Hi, I'm Gracie ~
Business: Joseph Flowers
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Type of Business: Retail Florist
About Me: This time last year I started a one year programme at Seneca College in Toronto, called Retail Floristry. Several weeks earlier to that, I'd woken up one morning and realized that what I had been doing for 25 years (commercial interior design) just wasn't satisfying me any longer. I wanted to get off my ass (contrary to most opinion, commercial interior designers spend most of their time at a computer), have more interaction with people, use my creativity, and get dirty!
Floristry seemed perfect, but before committing myself I went to a local florist and asked questions. He gave me the good and the bad about the industry, but even the bad sounded pretty good to me, so I enrolled in school.
Then we were told that we had to spend one day per week working in the floral industry, and a full week at Christmas and Valentine's Day. So I marched back to that local florist and told him that he had to take me on. He did (it's free labour for him, after all!). At the same time, I went looking for a web bbs -- and found FlowerChat. I've been intermittantly reading here ever since, but not contributing because ... um ... well, because I've just been soaking up all things floral.
At the end of the school year, that local florist hired me part time (because he didn't have a full time position available) and that's where I am right now. One half newbie floral designer, one half interior designer (still). Loving the floral design, wishing it paid better so I could drop the interior design. Ah well, there's gotta be a fly in the ointment somewhere, right?
Business: Joseph Flowers
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Type of Business: Retail Florist
About Me: This time last year I started a one year programme at Seneca College in Toronto, called Retail Floristry. Several weeks earlier to that, I'd woken up one morning and realized that what I had been doing for 25 years (commercial interior design) just wasn't satisfying me any longer. I wanted to get off my ass (contrary to most opinion, commercial interior designers spend most of their time at a computer), have more interaction with people, use my creativity, and get dirty!
Floristry seemed perfect, but before committing myself I went to a local florist and asked questions. He gave me the good and the bad about the industry, but even the bad sounded pretty good to me, so I enrolled in school.
Then we were told that we had to spend one day per week working in the floral industry, and a full week at Christmas and Valentine's Day. So I marched back to that local florist and told him that he had to take me on. He did (it's free labour for him, after all!). At the same time, I went looking for a web bbs -- and found FlowerChat. I've been intermittantly reading here ever since, but not contributing because ... um ... well, because I've just been soaking up all things floral.
At the end of the school year, that local florist hired me part time (because he didn't have a full time position available) and that's where I am right now. One half newbie floral designer, one half interior designer (still). Loving the floral design, wishing it paid better so I could drop the interior design. Ah well, there's gotta be a fly in the ointment somewhere, right?
