Mill Street Florist weathers the cold Canadian

winter with a warm, inviting atmosphere

that caters to the senses.B Y K E L S E Y E . S M I T H

W W W . F L O R I S T S R E V I E W . C O M ❘ D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 53

nuancesnorthern

ABOVE Joanne Plummer, AIFD, CAFA, opened MillStreet Florist in 1987 and modeled her business aftera Dutch flower shop, reflecting her Dutch andCanadian heritage. Photo by Betty Cooper,Sugarbush Studio

TOP The 300-square-foot display area features freshflowers and plants among distinctive vessels, customtabletop fountains and other related décor.

“ ”The heart and soul of anybusiness is the peoplebehind it, and I’m nothingwithout my staff.

-Joanne Plummer, AIFD, CAFAMill Street Florist

There’s nothing run of the mill about MILL STREET FLORIST. Located on the

south edge of Ottawa, in the historic waterfront village of Manotick,

Ontario, Canada, the business aims to separate the wheat from the chaff

in everything it does. And with savvy designer and businesswoman

JOANNE PLUMMER, AIFD, CAFA, at the helm, Mill Street Florist, which she opened in

1987 and which now generates nearly $1 million in annual revenue, has become a

feast for the senses, catering to established customers as well as the next generation

of flower buyers.

senses of styleReflecting Ms. Plummer’s Dutch and Canadian heritage, Mill Street Florist is mod-

eled after a Dutch flower shop, with flowers displayed in the open air in the shop’s

300-square-foot display space. (The flowers stay fresh outside the coolers thanks to

the florist’s quick rotation, Ms. Plummer says.)

The shop is located in one of Manotick’s original homes—a two-story, 1,800

square-foot, 160-year-old house in an area Ms. Plummer describes as “having a cer-

tain cachet.” As home to one of the only operating grist mills in Canada (Watson’s

Mill, formerly Long Island Flouring Mill, which was built in 1860), Manotick attracts a

great number of tourists. And although the former township was amalgamated in 2001

into Canada’s capital city, it is considered a destination by Ottawa residents, who find

beauty and solace at Mill Street Florist after the 20- to 30-minute drive.

“When you walk into our flower shop, it’s a completely different experience,” Ms.

Plummer says. “We try to touch on all the senses. The shop right away looks differ-

Photos by Greg Newton Photography unless otherwise noted.

54 W W W . F L O R I S T S R E V I E W . C O M ❘ D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

ent because of the product mix. We do not sell artificial flowers, balloons or

greeting cards; it’s all about fresh flowers and any related products customers

would love to have in their homes that would go with fresh flowers. I’m big on

tactile surfaces; the shop is full of rocks and mosses and different types of wood-

en materials. And it smells different from other flower shops because there are

no artificial scents to interfere with the natural scent of fresh flowers.”

Music also differentiates Mill Street Florist from many of its competitors, Ms.

Plummer says. “I collect world music, so we may play a CD of Australian abo-

riginal music, South African music or Celtic music,” she relates. “The idea is flow-

ers from all over the world, music from all over the world.”

service is front and centerEducating customers is a key to building loyalty, and at Mill Street Florist,

interacting with them begins with always being available, no matter how busy

the workroom.

“My No. 1 rule is that if there’s a customer in the shop, an employee has to

be out in the shop,” Ms. Plummer says. “No one is allowed to go out and say,

‘I’m right around the corner; call me if you need me.’”

She notes that being present does not mean being pushy, however. There is

always busy work to be done, such as watering flowers, dusting leaves and other

tasks that allow employees to be nearby without hovering. “But then it gives us

the opportunity to interact with and educate customers,” Ms. Plummer explains.

