In record time, Côté Fleurs went from the web to Parkdale Market to a brick-and-mortar store. On November 10, bilingual owner Gabrielle Hui St-Aubin’s flower subscription business will move indoors and add a flower bar, Grab’n’Go bouquets, a make-your-own-dried-flower-arrangement station and a Made in Ottawa gift shop featuring many favourite local makers to their operation, all before turning one year old! A standout achievement, much like their stunning floral offerings.
Gabrielle Hui St-Aubin, owner of Côté Fleurs. Photo provided.
It all started on December 1, 2021, Hui St-Aubin’s birthday, with a self-designed pink-lettered logo on an Instagram page. The goal was simple and pretty—and the result was simply pretty. Not to mention impressive: “As a small business owner, I didn’t have the budget to hire a graphic designer or web designer, so I decided to build it by myself,” says Hui St-Aubin. With printed pink stickers to secure bouquets at the ready, she got started. Ahead of her was more hard work.
The French name of the business means “side of flowers,” and Hui St-Aubin explains, “I first wanted to go for a Chinese-inspired name in honour of my Chinese heritage, but was worried about people spelling it wrong or anything like that. I grew up in Montreal speaking French, but am now living in an anglophone city, so I thought having a French name would stand out from the other local florists,” she adds.
Côté Fleurs’ space at Parkdale Market. Photo: Gabrielle Hui St-Aubin.
Accompanying vivid lush flowers (often wrapped in pink paper) so carefully and expertly paired they stop and hold your gaze is accessibility. “A lot of florists are offering flower subscriptions prices that are often 25% to 75% more expensive than mine,” says Hui St-Aubin. She wanted flowers to be a “have” instead of a “not have,” a motto that originated from her longstanding self-care routine.
“I’ve always loved flowers and would always buy myself flowers when I’d go grocery shopping on the weekends. Now, the flowers didn’t need to be expensive bouquets, but it was just a little something to treat myself, and that made me happy. I think people often see flowers as a luxury product or would buy them for special occasions only. My goal with this business is for people to integrate flowers into their lifestyle by offering florist-style bouquets at grocery-shop price ranges.”
A bouquet from Côté Fleurs. Photo: Gabrielle Hui St-Aubin.
The aforementioned hard work and leveraging social media ushered in stupendous results. Côté Fleurs’ online-only business helped make connections that generated opportunities they couldn’t possibly decline. Local influencers helped promote the business by offering flower subscriptions in exchange for posts or stories. Targeted ads introduced Côté Fleurs to others, helping them add 2,000 new followers and leading to business stability from secure revenues. Invaluable networking attracted further attention and a spot at the Parkdale Market this past summer.
“I’ve also had a lot of local markets and event planners reaching out and asking me to participate in their event, conference, or be a vendor without having to apply… I now run a small business with five employees working in operations, sales and marketing,” says Hui St-Aubin.
A profusion of colours. Photo: Gabrielle Hui St-Aubin.
While increasing their online fan club, Hui St-Aubin learned you can’t do everything yourself. In fact, you have to let some things go.
“I was running the shop, flower preparation, deliveries, and local events all by myself. I tried to do everything as long as I could but ended up hiring people to help me. This definitely helped with scaling up my business and gaining more exposure in the city.”
What’s next for Côté Fleurs? December will see a “chic boho Christmas vibe with a mix of dried and fresh flower arrangements and bouquets…a mix of pampas and palm spears with fresh cappuccino roses and eucalyptus with lots of blush colours… and a dried flower bar with a DIY station.” For now, block off time to visit Côté Fleurs’ new home and bring one of their breathtaking yet affordable floral creations home with you.
Côté Fleurs’ brick-and-mortar space will be located at 70B Beech St as of November 10, 2022, and will be open Thursday through Sunday. Find out more on their Instagram or website.
