Brantford’s Fleurtographer Extraordinaire

Enter the colourful world of Sarah Evans and let her escalate your floral dream to a vibrant experience.

Maichina Veri, March 10, 2022 // Brantford, OntarioSarah Evans owning the camera. Photo credit Paul Smith, Photohouse Studio. 

In a neutral-toned Brantford coffee shop Sarah Evans lists flowers she feels represents her – dahlia, ranunculus, protea. She makes associations based on colours, and while all are as vibrant as she is, floriography (the language of flowers) confirms these associations. A dahlia speaks to standing out from the crowd, ranunculus to charm and protea to the power to survive. Translations might vary slightly, but Sarah’s choice flowers reflect her well.

A “fleurtographer” by self-definition, Sarah owns two businesses: Shoebox Pics and Belle Florals. Due to the pandemic, her photography moved to the back burner which allowed room for Belle Florals to develop and grow. After about six years working in a floral shop in Carleton Place, a period of reflection, a vision from a Reiki therapist and a move home to Brantford in August 2020, Sarah decided to pursue Belle Florals. She has been well received so far by her customers, though business growth has been slow. That’s OK for Sarah at the moment as she describes her start saying, “It’s been a slow growth, but a good growth. A solid root is forming and I think that’s what I want because I don’t necessarily want to be exploding all over the place. I want to maintain the integrity of what I do.”

Some examples of the stunning arrangements of Belle Florals. Photo credit Paul Smith, Photohouse Studio. 

Sarah’s genuineness is evident in her artistic flare as well as how she approaches her work. Her floral designs are not run-of-the-mill, stale compositions. Instead they are contemporary yet classic, successfully balancing elegance with fun. Sarah “loves” creating and pushing herself to do different and interesting things, while showing her clients’ personalities in her creations. The top concern for Sarah is her customers’ experiences and satisfaction with the final products. With her background education in fine arts and sincere responses to questions about her business, you can tell Sarah is a true artist who has a considerate work ethic.

“As soon as something leaves my house, I’m torturing myself if they truly like it. I really want people to enjoy them,” Sarah stresses earnestly. “Flowers are a luxury, I know that, and not everybody wants to spend their money on flowers, so the fact that somebody has come to me wanting to buy a bouquet, or an arrangement, or some sort of planter – it means a lot. More than they probably comprehend.”

Sarah works hard to provide customers the best floral designs that she can and her work is celebrated on social media and Google reviews. Her goals are to continue to thrive, grow her customer base and make a living from her work. The dream, however, is to have a mobile business one day. “I would love to renovate some sort of trailer or some sort of mobile shack and just be able to set up at different places for special occasions. I know people still like going into shops, but I think it would be cool.” Sarah also expresses an interest in delving into art therapy and combining floral design with workshops for people.

Fresh florals created by Sarah Evans. Photo credit Paul Smith, Photohouse Studio. 

In addition to this, Sarah expresses an interest in providing floral arrangements for funerals. She appreciates the personal connection in funeral work, how the flowers reflect the individual and the relationships that can be expressed. Also, the sculptural aspect of the arrangements with personal items provides room for additional creativity. “The challenge with a funeral is you’ll have a number of people who want to send something or do something and it all has to be different. I feel like because it’s such a special person in their life you want them to feel connected to it,” she explains. “That’s what I enjoy most – connecting people to their loved ones with flowers.”

Belle Florals is ready to make your floral idea a reality. Give Sarah some prompts and she will direct your visions into tangible works of art. As an excited, thoughtful and personable individual who truly cares for and respects her customers and the creative process, as well as Brantford’s only fleurtographer, Sarah is someone who can be trusted with your floral dreams. Reach out to Sarah today on Facebook (facebook.com/belleflorals), Instagram (@belle.florals) or on her website (www.belleflorals.com).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maichina Veri is a writer based in Brantford, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University and has a background in Journalism – Print from Niagara College. 

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