“For example, if they are looking at a Protea, and we hear a person say, ‘Look

at this weird flower; I wonder what it is,’ that’s our cue to go over and say, ‘I

see you’re looking at that beautiful king Protea. Isn’t it amazing? It’s the nation-

al flower of South Africa. When Nelson Mandela was here, we filled his room

with them.’ Customers love it when we share these kinds of things with them.”

consistent clienteleMill Street Florist’s revenue is divided evenly between corporate and person-

al sales. Noncorporate clients tend to be well educated and well traveled, with

mid- to upper-level incomes. And while not all customers have large disposable

incomes, Ms. Plummer says one thing they do share is a love of fresh flowers

and a tendency to buy them regularly.

“It doesn’t sound like much, but that person who spends $20 a week every

single week for 25 years is more valuable to the business than the person who

spends $5,000 on a wedding and we never see again,” she says.

Ms. Plummer shares that the demographics of Mill Street Florist’s clientele

have shifted since she started the business. “When I opened, we were appeal-

ing to the 35- to 50-year-olds, but now our customers range from kids—who are

maybe 12 years old and come in to buy their mothers single flowers—to their

grandparents. I think that’s a much healthier demographic.”

catering to the next generationThere are several reasons for Mill Street Florist’s increase in young customers,

the main one being its family-friendly atmosphere. “We befriend the children of

our workforce, and we encourage them to come in,” Ms. Plummer explains. “If

the kids of our employees have to come in and spend a few hours at the shop

with us, it’s no problem.”

She explains that this keeps employees happy but also works well for get-

ting the word out about Mill Street Florist to the friends of the children, many of

whom are entering young adulthood.

Ms. Plummer also caters to the younger generation through her employees.

Of the 12 people who work at Mill Street Florist, three are younger than 30.

ABOVE The sales area of Mill Street Florist is frequently refreshed andappeals to customers’ senses with a colorful array of flowers fromall over the world. Display fixtures range from antiques to sleekScandinavian pieces and are rotated throughout the display area,consultation room and other areas of the 1,800-square-foot shop.

BELOW Mill Street Florist rolls out the red carpet for its customers.The welcoming destination shop is located in one of Manotick’soriginal homes, built approximately 160 years ago. Owner JoannePlummer says its front porch is a great selling feature for the busi-ness and is a popular photography spot for brides as well as fam-ily Christmas photos. As such, it is decorated with fresh flowersand other botanicals at all times, and anything that is used toadorn it is considered part of the florist’s promotions budget.

at a glancemill street floristOWNER: Joanne Plummer, AIFD, CAFALOCATION: Manotick, Ontario, CanadaESTABLISHED: 1987SHOP SIZE: 1,800 square feet (including 300 square feet of display space)NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 12 (6 full time, 6 part time), plus freelance as neededCLIENTELE: mid- to upper-level income; all ages from preteen to elderly; even ratio of men and womenAVERAGE FRESH FLOWER SALE: $75 CADANNUAL SALES VOLUME: nearly $1 million CADREVENUE BREAKDOWN: 82% fresh flowers, 5% plants, 13% giftware/home décorWEBSITE: www.millstreetflorist.com

“They bring a fresh attitude and perspective,” she says. “I love the way they see things as

fresh and new. When I see avocado green and tangerine orange, it’s like ‘Oh, not again,’

but my youngest employee, who’s around 21, will say ‘No, that’s fantastic!’ So having

younger employees is a good way to stay on top of trends.”

Mill Street Florist also accepts co-op workers from local high schools, colleges and uni-

versities, which Ms. Plummer says is another great way to market the business while pro-

viding practical, hands-on experience at no expense to the business. (See “Marketing

Magic” on Page 32.)

weathering the day of loveAccording to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the average Feb. 14 temperature for Ottawa

over the last 10 years has been -9 C (16 F). And last Valentine’s Day was the first since

1989 that the temperature has been above

freezing—albeit barely above, at 1 C (34 F).

When factoring in wind chills and precipita-

tion such as snow and sleet, Ottawa winters

bring much adversity to the delivery process.

