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Top Shops: Adding the Custom Touch
Adding the custom touch |
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Written by Canadian Florist staff
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Flowers R Us Inc. tailors to your needs
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Owner Marianne Spitula with two of her designs.
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If it’s customized service you want, then Flowers R Us Inc. in Winnipeg is the place to go. In the province’s biggest city, word has spread quickly about the unique design talent and expertise that the florist has to offer. Marianne and Ed Spitula opened Flowers R Us 10 years ago. After Marianne spent 20 years working in the various sectors of the floral industry, Ed convinced her to take the plunge and open their own shop. The couple makes up the shop’s full-time staff and together they run the shop with the help of three part-time staff members.
The florist is also unique in the way that it operates behind the scenes. Flowers R Us does not belong to a wire service. Marianne explains that they decided not to join up because they believe the computer has made it easy for the customer to find a florist in another city. Customers can phone directly to a florist anywhere in the world and pay for their order by credit card. The florist doesn’t have its own website either. The Spitulas had one in the past, but they found that it didn’t catch on with their customers.
As far as advertising goes, this is also something that sets the Spitulas apart. They don’t do any. Since the shop opened, Flowers R Us has relied strictly on word-of-mouth to bring customers in. “It’s people telling each other ‘you have to go to that shop,’” says Ed.
So what attracts customers to Flowers R Us? The shop’s look – both inside and out – has also worked as its own advertisement and helps lure customers inside. Located on a busy street corner in Winnipeg, the storefront is outfitted with six, large glass display windows that measure about six-feet-by-six-feet tall. Each window is a different displayed ‘look’ and customers will often walk in and buy the whole display because as Ed says, “they just have to have it!” Marianne changes the window designs once every two weeks or as needed if the displays sell. Ed says the window arrangements are usually oversized to catch the eye of passersby. “We do things large here to show people that it can be done,” he says. Marianne adds that “a customer may see something that’s large and they can’t afford it. We can scale the design down so they feel like they are taking some of that grandness home.”
At a Glance
Company Name:
Flowers R Us Inc.
Location:
Winnipeg, Man.
Owner:
Ed and Marianne Spitula
Years in Business: 10
Size:
1,000 square feet
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The duo has invested in the curb appeal of the shop on the inside as well. When customers walk into the 1,000-square-foot shop, they are greeted with porcelain tile floors and a pristine retail area. Ed says cleanliness is a huge part of the business. There’s no hidden backroom so everything, even the design area is in plain sight. “Everything is wide open and everything you see is for sale,” says Marianne. The shop offers a 12ft x 12ft walk-in cooler and their customers appreciate that they can walk in and pick their own flowers and browse arrangement samples. Convenience is always a priority, so customers can simply grab a design and go, if they are in a hurry. Marianne says they will often take customers inside to show them examples, and then the customers can in turn specialize, adapt or personalize the designs to fit their own needs. She says that listening to the customer is key in order to ensure you’re giving the flowers and design that is what they want, not what you think they want.
The florist’s willingness to customize has become one of the things that customers appreciate the most. Marianne is the main designer at Flowers R Us and her extensive experience has become one of the shop’s biggest assets. She has the ability to offer her customers exactly what they ask for – no matter what design style they request. “I can just about do anything – I’ve worked in floral retail, wholesale and department stores so we are unique because we can offer it all,” says Marianne.
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| Ed Spitula takes an order behind the shop counter. |
When it comes to discussing the obstacles they’ve faced in the past 10 years, Ed and Marianne say they’ve tried to focus on what’s going on inside the shop, rather than what’s happening outside. “We don’t worry about other shops or the big box stores,” says Ed. The florists biggest concern has been keeping the shop unique and keeping up on the trends. “As things change, you have to change,” says Marianne.
In regards to what advice the couple has for other florist, Ed says “you have to find your own unique niche and go with it.” He adds that it’s important to keep the customer in mind at all times. “If you’re good to your customer, then they will always come back,” Ed says. Marianne adds that “our regular clients have a trust in us to take care of their orders. They know they can simply pick up the phone and know their flower needs will be taken care of and be just what they wanted.”
It’s safe to say that at Flowers R Us, customer service has definitely become the niche and backbone of the business.
Home Décor 4 U
At Flowers R Us, customers can rely on the expertise of both Ed and Marianne to give their home décor a brand new look. When a customer places an order, the florist offers a service where they will go into the customer’s home and personally set up the display. “Home décor is very big right now,” explains Ed, and he says this service is really catching on with their customers. When designing, Marianne will also adapt a design to suit the customer’s home.
Flowers R Us carries as many types of product as possible – Ed says “you name the flower and we have it in the shop” – but tropical flowers are big sellers, especially for the home décor segment. Designs that feature birds of paradise and orchids are popular and Ed says they are usually “very simplistic designs, with lots of exotic greenery.”
People know that they can walk into Flowers R Us, show Marianne a cutting-edge design from a magazine, and she will not only replicate it, but she will also add the shop’s own unique touch. “We don’t like duplicating, we put on a new twist,” says Ed. When asked to describe the shop’s style, Marianne describes it as a combination of European and contemporary design. In order to keep up on the trends in the design world, the couple attends design shows and educational seminars. “When we travel, we take note of what we see,” says Marianne.
The store is involved with all the holidays and it also does private parties and garden parties. Business is booming, especially around Christmastime. During this particular holiday, the shop will help customers decorate, both inside the home and out. Ed says staff will come to the customer’s home and decorate the driveway or the front porch, with arrangements that feature branches and silks fit for the holiday season.
They will come and set up holiday décor inside the home as well.
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