Designing a picture-perfect floral arrangement requires more than simply placing a few zinnias or sunflowers in a vase and calling it a day.
It requires an eye for detail, an appreciation for colours, textures and composition, an overall passion for design, and the proper care to truly bring a vision to life.
When 30-year-old Katharina Strubel, or Kat for short, first graduated high school back in 2012, she never exactly pictured that she would end up pursuing a career in floral design.
In fact after high school, the Stratford native went on to study Business Marketing at Fanshawe College in London.
“When I finished the program, I went out into the working world and I was in the marketing industry for six-plus years,” said Strubel. “It wasn’t until last October, when I kind of had a bit of a change of career paths.”
Having discovered the Canadian Institute of Floral Design’s three-week intensive program in Toronto, the now Drumbo resident decided to seize the opportunity and build on her artistry.
“I’ve always been interested in plants and flowers, but recently I kind of developed more of a passion and an interest in floral design,” she said. “I had never really had the chance to act on it before, but when I was able to, I took that leap of faith and enrolled in the program.”
After finishing the design program last December, she soon decided that she wanted to open her own business and by January, the Flower Haus was officially up and running.
“I sort of took the holidays to sit with it and think about what I wanted to do, and I ultimately decided that I wanted to open a floral shop,” said Strubel. “My fiancé and I have a detached garage that I’ve turned into my floral studio space and I haven’t looked back since. So far, it’s been quite the experience but it’s been really fun; I’ve learned and grown a lot since those first few months.”
Whether you’re in need of a simple hand-tied bouquet that just brightens your day, breathtaking wedding florals, or a sympathy arrangement that says, “I’m thinking of you,” Strubel now offers a variety of designs and services.
“First and foremost, I offer beautiful fresh flowers at an affordable price for everyday needs, as well as funeral and sympathy pieces; things like casket sprays, standing sprays, or urn arrangements,” she said. “I offer wedding florals as well, and I actually have a few weddings booked later this summer and into the fall so that’s exciting. I also offer arrangements for corporate events, as well as living house plants and a small selection of gift wares too. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a one-stop shop.”
As far as designing her arrangements, Strubel said that she’s spent the last six months developing her own style and gaining inspiration from social media, but that working with the client to achieve their vision is always top priority.
“For weddings or corporate events people will always have an idea in mind so I make sure to talk with the client, take a look at their inspiration photos to gauge what I need to buy and then from there I make a plan, develop the recipe and go forward from there,” she said. “As far as those everyday bouquets, I like to use a variety of flowers that are in season and really just feel it out. There are so many beautiful flowers and they’re so fun to work with, especially if they’re new to me, so it’s always an exciting process.”
Strubel said that while people are always welcome to pick up their arrangements from her shop, located at 16 Pinkham St. in Drumbo, one of the things that sets her business apart is that she offers delivery services to nearby communities like Princeton, Plattsville, Bright, Ayr, Innerkip, Gobles, Paris, New Hamburg, Woodstock and more.
“I would say those small communities of Blandford-Blenheim and Ayr are the main places that I service, but I wanted to make sure I was available to people outside of those areas too,” she said. “A lot of floral shops don’t deliver out this way and if they do, it can really be quite expensive, so if they aren’t picking up, I offer delivery at an affordable price.”
While Strubel gets most of her blooms from different wholesalers, she said that this year she’s looking forward to trying her hand at growing her own cut flowers.
“It’s going to be a new venture for me, I’ve never done it before but I’ll be trying to grow wildflower type varieties like dahlias, cosmos, poppies, zinnias and sunflowers,” she said. “It will definitely be a learning experience but I figured I should give it a try and I’m looking forward to it.”
Noting that starting a business isn’t for the faint of heart, Strubel said that she’s grateful for all the support she’s had so far.
“It’s definitely a struggle to get out there and build that awareness of your business, especially because I don’t have a typical storefront you would see driving through the downtown, but having that marketing background has definitely helped,” she said. “With that being said, my friends and family have been very supportive, and the community too so I’m very grateful for that.”
When she’s not designing florals or running around doing deliveries, Strubel said she’s tried to get involved in said community, particularly helping to beautify Drumbo.
“A couple of years ago, myself, my fiancé Derek and my neighbour Ken, started the Drumbo Beautification Committee. Last year we started our first project where we sold five benches and four planters to community members of lost loved ones, or in recognition of businesses,” she said. “We installed them throughout the downtown of Drumbo near the mailboxes, and this year, we did the same type of idea but with trees; people could buy trees in memory of loved ones or in honour of a business. We did 11 of them, five in the community mailboxes and six throughout Drumbo park. We’re just really passionate about giving back to the community and making this a beautiful place to live and so we’re already planning for something this fall.”
Overall, Strubel said she’s thrilled to be doing what she’s doing and she’s looking forward to continuing to build her business.
“I want to really grow the awareness of my business, I’d love to build a more consistent customer base, and just be able to provide really fresh, beautiful flowers at an affordable price to Blandford-Blenheim and the surrounding communities,” she said. “It’s been truly rewarding to create something beautiful and see everyone’s reactions. Even when things get busy and stressful, that makes it all worth it.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
