After 30 years, the flower shop in Sunnycrest Mall is uprooting.
Owners Laurel Marr and Wendy Martin are preparing to close Gibsons Florist, which has had a brick and mortar shop (sometimes under different names and ownership) in the mall for the last three decades.
Over the seven years the two women have owned the business, they’ve come to know their customers well. Afterall, flowers mark life’s milestones. Marr’s creations are present to welcome newborns, say goodbye to loved ones, and celebrate anniversaries, graduations, birthdays, thank-yous and everyday pick-me-ups.
Marr says their shop can be a sacred place where people share their stories and often need a sympathetic ear. “People come here with their very raw emotions at times. A lot of tears have flowed through here, ours included.”
Beyond the creative arrangements, the bookkeeping, deliveries and caring for the flowers, Marr and Martin are listeners.
“I’ve always loved flowers myself. For me, it’s tied to emotions,” Martin said. “I’ve seen so much working here… from birth to death, wedding to anniversaries, there’s emotion there.” People often tell Martin they’d like to deliver flowers. “It’s so fun. People are just so happy to receive their flowers.”
“It’s a very sacred place,” Marr says. Then she adds, “We have to do a lot of saging.”
And they have their regulars, like Joan, who always gets carnations. Some customers have been ‘grandmothered’ in under the former owner’s prices. Marr thrives on the creativity she pours into weddings and she’s acutely aware that her arrangements could make or break an occasion.
“People always say under promise, over deliver, but I’m more like over promise, over deliver and really make something sensational.”
Marr, who has worked in the industry for 40 years, says the business has been through a variety of changes, from rotating mall management to shifting customer habits. As online and boutique shopping becomes more popular, and more convenient, a brick and mortar business in the mall sees less foot traffic, she says.
Despite the Gibsons Florist’s location between the grocery store, liquor store, London Drugs and near a gas station — what Marr calls a “goldmine” — the owners have been unable to find a buyer in the last two years. Marr chalks it up to generational differences.
Then there’s navigating the ferries. Martin used to visit with her aunt whenever she picked up flowers and plants in Vancouver, but after her aunt’s passing, delivery days became a “boomerang” of same-day ferry rides. Relying on the ferry can be a gamble, and the nature of their business makes it difficult to reserve sailings far in advance. There have been several occasions where Martin’s caught waiting several sailings, with flowers heating up in her vehicle.
While other businesses struggled during the pandemic, the florists were busier than ever. First, Marr and Martin decided to close for six weeks, and they took their pet finches home. “We thought that was the right thing to do,” Martin said. When they reopened, the orders came in. People weren’t allowed to travel and wanted to send bouquets to their loved ones.
Now, Marr and Martin want to spread the word to their customers. They won’t be retiring: Marr is fielding several gigs and considering offering her services for weddings and events and Martin will continue her part-time healthcare work at the hospital.
For seven years, Marr and Martin have been working in the shop five or six days a week, and sometimes more if customers need it. They’ve worked dutifully to make every holiday and occasion beautiful for their clientele. Now, they’re looking forward to their first proper vacation in the better part of a decade.
Gibsons Florist will be vacant by the end of Sept. 30, though Marr will keep the business’s social media accounts active. “We're not going to drop Instagram yet or Facebook or anything right now, because I'm not prepared to just let it all go,” Marr said.
