Fleurs & Décors
 One of the most important decisions a florist must make when opening a new business is the name of the shop. It has to be original, creative, and catchy so customers will be able to differentiate the business from the competition. When Martine Roy was trying to decide on a name for her store, she had a list of ten potentials, but she wasn’t overly happy with any of them. Then a thought occurred to her - could the name of her store also be the name of her web site? A quick check showed that the domain was available and Pétales.ca was born.
Four successful years later, Pétales.ca now attracts customers from all over Quebec. Located in Bois des Filion, a 20-minute drive from Montreal, Roy does have other florists in town to contend with, but they all specialize in different areas.
“The other florists are more traditional and I tend to do more modern designs,” Roy says. Roy began her career in the floral industry by helping her parents who were flower importers in Montreal. Even at a young age, Roy had a natural talent for design. After taking several courses to improve her skills, she found a job at Loblaws as the manager of the floral department, but quickly decided she should open her own business.
“I was doing a lot of wedding work at home, and realized I needed more room. I found a location to rent and opened on Mother’s Day,” says Roy.
Business has been blooming ever since. The majority of Pétales.ca business still comes from weddings; the shop averages five to six per weekend during the peak season. One service that Pétales.ca offers customers that no one else in Quebec does is bouquet preservation.
“Brides love the idea of being able to keep their bouquets forever,” Roy says. The process of preserving the bouquet is quite involved and time consuming. Each flower is removed from the original bouquet and rehydrated and then treated to preserve its colour separately. They are then treated in a cold vacuum and then left to rest for a couple of days. The flowers are then glued together with wires and then the bouquet is reconstructed, with one flat side to fit into the display box. The whole process takes about 2 to 4 weeks.
 “Once the bouquet is finished, bride’s incorporate photos, bottles of sand from the honeymoon, invitations, whatever they want,” Roy says. “I now sell one more throw away bouquet, because bride’s keep their bouquet to be preserved. I then have to recharge them when they bring it back because I have to reassemble it once it’s been preserved.” Roy has sold gift certificates for the process as far away as New York.
Another element of the business that Roy receives a great deal of positive feedback from is the store’s web site. Since Pétales.ca represents the name of store and the web site, Roy realized the importance of having a sophisticated, user-friendly, and interactive site.
“We get a lot of compliments from our web site. I wanted something that stood out with bright colours, movement, and music. I didn’t want it to be hard to download,” says Roy. Available in French and English, Pétales.ca is a visual delight with vivid photos of arrangements, centerpieces, wedding décor, and floral designs. The floating red petals on the home page are an elegant touch.
Pétales.ca has come a long way in a short time. Roy’s willingness to take a chance and try new things has led her to success. By offering unique wedding services and trendy designs, Roy’s reputation continues to spread across Quebec as the place to go for brides’ dreams to come true.
At a Glance:
Company Name: Pétales.ca
Proprietor: Martine Roy
Location: Bois des Filion, Quebec
Web site: www.petales.ca
Years in Business: 4
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