❁ ❁ Flo ❁wersmiths
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The light and airy space that is Flowersmiths brims with exquisite blooms, beckoning passers-by who glimpse the welcome burst of colour through the windows to take a closer look at the Anzac Street shop.
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ho can fail to be captivat- ed by the beautiful display of flowers inside, hand selected from the finest Dutch markets by florist Heather Wilbourn. Heather recently took over
W Flowersmiths (formerly Smith Street
Flowers) after it had relocated to Anzac Street following the devastating fire in Dartmouth’s town centre in 2010. She had spent the previous two years working alongside the shop’s original owner, Marcelle Chownes-Dove. The shop is the realisation of a lifelong ambition for
Heather, whose interest in flowers and all things floral has grown since she was a small child watching her grand- father, mother and aunt nurture wonderful blooms in their gardens. She has since acquired a list of floral qualifications and experience as long as your arm including a National Certificate in Professional Floristry, teaching vocational studies to floristry students at Plymouth University, running a gardening business and working in a variety of florists and floristry wholesalers in Holland, New Zealand and the UK.
In between times, Heather has worked as a boat
builder, horticulturalist, cheesemaker and window dresser, but always returns to her first love – floristry. Heather said: ‘Flowersmiths is the culmination of all my experi- ences, even boatbuilding, because it’s all about hand-crafting. ‘Floristry is my medium. I believe everyone has creativity in them, you just have to find your medium and flowers are definitely mine. Perhaps it’s because it’s a three dimensional art form, or even a four-dimensional one if you include the smell – it’s just a wonderful art.’ Heather describes Flowersmiths as a ‘four dimensional art gallery’ full of blooms from all over the world including Ecuador, Israel, South America, South Africa and Australia.
Heather Wilbourn outside her Anzac Street shop Flowersmiths with her whippet, Pipi.
‘I’m really lucky with my suppliers, I buy everything by live auction from Holland so I can cherry-pick the best. It does come at a price but you can just have a few really exquisite flowers arranged in a really beautiful way and it doesn’t have to cost too much.’ Heather buys whatever takes her fancy from the market
in Holland, which is one of the biggest flower markets in the world and has up to four deliveries per week ensuring consistent quality and freshness. She can also buy to order if a customer wants a specific bloom or blooms.
With so much choice available,
Heather concentrates on providing more unusual blooms and offering a tailored service to her customers.
Heather is never short of ideas to bring Flowersmiths’ window alive. Some of her most inspiring window displays have been created to celebrate Dartmouth’s many events including the recent floral diamond- shaped cake in honour of the Queen’s jubilee. Last year she won the Dartmouth Regatta cup for the best dressed window – jointly with Dart to Mouth Deli.
As well as providing that special floral touch to weddings and celebrations, Heather also specia- lises in bespoke floral tributes for funerals . The shop incorporates a private consultation room to share ideas and plans. Heather
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