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Top Shops The New Retail
The Floral Studio delivers a revolutionary shopping experience |
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Written by Amanda Ryder
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Thanks to an exciting new retail concept, shoppers in St. Albert, Alta., can buy an expertly designed floral bouquet from the Floral Studio the next time they venture out for fresh, organic produce, a hot-from-the-oven loaf of bread, local meats or a relaxing spa experience.
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Shoppers can expect fresh and funky contemporary designs from the Floral Studio, which is located inside the Enjoy Centre in St. Albert, Alta. The Enjoy Centre is a new retail concept that brings together several local, community businesses together under one roof. Left to right, Mallory Iffi, Jennifer McRae-Roddis, Kim Cohen, manager Liz Nobbs and Taryn Jones.
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The Floral Studio is one of several retailers now housed in the Enjoy Centre, an evolution of St. Albert’s long-standing garden destination, Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens. Roughly five years ago, owners Jim and Bill Hole and Bill’s wife Valerie, decided that if they wanted to remain in the garden centre business, they would have to make a drastic change. Inspired by European centres that offer more than just plants, the brothers made the decision to build a new facility that would bring together local businesses and offer customers a whole new shopping experience.
Such a large-scale change was a risk, but the Holes knew their business had a firm foothold in the community, thanks to a long history and a reputation for great service and products. The operation has been a family endeavour right from the start – Lois and Ted Hole and their two sons, Jim and Bill, began with vegetable farming and this soon evolved into plants and gardening, with Hole’s opening up shop in 1979. In the late 1980s, the family added cut flowers and later began offering design services. The Floral Studio soon had its own department within Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens and became a part of the longstanding business.
At a Glance
Company Name:
The Floral Studio at Hole’s
Designs Location:
St. Albert, Alta.
Manager: Liz Nobbs
Years in Business: 24
Website:
www.holesonline.com |
The expansion paid off for the Hole family when the Enjoy Centre opened in early spring. The facility is two-layered, with 242,000 square feet from top to bottom and has nine retail partners in addition to Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens and the Floral Studio: Amaranth Whole Foods Market, Beautiful Home & Gift Inc., Events at the Enjoy Centre, Hillaby’s, Tools for Cooks, Liquid Harvest, Prairie Bistro, Prairie Baker, SandyView Delicatessen Farms and the Water Garden. The overall retail space measures 65,000 square feet and features an airy atmosphere with plenty of natural light thanks to the greenhouse glass roof.
The Floral Studio is located at the entrance to the building and covers 1,400 square feet of retail space. “Previously at our old location, it was tucked at the back of the building and design counters were hidden,” says Liz Nobbs, manager at the Floral Studio. “Now people can see us when they come in and know we have designers on site.” This was one of the requests she and her staff of eight put in to architects when the Enjoy Centre was in the early planning stages. Some of the other ideas incorporated into the new retail shop are a mop bucket sink, which is situated lower so staff don’t have to lift buckets to counter height, and a long and low floral foam sink. Large windows line the space, letting in natural light, and an array of cupboards and drawers keeps product organized and out of sight.
The Floral Studio specializes in designs that are clean, modern and upscale, and they bring in accents and containers from companies in Germany to create a consistent, stylish look. Customers have come to recognize the shop’s fondness for foliage. “They really like the foliages we use, never a piece of leather leaf in sight. We do all the fun treatments to the greens and they love it. They also like the wire and beads we put on stems and the pinheads in the blooms – we get a lot of calls for ‘bling’ and ‘funky,’” says Nobbs.
In terms of clientele, the Floral Studio’s customer list is growing. “Our clientele are discerning customers who know what they like and know we can produce something unique that will impress them each and every time. We have recently seen a lot of new faces that have been brought to our centre for other reasons rather than gardening, now that we have an organic food store, a meat and deli specialty store, as well as all the spa patrons that may not have seen our cooler when it was strictly in a greenhouse-type environment,” says Nobbs.
In addition to bringing in new customers, the location also lends itself well to events and promotions. Every Saturday, a section of the Enjoy Centre called “the Square” is host to seminars from the retail partners. The area is below a sky-well so customers on the top level can tune in to what’s happening on the lower level. Often there are gardening talks from Jim Hole, and Nobbs says when a floral demo is on the agenda, it draws a large crowd.
Last year, the Floral Studio introduced “Beers, Burgers & Bouquets” a day before Valentine’s Day with overwhelming success. For the event, which is a fundraiser for the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, the Enjoy Centre invited well-known athletes and newscasters to come out and help men create a flower bouquet for their Valentine. The men sat through a mini-design class and learned how to create the bouquet, while enjoying a burger and a few beers. “Last year a photo booth went over really well with the men being able to don some costumes like hats and boas,” says Nobbs. “It was hilarious seeing a six foot, six inch football player wearing a pink boa. The photo was printed immediately of them dressed up and holding their flowers as proof they made it. This would be their card to sign and enclose.” Over 100 men came out last year and she says they plan to make it an annual event.
Weddings are big business for the flower shop and even more so now that they have event facilities in the same building. The Enjoy Centre has a meeting space for corporate clients or events as well as a 1,300-square-foot room that transforms from the spring garden retail area to a venue that accommodates up to 600 people between July and March. When a customer rents out a space at the Enjoy Centre, a credit per table for flowers is included. Brides also get 15 per cent off any wedding, making the Floral Studio a natural fit. They have access to containers and vases for rental and can decorate the space with large tropical plants or annuals and nursery trees from the garden centre. The logistics of a wedding or event are also made easier by the florist’s location. “There is no need to package and ship flowers on a truck across town, which is a bonus during winter when we hit -30 C,” says Nobbs. The shop has created the position of wedding specialist on staff to deal with this growing market.
When asked what big challenges the Floral Studio has encountered over the years, Nobbs says one has been letting their customers know all that they have to offer. “Now that we are in a space that is visible to the public we are looking forward to customers discovering what we have to offer and for them to be pleasantly surprised at the level of design coming out of here.” She’s been lucky to have the same three full-time lead designers over the past five years, which means the design esthetic hasn’t wavered. Another benefit of the setup is that it allows them to pull in extra staff from other areas and departments if they need more hands on deck for a few hours, or a day or two.
Certainly, one of the shop’s biggest strengths is its ability to team up and co-operate with the surrounding retail partners. Even in the short time the Enjoy Centre has been operating, the payoff is clear: “A stand-alone business will not get the traffic that we get, especially in the growing season when customers flock to get their bedding plants and nursery stock. We don’t have the worry, like smaller florists that are fighting with competition from grocery stores,” says Nobbs. “Also the Hole family name is renowned in our area, so our customer base is very longstanding and loyal.”
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