Deep in the Flexihall, past the rows of snacks, toys, and shower screens, nestled between plasma televisions and lawn mowers, there is a green garden.
There are flowers arranged in neat circles. Different coloured rocks fill clear jars. Paint brushes rest on empty boards. It’s a quiet oasis in the hectic Spring Expo at the Gallagher Centre.
All About Flowers, Gourmet, Gifts, and Home Decor set up the booth for the expo over the weekend. Like other companies at the event, the expo provided All About Flowers a chance to show off their business to new customers. But owner Stephanie Buckle wanted to go the extra mile.
“Spring Expo came to me and asked if I would do something interactive,” she said.
Buckle offered sign painting and succulent terrarium-building classes at the Spring Expo. Attendees got first-hand experience of what All About Flowers brings to the table. Classes were held at the top of every hour.
“We teach classes in the store every week,” Buckle said.
People filled their jars with colourful gravels, mosses, and sands for their terrariums. They used stencils and brushes to craft their unique, hand-painted signs.
“What I love is watching people create something,” Buckle said.
Buckle enjoys teaching both classes, highlighting how painting provides countless creative opportunities.
“They all start out with the same board and they all end up [with something different],” she said.
Buckle, who purchased All About Flowers when she was 23, was inspired to teach by the classes she saw in large cities.
Buckle was pleased with the feedback for her Spring Expo classes.
“[The] turnout has been amazing,” she said. “I’ve not had a complaint.
“People walk in and they want to do it.”
