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| Top Shop: Stems Floral Gallery online exclusive |
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In our January 2009 issue, we profiled Top Shop Stems Floral Gallery, a florist with a location in both Calgary and Red Deer. Here's an in-depth and web exclusive look at more details about the two locations. Stephanie Laprairie is the young owner of two Stems Floral Gallery locations – one in Calgary and the other situated an hour an a half away in Red Deer Alberta. In just four short years, she’s shaped both shops to reflect her own personal style and worked to build a trendy Stems brand in two central Alberta cities (check!). Laprairie purchased her first shop in Calgary – an existing shop – in 2005. The previous shop was very much a mom and pop operation and Laprairie immediately laid out plans to grow the business. “What I wanted to do was come along and introduce something creative, to show something more trendy and to expand in the wedding and event market.” The opportunity to open her second shop came along in 2007. Central Alberta Florist’s, a Red Deer florist that had served the city since 1931, announced they were closing their doors. Back in 1980’s, Central Alberta Florist’s had seven or eight locations and was consistently on FTD’s Top 100 list year after year. Laprairie purchased the closing florist’s customer database – a list of customers accumulated from 75 years in business – settled on a new location and a new Stems Floral Gallery was born in the south-east end of Red Deer. The Red Deer location When constructing the 1,800 square foot Red Deer location, it was important to Laprairie that the shop reflect the heritage of Central Alberta Florist’s. “We wanted it to be like the shop was in 1931 when it opened.” The inside of the florist is outfitted in concrete floors and has an industrial feel. The middle of the shop has a cooler that looks like an old fashioned storefront façade “to let people know that we are the legacy of Central Alberta Florist’s,” says Laprairie. Customers are welcome to walk into the cooler, which is filled with fresh stems, arrangements as well as wreaths and wall plaques and hanging home décor. “We use it to try and dress it up a little more. We want customers to feel that when they come into the cooler its part of the shop.” The Red Deer location staffs five full time employees but the design area at the back of the building can accommodate up to seven designers during busy holidays. Stems invites customers interested in seeing the design process in the back room. “We want them to understand that it is a working flower shop and they can be interactive with the designer,” says Laprairie. “We don’t mind when a customer wants to see their arrangement being made or has questions about things. It opens it up a little bit more.” The back room is also home to four computer terminals (nicknamed the call centre) where staff process incoming orders and send to the printer, which is located conveniently near the design work area so designers can pull of orders and prepare them for customers. So far, Laprairie says the new shop attracts a range of customers and because of this, they try to carry of base of products. “We do and have been making a name for ourselves with our exotics and tropical arrangements and high style design but we still offer a very traditional feel as well,” she says. “We’ve been doing our own Stems take on tradition which is using different foliages and textures and a variety of different flowers, not just your standard everyday economical flowers.” The Calgary location At the 1,350 square feet Calgary location, half of the building is dedicated to the retail sales floor and cooler space while the back half is a work area and a meeting place for clients. The retail area has a credenza in the middle with fresh product for picking. “It’s definitely a bit more trendy, it’s a got a bit of a European style to it.” There’s little giftware but instead “more cool vases, the hostess gifts and things that can be incorporated in plants, flowers or gardening.” Misha and Sherrie are the two staff members in charge of Stems in Calgary, a shop which says requires more cutting edge designs than Red Deer. “It’s more the norm to use a lot of Mokara orchids, different proteas and anthuriums. Those are our every day flowers as opposed to calling them your tropicals or exotics.” The Calgary shop caters to a more mature clientele of professionals who utilize planners when organizing events or weddings. Laprairie has found the value in building a solid relationship with planners to help the shop expand. “When you use planners and work with them they sometimes get you the business that you wouldn’t be able to get on your own.” Sourcing the unique In both Calgary and Red Deer, Stems knack for carrying distinctive containers and adding a little extra is something the shop has become known for. It’s offering a quirky item like a container that looks like a rock or accessorizing designs with trendy feathers, jewels, pins or lace that’s helped spread the word. “We try and strive to find unique containers and items that are something that people talk about.” Laprairie tracks down the unusual by traveling to gift shows, such as the CGTA show in Toronto or browsing the Internet. “I find that I spend a lot of time on the Internet just googling and searching for new suppliers or something I’ve seen at another store or magazine.” She advocates that florists visit other shops and see what they have. “Don’t be afraid to go in,” says Laprairie. “Sometimes we get wrapped up in our shops and we don’t come through the front door and look at it in an objective way. It only makes you better; it keeps you humble as well. When you go and see what at other people are doing you think, wow, what a great job and it inspires you.” Challenges faced by Stems Floral Gallery Running two busy shops can be a challenge and Laprairie was at one point driving the hour-and-a-half commute four days a week. She has since relocated to Red Deer where she spends her days running the second location as she relies on her two Calgary managers to carry out their duties in Calgary. In Red Deer, Laprairie has the help of several family members, including her mom Arlene Prysunka, who works in the business on a part time basis. She brings to the shop a human resources background, a coaching and a staff development background, all things which Laprairie says have become a major asset to the shop. “She’s able to help us with tings like the designer’s growth, their productivity, learning about themselves and their goals. She shows the staff that there are other ways to grow and develop just by setting small goals and then we can get set goals as a team.” In a province where staff can be hard to come by, Laprairie has had to work hard to retain great employees who are willing to stay with her business. She’s learned to involve her staff in the decision making and ask for their opinions rather than make a one-sided decision. “Sometimes in this business we think we are the boss…I think there’s a lot of florists that are struggling to staff and are struggling to figure out what they are doing wrong,” she says. “It’s just that people don’t always work for the almighty dollar. They work because they want to feel included and they want to feel valued.” The shops have also been affected by the current economic situation. “Right now we are experiencing changes in the needs of the customer. Two years ago we saw a lot of economic growth and a lot of customers were spending money excessively. They knew that the more money they spent, the better it made them look,” says Laprairie. “Now we are seeing our customers are being a little bit more cautious in spending but they still want us to wow them and inflate the wow factor in the design.” As a result, Laprairie says they’ve had to work a little harder at the shop to create designs that show more perceived value and educate their customers as to what the flowers are worth. “Our challenge is showing people the value in flowers and using florist quality professional services. We represent our customers and so the better job we do, the better make them feel.” Although Stems is still a relatively new business, the florist is attracting media attention. In 2007, the Calgary shop was a People’s Choice Award Finalist for Wedding Bells magazine. “Just the fact that we were invited as a finalist was pretty awesome.” And despite a busy past couple of years, Laprairie isn’t looking to stop anytime soon. She says her goal is to get the Red Deer shop back in the FTD Top 100 within two years and to expand the customer base at both locations. In just the four short years that Laprairie has been at the helm of Stems, the up-and-coming florist has successfully grown the business and established a name and style in two Alberta cities. It’s clear that Stems Floral is a business that will continue to grow for many years to come. To see additional pictures of the shop, check out our photo gallery. |