“Weather is the No. 1 challenge for

Valentine’s Day,” Ms. Plummer confirms. “We

know we’re going to have bad weather;

that’s a given. The biggest challenge is get-

ting everything wrapped so that it doesn’t get

frozen or, conversely, burnt to a crisp in the

delivery vehicle.”

Flowers get four layers of wrap to insulate

them from the winter elements. The first

layer—a gift wrapping of silver mylar tied

with a ribbon—is purely decorative, with no

protective qualities. A layer of tissue paper

comes next, followed by 40-lb.-weight kraft

paper. Finally, the package is wrapped in

plastic. Ms. Plummer notes that it is important

to have air trapped between the kraft paper

and the plastic because the air acts as an

insulator. And depending on how cold it is

outside, there may be an additional layer,

consisting of bubble wrap, between the kraft

paper and plastic.

Ms. Plummer explains that the extra time

it takes to wrap each item for delivery—

between five and 10 minutes, depending on

its size—multiplied by the large Valentine’s

Day volume, which can be up to 400 orders,

means employees can expect to be working

at practically any hour of the day or night in

preparation for the holiday. “Sometimes our

wrapping teams start at 1 o’clock in the

morning so that we’re ready to get on the

road at 8 o’clock,” Ms. Plummer relates.

Strategic routing is a key to efficient deliv-

Though there is no particular “recipe” for it,this style of design is typical for Mill StreetFlorist. Natural grapevine lends texture tothe composition, which sells for approxi-mately $75 CAD.

56 W W W . F L O R I S T S R E V I E W . C O M ❘ D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

eries at any time of year but especially for Valentine’s Day. In addition to the winter wrap-

pings causing fewer items to fit into the shop’s delivery vans, drivers must be aware of

road conditions. With the exception of residential orders in the immediate vicinity of Mill

Street Florist, the business delivers commercial orders first when there is snow or ice on

the ground because commercial streets always are plowed before residential streets.

There has been only one year in the shop’s 25-year history when Mill Street Florist

had to close on Valentine’s Day, Ms. Plummer recalls. “There was an ice storm about 10

years ago that knocked out power from the rural region south of Ottawa right through

Montreal, and some areas were without electricity and water for up to 30 days,” she says.

“Everything froze, and then as it started to melt, everything flooded.”

Despite being closed for five days, Mill Street Florist’s customers were understanding

because everyone was in the same boat. And the business even pulled off décor for a

huge government event in Ottawa before

shutting its doors. Although there was no

electricity to operate the shop’s coolers, their

insulation kept the product at a constant tem-

perature, and Ms. Plummer and her staff

worked by candlelight to finish the job.”

valentine varietyThough many florists find success with

shop specials for Valentine’s Day and other

occasions, Ms. Plummer says themed

arrangements don’t go over well with her

clientele. “We’ve tried a special called ‘The

Love Letter,’ which was made with flowers

that had specific meanings in Victorian

times,” she relates. “It included a beautiful

scroll, tied with cording, that explained all

the meanings of the flowers in the arrange-

ment. We’ve also tried making heart-shaped

arrangements and having heart-shaped con-

tainers. All are great for garnering interest

and getting the buzz out, but they’re not big

moneymakers for us. When it comes down

to it, men just want to buy what they know,

and that’s roses.”

What has worked very well for the florist

in recent years, however, is educating cus-

tomers on the longevity of certain other

flower varieties. Orchids are now equal in

popularity to roses for Valentine’s Day.

Because of their high demand among cus-

Orchids have become favored blooms among MillStreet Florist’s customers and are equal in popularityto roses for Valentine’s Day. The shop offers about adozen varieties of orchids daily, including top-sellingCymbidiums. Textural elements including mossesenhance the displays.

