Me

By Theresa Redman

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