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Crabapple Cottage Floral & Gifts, located in Timberlea, N.S. delivers customers with an experience that is anything but crabby.
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Carol Duffley is a straight-talking shop owner who does not mince words when it comes to talking about her business. “This is my lifelong dream,” she says, when I contact her about a profile for Canadian Florist magazine. Her other dream is to run a successful floral shop.
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At a Glance
Company Name:
Crabapple Cottage Floral & Gifts
Location:
Timberlea, N.S.
Owner:
Carol Duffley
Facility Space:
980 square feet
Website:
www.crabapplecottagefloral.ca |
Duffley is sole owner of Crabapple Cottage Floral & Gifts, a country-style floral retreat that serves the town of Timberlea, N.S., a small community of the fringe of Halifax. The 980-square-foot shop specializes in wedding and corporate work and stocks fresh florals, permanent botanicals, giftware, purses and jewelry. In addition to being owner, Duffley is also the principal designer, creating the bulk of the designs, which include fresh and contemporary styles and European hand-tied bouquets. She’s heavily involved with the shop’s day-to-day operations and admits she has some control issues.“I am a hands-on person and have issues with letting go of the baby, so to speak,” she confesses. “But I’m getting better and I have a great working team, that when I’m not here they take care of the store as if it’s their own.” Duffley has nothing but praise for the three part-time employees who help her out. “They are wonderful during busy times and will put in the extra hours necessary. Keeps my costs down,” she says.
Crabapple Cottage Floral & Gifts is entering its ninth year of operation. Duffley brings 30 years of experience to her role as owner and received training at Hixson’s School of Floral Design in Cleveland, Ohio. She’s very passionate about design and sees this as the core of her business. “I can do whatever design type necessary depending on the project that is up and coming. I’m able to give my clients the look they want,” she says.
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So what makes Crabapple as unique as its name? “We are up to date on the trends in the market, but what makes us unique is old-fashioned customer service. People are starved for it and I understand that when I am out making purchases.” She describes her clientele as “varied…from low income to affluent. We are here for everyone and to make everyone feel good about their purchase.” Duffley says her clientele only encourage her creativity. “The customer base that I have, since getting to know me, just say, just do your thing. So if I’m in a mood to make a garden-looking arrangement or whatever, I am given freedom to do so.
The shop is online and Duffley credits her Internet presence with drumming up business. Many of her customers seek out her shop after an online visit or browse the website to get an understanding of the florist’s style. “Our website has attracted a lot of attention. The website is always a work in progress and one day we will have ordering online. But I like talking to clients, I can get a better feel for what they are looking for or make appropriate suggestions. It still allows for the personal touch.” She says keeping her customers satisfied has acted as a strong promotion for her business. “The best form of advertising is word of mouth. We have found that as long as we keep treating our clients with respect and sincerity, advertising will always be positive.”
Duffley strives to ensure every arrangement that goes out the door is up to snuff and is representative of the talent at her shop. “Crabapple Cottage is special in that if I don’t like the arrangement it doesn’t leave the store. The girls will laugh at me because I have had days where I’ve rearranged bouquets over until I feel it’s the look I want,” she says. The florist and her staff are careful to ensure that they listen to their customers and their wants and needs when creating a design. “We make sure to listen and genuinely care. I am very fortunate to work with staff that are truly kind and caring people. And by doing it with sincerity, people come back repeatedly.”
Nine years at the helm of a floral shop hasn’t passed without its challenges. Duffley says the key to running a successful flower shop is to find balance. “With the craziness of the trade, the financial highs and lows, trying to please everyone and have time for yourself is always a challenge. The worry of when the next project is coming, finances, staffing, etc. But the biggest challenge is to take care of yourself and your family so you can be ready for anything that might come your way and take it by the horns and deal with the challenge whatever it might be. Be positive and always learn and think of what did I do wrong and what can I do better and not beat yourself up.”
As far as future plans for the shop, Duffley says she wants “to keep growing. Stay ahead of the switch in the economy. Most of all enjoy what I do and it will reflect in my work and the happiness of my clients.” She’s also got a lofty goal: “to be filthy rich and call in to work from a tropical location.” Here’s to trading crabapples for pineapples.
Eye-Catching Displays
 To encourage customers to check out the shop on a regular basis, Crabapple Cottage Floral & Gifts is constantly reinventing its interior.
Carol Duffley and her staff change shop displays frequently and are always on the lookout for new items that they can include with flowers. The displays are kept fresh and unique by incorporating antique furniture - some pieces dating back a
century or more. These have proven successful with her clients and have become an interesting talking point in the shop.
“We have clients that bring in items such as a brass bed and they look forward to seeing what we come up with for our display purposes. We change displays often to keep us and the clients energized.”
Duffley says necessity was the original inspiration for her unusual, and much-appreciated, displays. “The idea for the furniture came from the fact that our house was too small to have it there. So in the natural chain of events they landed at the store. It is also a cheap way to decorate when you’ve had so many start-up costs. Using furniture allows us to be able to change the look of the store and make
different nooks and crannies. That way it takes away from the industrial feel of the unit we rent.”
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