Hello, I would like to formally introduce myself, my name is Theresa and I love love love flowers and anything related to flowers!
First of all I would like to give a little floral family history.  My great grand parents on my mum’s side owned a nursery/flower shop in England in the early 1900's. Of course flower shops were quite different then. Flowers were only ordered for very special occasions such a funeral, wedding, christening or a grand ball or affair. And even back then flowers were a luxury. My mum’s father was a head gardener for a large manor house in Brighton just before the war. When the war broke out, most all of the flower beds and greenhouses were turned into gardens to grow vegetables and fruit. Keeping the flower love going,  I also have two nieces that have been florists for over 25 years. So...to say the least flowers are in the blood!
I have been working for Stems Flowers for the past two years. Previous to that I owned my own shop for seven years. Do I miss it? Yes sometimes very much. It brought me great joy, freedom and happiness. But also the headache and heart ache of owning your own business. Would I do it again? No, I’ll leave the headaches to Amanda! One of the things I miss most about my shop was my customers. I met and made friends with a lot of amazing people. Not always for a happy occasion, but it gave me joy that they allowed me to be part of their story.  I had one customer and in his wedding vows, he promised to buy his new wife flowers once a month. Sometimes the arrangements were elaborate and sometimes just a single stem, but the meaning of the vows, the love and the commitment to her was the same. Flowers say what we feel towards that person and sometimes they say what we can't when there is no words.
Since working at Stems, I have had the opportunity to learn new techniques and design methods. I have been given be the chance to challenge myself and bring out my creativity like never before.  As florists we love it when a customer says “do whatever you like, you’re the professional, I trust you!” It is a wonderful feeling to have the trust of our customers with something that is very important…the flowers that are going to someone special in their lives.
And oh! I work with some special and amazing ladies! They make me laugh everyday with silly things or the goings on in what’s  happening in their lives.  They all offer something different and I  personally think we make a marvelous team.
Being a florist isn’t all roses, sometimes there’s some pricks - but most of the time it smells amazing!
Cheers, Theresa

Happy New Year everyone!  I really can’t believe it is already 2019... 2018 was an absolute whirlwind.  Thanks for coming and checking out our new and improved website (Thanks to Sarah with Here and There).  We will be doing weekly blogs from different team members every week.  So if you are interested in the comings and goings at Stems, what we are up to, or maybe some good old fashioned floral tips, this is the place to be!

First of all, I am going to start by introducing myself.  When I say whirlwind of 2018.. I mean it,  My name is Amanda Hadland, and in December of 2017, I started this  adventure of purchasing a flower shop, (bless my husband), during one of the busiest seasons of the year- Christmas. Talk about jumping right in.  I have been married for 6 years, to my sweet sweet man Ryan,  No kids, no plants, no pets,,  My quick response is typically that we just aren’t responsible enough...except now I think when I say that, I leave people wondering how I am going to run a business if I can’t take care of a fish!  We love travelling, good friends, family, and food.  We love to live! We had a crazy, but wonderful transition from the previous owners, Stephanie and Arlene, and I am very thankful for the brand they have built.  I have spent the last year working out kinks, putting my stamp on it, while maintaining the quality and service you have come to expect here at Stems.

And speaking of quality and service.. our two favourite florists stayed on to maintain this!  Jennifer, our longest serving florist is still here, and boy are we glad with all the amazing arrangements that she sends out of this place.  And then we have Theresa!  Theresa is definitely the work mom.  She helps me find my keys, tells me not to speed, and peels apart the crinkled receipts I find in my purse.  Theresa has got some really cool things in our store-  she does nifty button work, as well as some jewelry.  You gotta come in and see it!  

Over the last year, we have added to our team, and each of these ladies have something really special to add, on top of their super personalities.  You will find Kathy up front slinging some seriously delicious cinnamon buns, and pretty much everything this gal cooks is on point.  Her 4 little busy ladies she chauffeurs around are pretty dang lucky to have a mom like her.  Chantal rocks the cupcakes here, and when she isn’t here...she is also making cupcakes!  You Had Me at Cupcake is her brand, we definitely recommend her.  With these two, there in no such thing as a diet at stems.. no sirree.  Mariah is our resident hip college student,  She fills in the blanks where we need her- cruising around in the Lou,  processing flowers, baking cookies, and just generally making the rest of us feel old and uncool (ask her about the time I tried keeping up with her on a longboard, ending up with a broken wrist). Then we have Ve, all 5 foot nothing of her..but her size does not reflect her creativity OR personality!  This silver fox is my best friends mom- which basically means....good luck bossing this lady around! Thank goodness she has got the floral touch!  Lea is our newest addition- and she is an aspiring florist!  Her name is actually Leanne Moran...which reminds me of the move Hope Floats... you know, Bernice Matise?  Between flowers and getting her mom on, Lea also has a creative side biz- The Little Blue Door.  Check it out on facebook AND in store.  She made me this beautiful wineglass that says ‘it’s ok....I’m the boss’.  So if you see me toodling around the store with a glass of wine...it is simply because she gave me permission to!

And I really can’t forget Ry-guy when I am talking about our team.  An electrician by trade, he moonlights as a delivery driver, and all around maintenance dude for the shop.  However for the life of me, I can’t figure out why it takes so long to get a bulb changed around here!  Isn’t that, like, his profession?!?  A couple other familiar faces you will find around here are my parents, Mom and Dad.  You can call them Mom and Dad.  They walk in here like they own the place and try to boss me around,  I put them in their place though. I dock their pay from zero....to zero.  It’s tough to find good help these days!  

Beyond that, Ryan and I are super lucky to have a ton of other amazing peeps and family to lend a hand.  They are a little more careful now when coming into the store though....watch out and you might be doing a delivery or scrubbing buckets! 

Thank you everyone for an awesome 2018.  We have tons of exciting stuff happening this year.  Be sure to pop in and say hello.

Love Amanda