Vernon Daily Courier - Business of the Week
March 2, 2006
By Lynn Dewing
Special to the Vernon Daily Courier
At 70 years of age, Harris Flower Shop is the oldest one in Vernon. New owner Deb Leroux loves that about it. "The heritage and integrity are established," she said.
)
Leroux has never owned a business before, but looking back at years of collecting notes and strategies, she feels as if she has been waiting for this opportunity. "I absolutely love it," she said. "I love being creative with the product and the marketing - taking an idea and seeing what we can come up with."
She bought the business in order to "grow it," but is finding that there is very little time for the larger projects such as moving everything in the showroom in order to paint because "there is always something to be managed or created."
Most of her business is in fresh flowers, but she also deals in tropical plants, silk flowers and gift baskets. The silk flowers are popular for home decor. Some of them, such as the giant yellow poppies she couldn't resist buying, make quite a statement.
Today 17 boxes of new product have arrived and head designer Kari Kleef is having fun unpacking special opaque Valentine vases with yellow and pink stripes and heavy pots with a Greek influence. Kleef has 15 years of floral design experience and quite a talent for one-of-a-kind arrangements.
"When we have the leeway to create something exceptional I let Kari loose and she amazes me every time," said Leroux.
"We do big events like weddings, but our mainstays are daily life events such as babies, new jobs, celebrations, funerals, parties. Our goal is to help people express their sentiment with flowers, no matter what it is."
While we are talking a call arrives from Alberta for an arrangement to be sent to someone on the day they become a Canadian citizen. "You never know what someone is going to ask," she said. "Someone asked me to find a goat to attach to an anonymous arrangement once. The recipient called me and begged to be told who had sent it. When I did he laughed hysterically. Then you know you've been successful."
She was in the back of the shop the day after Christmas when a man wouldn't leave the door, standing in a supplicating pose. She agreed to make him an arrangement when he told her that he was proposing to his girlfriend and showed her the ring. She even found him just the right card to go with it.
Leroux likes to combine marketing with good corporate citizenship. She donated roses and boutonnieres to the Singing Valentines fundraiser by the Timbretones, arrangements to the Rotary for their online auction and carnations to Coldstream Elementary to give to volunteers at Hospice.
The Christmas Home Show was very successful for Harris Flowers. "I still have sales three months later in direct response to it," she said. "We are already wondering what our house will look like next year. We love that we could support Hospice."
For the opportunity to have access to potential wedding business she participated in the recent bridal show by Welcome Wagon, which included a gift for 135 brides and a door prize.
Leroux's home is in Lumby, where she sits on the council and likes to garden when she has time, having a special fondness for shade flowers and anything with scent. "The impact of flowers never fades" is her business motto. "A person might not remember why they got the flowers, but they will remember receiving them."
