Spotlight on A Flower in Time

Founder/Owner: Emily Barratt

Established: December 2022

Location/s serviced: Tieri and the surrounds

Follow on: Facebook and Instagram (@A_FLOWER_IN_TIME)

Tell us a bit about you and how your business began?

I’m from the small mining town of Moranbah and had lived there my whole life until the end of last year when my partner and I decided that long distance wasn’t for us and moved in together, here in Tieri.

Following the move, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for work. I had trained, qualified and been working in a florist in Moranbah for over two years but unfortunately there wasn’t a florist in Tieri that I could join. This is where the idea of setting up my own business began. I wanted to continue to do what I loved and what I excelled at, and so A Flower In Time was born.

What products and services do you provide for the community?

I specialise in preserved floral home decor. This comes in many variations so I am very flexible with customer requests and any ideas that my clients may have when creating those finishing touches to their homes or office.

What made you want to get into the flower industry?

I’ve always had a passion for creating and I wanted to put my skills to use in something that I love doing. I feel that floristry is my purpose in life. I enjoy witnessing the happiness my arrangements bring to my customers when I create something beautiful for them or for their loved ones.

What training did you have to go through?

When starting out, I had to complete a Certificate III in floristry. I did this through the Flower School which is located In Brisbane. Unfortunately, living in a rural area, I couldn’t travel to the classes but I had the option of learning online via Zoom. Working in a florist helped me put my training into practice and gave me the skills and confidence I needed to go out on my own and build a business for myself.

How did you come up with the name, A Flower In Time?

I’ve always been a fan of fairy tales so instead of Once Upon A Time, I thought A Flower In Time was perfect. It suits me as a person and it represents what I want to create for my customers: a fairy tale ending for flowers.

What’s the best part about your job?

I get to do what I love and put my energy into what I’m good at. I love the joy it brings to my customers when they get to see what I have created for them. It’s the best feeling in the world.

What’s the most challenging part?

Like any creative industry, it’s good practice to keep up with the latest trends in the industry so you can stay ahead of the floral game. This means you are always having to step outside of your comfort zone, which can be challenging, but exciting and inspiring as well.

A little known fact about the floristry industry?

There is so much more to the industry than just playing with flowers. The hard work and dedication that goes into your floral arrangements is amazing. From the growers to the wholesalers, to the florists and then to consumers. The conditioning and care of the flowers is all part of getting the longest lifespan out of your beautiful flowers.

What’s the busiest time of year for a florist?

February and May – Valentine’s Day and Mothers Day.

What makes a great bouquet of flowers?

There’s a florist term for this – it’s called straussing. Straussing is when you lay all your materials out, the flowers, foliage and fillers. Begin by placing them individually in your hand. You want to layer each piece the exact same way, either clockwise or counter clockwise, whichever you feel most comfortable with. This technique creates a secure and stable bouquet structure. Once done, your stems should resemble a spiral and should all be facing the same way.

What’s the most popular choice of flowers?

Natives – I get asked a lot to include these in arrangements, along with a neutral colour pallet.

What’s your favourite flower?

This may sound cliche, but it has to be roses. I’m a bit of a romantic at heart and roses are just so stunning and versatile. They come in all sorts of colours, but if they don’t come in the colour you want, you can always dye them with floral spray paint or food colouring!

How do you come up with the different types of floral arrangements?

I always ask my customers questions to get a clear understanding of what they want, everything from what colours they (or the person they are buying for) like, to the types of flowers they love. Then, when I’m creating different flower combinations, I use the information I’ve learned from the customer and combine it with my experience to visualise what I want to design.

What goes into creating a floral home decor piece?

First you need to ensure you have all the right equipment as a florist such as wire, scissors, parafilm and dried oasis. I always love to make sure I have a range of different vases and flowers to suit everyone’s home decor. I mainly stock naturals as these will never go out of trend. When creating my floral art work I always use the five principles of design – texture, space, line, colour and form – to help me design and construct the perfect home decor for my customers.

What impact do you hope to have on the Tieri Community?

I hope I can create unique, special floral statement pieces for every home in Tieri! I aim to provide a wonderful service for my customers and hopefully establish some long term friendships in Tieri along the way.

How can people order a floral home decor arrangement from you?

I’m all about making it easy for customers to contact and order from me wherever they most feel comfortable so you can order via Facebook or Instagram, email me at aflowerintime2023@gmail.com or call me on 0407 148 269.

What offers do you have coming up?

I will be doing a local giveaway for Mothers Day in May for all the beautiful, hard working Mums of Tieri. I’ll be advertising this through Facebook so follow me on there to find out more closer to the time.