A Hand-Tied Niche
The Watering Can Flower Market
In the heart of downtown St. Catharines, Ont., The
Watering Can Flower Market has been offering their customers a
traditional European flower market for the past ten years. The market
allows a customer to pick and choose the stems, which are then taken by
a designer to be transformed into the customer’s prefect bouquet.
“It’s a very popular method of buying flowers and customers tend to buy more,” says Von Paton, production manager and buyer at The Watering Can. “It’s just like if you went to the deli to order a sandwich. You’d get exactly what you wanted.”
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| The flower market concept at The Watering Can allows customers to pick and choose stems to be made into the perfect bouquet. |
In addition to the flower market, The Watering Can has added to their European influenced niche market by specializing in traditional European spiral bouquets.
“The bulk of what we sell here are the hand-tied bouquets,” says Paton. Pre-made bouquets are available throughout the day in various styles, colours, and sizes.
“Everyone has different tastes and colours, so we make sure there is a nice mixture of bouquets available.” The pre-made hand-tied spiral bouquets retail between $10.00 and $26.00. If customers are looking for a smaller arrangement in a vase instead of a bouquet, The Watering Can offers a popular Euro container.
“The Euro container trend is also gaining popularity for people who want something small for their desk or as a gift for someone in the hospital,” says Paton. These arrangements are an excellent alternative to traditional gift items as they make a dramatic floral statement and the recipient can keep and reuse the container.
Located a few doors down from The Watering Can Flower Market is their Wedding Store. This retail space, which opened five years ago, offers an ideal location to have consultations with excited brides who are trying to determine the perfect flowers for their special day.
“The advantage of having a separate location to coordinate wedding work is that it doesn’t interfere with the walk in traffic at the other locations,” says Paton. The wedding store itself is open by appointment only. Bridal bouquets are available in cascade, presentation and Biedermeijer styles (the spiral, hand-tied form). The Biedermeijer bouquet accounts for approximately 95 per cent of all the bridal bouquets made. Averaging 130 weddings a year, The Watering Can has become known for its freshness and different types of designs. The company’s third location in Vineland just opened this past spring. It combines a flower market with a garden centre, and has received a great deal of positive feedback.
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| The popular Euro Container is a perfect floral gift, that doesn’t take up a lot of desk space. |
The Watering Can’s success can be directly related to their promise of offering the freshest products to their customers at competitive prices. Paton says they don’t carry flowers any longer than eight to ten days to ensure that they are offering the best. Another key to their success is their knowledge of European floral trends. Each year, one designer at The Watering Can is sent to Holland to learn techniques, trends, and styles.
“It’s a perk for one of the girls every year,” says Paton. By continuing to offering their customers the latest European trends, The Watering Can Flower Market is ensuring their survival for years to come.
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