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tomers, orchids are purchased in large quantities, which pushes the prices to the same as,

or even less than, roses. The business offers about a dozen orchid varieties daily, and

Cymbidiums are the most popular.

promoting through givingMs. Plummer aims to keep Mill Street’s promotions budget at no more than 5 percent or

6 percent of annual sales. That still allows plenty, though; with annual revenue just shy of

$1 million CAD, she allotted $40,000 to promoting the business last year. Most of the pro-

motional budget is used to provide floral décor for two major charity events each year. The

largest event, a homes tour benefitting a local hospice, draws approximately 3,000 people.

“We’re given a house every year to decorate completely with fresh flowers, and other

florists do the same with other houses,” Ms. Plummer explains. “I view it not as a competi-

cost-control tips fromjoanne plummer

Though Mill Street Florist is in nodanger of closing its doors, ownerJOANNE PLUMMER, AIFD, CAFA, saysthe business has not been immune tothe recession. She has implementedseveral cost-cutting strategies in herbusiness over the last 25 years, someof them recently. Consider the follow-ing for keeping your business finan-cially sound.

• Employ smart staffingstrategies. Ms. Plummer shares thatshe used to have all full-time employ-ees. Now, with half of the shop’semployees working part time, costlyovertime pay is avoided. For largeevents and holidays, Ms. Plummerhires several past employees on a free-lance basis. She is a firm believer innever laying off her staff, but there is anunspoken policy that employees mayleave early during slow times as longas all work is covered. She relates thatsaving as little as 10 hours a week onpayroll makes a big difference.

• Be transparent with employ-ees. Keeping tabs on individual com-ponents, such as greenery, in arrange-ments is important for maximum prof-itability. Ms. Plummer recently beganposting Mill Street Florist’s cost ofgoods and sales in the workroom for allstaff to see. “It’s really helpful becauseif they can see that our cost of goodsis going up a bit, and I’ve explained theconsequences of that, then they’regoing to work hard to help keep ushealthy financially.”

• Route strategically. Becauseof its location on the south side ofOttawa, most of Mill Street Florist’sdeliveries are 20 miles or farther away.To save on time, fuel and vehicle main-tenance, Ms. Plummer is being muchmore careful in allowing time-slotteddeliveries. “I make sure that we’re notgoing back to an area with one parcelat a time because it’s too expensive,”she says.

• Have regular meetings withyour bookkeeper. Ms. Plummer hasa brief meeting once a week and a “fullfact-finding mission” once a month.“We go over all the figures so we know,at all times, where we are and wherewe have to be,” she says. “It’s notenough to just meet with your book-keeping staff once every three monthsor six months.”

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tion but as a perfect way for everyone to see

what we can produce. I’m a firm believer that

our product sells more of our product.”

The other major charity event is a golf

tournament that raises funds for childrens’

camps. Meals are included, and Mill Street

Florist creates different looks and changes

the floral décor throughout the day for

breakfast, lunch and postgame events.

Approximately 250 people attend, but Ms.

Plummer shares that the business’s exposure

goes far beyond those who partake in meals.

“It’s all the peripheral people who are

involved, too,” she relates. “Because our

donations are generous and we go above

and beyond in making sure it’s fabulous, the

organization becomes our client, their work-

ers become our clients and the people who

attend their functions become our clients. I’m

a big believer in promoting the business in

this way because when we give and people

see that we’re good at what we do, the word

spreads throughout the organizations.”

Like anything else the business does, these

events are team efforts for Mill Street Florist.

“The heart and soul of any business is the

people behind it, and I’m nothing without my

staff,” Ms. Plummer says, adding that some of

her employees have been with the business

since she opened 25 years ago. “I talk to so

many business owners who look at their staff

as problems or a necessary evil. I see my staff

as my success. If they do well, I do well. It’s

definitely a team environment.” ■

Contact Kelsey Smith at ksmith@floristsreview.com or (800) 367-4708.

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A red leather purse provides two gifts in onewhen lined and filled with romantic bloomsand ivy. Though each arrangement is differ-ent—this one would be priced at $125CAD — handbag designs are popular forValentine’s Day and begin at $75 CAD.