corbeil says the reason for this is because “we know them really well and we know they do things similar.”
In addition to flowers, Tivoli Florist has also attracted a customer following based on the giftware they offer. In the summer, their garden pots, trellises, urns and vases are popular for the garden and on the deck while in the winter their Christmas decorations are a huge hit. “At the beginning of November, everyone gets really excited about Christmas. Our Christmas stuff is just really unique, it’s different than what you find at Canadian Tire or Wal-Mart,” he says. With his order already in for this Christmas season, Corbeil is predicting a hot trend will be frosted giftware, even in black, and thinks giftware colours will swing more towards olive green and burgundy over the tradition holiday green and red. The shop’s biggest yuletide seller is anything gold.
And the customers aren’t the only ones who take note of Tivoli Florist’s creative approach. The shop has done work for several embassies, the Prime Minister’s Office and for movies filming in the Ottawa area. “We have been very fortunate to work for a lot of influential events,” he says. One of Corbeil’s most memorable events was when Tivoli did flowers for the British High Commission and he was actually extended an invitation to the ceremony.
When asked what advice he would give to florists, Corbeil says “be creative, don’t copy things from the FTD book.” The shop often employs work experience students from the Algonquin College School of Media and Design and Corbeil says he advises them to pay attention to trends in fashion and décor because that often dictates what will happen flower-wise. He also recommends doing something he did before opening his shop.
“The best inspiration is to look at other flower shops in other towns. Take a look at what other people are doing out there.”
|
|
|
