On the surface, Lotus Flower Boutique isn’t more than petals, pollen and blooms.
But a flower can speak to the breadth of emotions and experiences of everyday life more than most things.
Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and condolences - it’s in this world that Natalie Chow-Kung has lived her entire adult life as owner of Burnaby’s Lotus Flower Boutique.
“This is the type of job where you get to play with something that’s living and natural and we’re free to design through how we feel and through our own vision,” Chow-Kung says. “Being a floral designer, you get to design through your heart with natural beauty.”
Chow-Kung has been in business for more than a decade, having followed the same career path as her mother. When mom decided it was time to retire, Chow-Kung opened up her own shop near Brentwood Mall – it came complete with a healthy amount of her mom’s former customers.
And so, who is Chow-Kung’s clientele?
“Our customer base ranges from older generations who are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary,” Chow-Kung says. “But there are also a lot of people from the younger generations that come in, both female and male, to buy flowers for a number of reasons: as a pick-me-up or a small token of appreciation.”
The work ethic Chow-Kung has had imparted on her, she passes on to her Lotus team – work hard and be honest in what you do.
“We always try to be the best and go above and beyond for our customers more than any other flower shop would,” Chow-Kung says. “Our customers know how important they are and know we’re here to help as best as we can.”
With the holidays rapidly approaching, Chow-Kung is seeing all the traditional standbys asked for – centrepiece mini trees, poinsettias, bows, berries and baubles – along with some newer requests such as pampas grass and pinecones.
Classics will always remain in high demand.
“Variety and colour are important to any presentation and every day is different,” Chow-Kung says. “But traditional roses are still a very strong flower going out in this season and every season.”
To learn more about Lotus Flower Boutique, visit www.lotusflowerboutique.ca.
