Stephanie's Floral

I check orders from home each morning before heading to the shop. That's how invested I am in making sure everything's perfect for you.

The shop comes alive when we open. We're recording orders, creating arrangements, answering calls, helping walk-in customers who need something special right away. It gets wonderfully chaotic, we joke that we drink our coffee cold with leaves floating in it because we're so focused on your flowers. But that's what it takes to do this right. Orders come first, always.

This all started in Grade 1 with a teacher who loved horticulture. Growing up on a farm, playing with flowers, making those daisy chains, I was hooked. Almost 50 years later, I'm still just as passionate. More importantly, I've had customers follow me that entire journey. I really am part of their families now.

Some of my favorite stories:
The Wedding Photo Rescue: A photographer's camera malfunctioned at a wedding, losing every shot of the bride holding her bouquet. Months later, we recreated it perfectly with artificial peach roses. The couple came back in their wedding clothes, we photographed the bouquet, and their photographer seamlessly added it to the original photos. The bride's thank-you email made my whole year.

The Two-Hour Wedding: "I'm getting married in two hours, can you make me a bouquet?" Yes! And we've done it multiple times. There's something magical about being part of those spontaneous moments.

The 30-Hour Owl: When one of my team members lost her son, I spent 30 hours creating an owl from fresh flowers for his memorial. Hand-carved the base, placed every feather, even used a filbert nut from a Christmas package for the beak. The family was deeply moved. Those details, the ones only we know about, they matter.

Our team reflects that family feeling. We've worked together so long that we know each other's kids and grandkids. Discovered one day that a team member’s cousin is married to my cousin's brother, we had no idea! Her other cousin does dog sledding in Alaska. Fun fact: when his dogs had puppies, they named all eight after types of flowers. That's the kind of flower people we attract.

We support our community deeply. The Niagara Region Police and fire department are longtime clients. We contribute to a foundation for children created after a local tragedy. We help with school fundraisers, especially when our employees' kids are involved. There's a rehabilitation hospital we always remember during holidays. If you're our customer and need support for your cause, we're here for you.

This craft demands dedication. Since COVID, getting flowers requires ordering a week ahead—the spontaneous availability disappeared. Costs have increased dramatically, and everything's priced in U.S. dollars. But we've adapted because this is what we do.

The best part? Creative challenges. Last week someone asked if I could make a Winnie the Pooh head entirely from flowers, and I was excited to try. After 50 years, it's those exciting and challenging requests that keep this art interesting.
My daughter grew up in this shop. She can wrap flowers beautifully but jokes she won't touch the design work. "I don't want to do that, Mom!" Even growing up surrounded by it, she knows this is a specialized craft that not everyone can do.
We don't give up on our customers. If you need something, we figure it out. My delivery driver exemplifies this—finish regular deliveries and there's an emergency? He comes back. No questions.

We're here late (I rarely leave before 9 because I love this place), but we're human too. What we promise is that when you need us during our hours, we'll move mountains to help you mark life's important moments.
Still creating after all these years. Still loving it.