Design Stores
Sweetpea's
Sweetpea's has brought eco-friendly, contemporary floral design to Roncesvalles. Finally.
"There really wasn't anything like this before," owner Sara Jameson tells me, leaning over the counter. Jameson has lived in the area for years and is clearly a Roncy devotee. "There were stores that sold flowers, but no real flower boutique." So, after working in landscaping for two years after leaving her previous job as a graphic designer, Jameson took over this space, formerly occupied by Buddha Dog, and opened up in September.
Perhaps I let the floral aroma and abundance of freshly cut flowers seduce me, but I found the space absolutely beautiful. The store has a soft rustic feel, with 100-year-old barn board along the walls, an antique chandelier hanging in the window, and the original tin ceiling painted a cool metallic by Jameson's husband, "Who spent four days on a scaffold lovingly painting the whole thing," Jameson says. It also displays the old "Venus Florist" sign behind the counter.
Sweetpea's tries to source locally grown flowers whenever possible, and recently went through dozens and dozens of eco-friendly, fair trade roses for Valentine's Day. They use flowers that are in season and biodegradable cellophane and bags. "I take so much pride in what goes out of the store, and I really think everyone should have fresh flowers in their homes," Jameson says. "We have posies that are $10 and quite sweet, and stems for as little as $2 each."
Sweetpea's also sells non-floral items such as its Ketto I <3 Roncesvalles mugs ($24.99), a whole array of Bleu Lavande products, cards, toys, and Mean Card magnets ($6) with wonderful messages including "Your Degree is Useless" and "The Elderly Have a Strange Odor."
"A lot of the products I sell I've found at the One of a Kind Show," Jameson says. "I just look for things that are unique and kind of cool."
Along with its garden centre Sweetpea's plans to open in the spring, the store does floral designs for weddings and other events, will be selling seeds in a few weeks, and of course, will help couch-surfers get out of the dog house.
"I once had a guy come in and ask, 'So what do you have in the I Fucked Up category?'" Jameson tells me. "I asked him, 'Fucked up like "I didn't mean to call you fat," or "I didn't know she was your sister?"" He said he didn't know.
There are sweeter stories, such as the old man who came in this past Valentine's Day to buy a bouquet for his wife. "He signed the card, 'Didn't forget. Couldn't forget. All my love.'" The store itself is named for Jameson's husband, who she calls "Sweetpea." Jameson's Valentine's Day present, though, wasn't a bouquet of roses. "He flew in from Halifax, where he's working as a pilot, and fixed the leak under the sink," she says.
Photos by Dennis Marciniak
Discussion
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shame that the sign on the outside of the shop looks so glossy and modern compared to the interior pictures. It's like the interior and exterior are two different stores. Anyway, good luck with it!
Haha! i didn't know that Budda Dog was gone though..
One thing I like about Roncey is that three bookstores can survive in one area (I don't know if they're all doing gangbusters business, but they're there, at least.)
We are so happy things turned out so well for you and your lovely girl. You were super awesome to deal with. She's one lucky lady. The big callas were a treat to have in the shop before they were sent out. Thank you for such a kind review!
Big hugs from all the gals at Sweetpea's.
Although I do not live near there, I think this will now be my go-to place.
I love that they have a great selection of Cards also
Well done! The flower shop photos have a very warm feel :) :) :)
Love you
That's a combination of two things. There is a creamy/green tint to the edges of the blooms, which didn't translate well in the photos. Also, we tend to leave the guard petals on our roses. Some shops take them off, but we prefer the natural, garden look. Plus they protect the rose until being used, so they stay fresh as long as possible. If a client requests to have them removed, of cours, we can accomodate.
Anyways, we spend $75 on the arrangement and after taxes and delivery charges it cost us $100 and I wish I could attach a picture of the flower that was sent to his grandmother...
I could not believe that was what we got specially after mentioning to them that we were considering the place for our wedding flowers... It was a disaster.
I called them the next day and complained. A week later, without any notice or anything, she received another arrangement, which apparently was very nice looking but I never got to see it.
It was nice of them to send the second arrangement but unfortunately I can never trust their service again and it's a shame that it turned out to be this way.
I picked the arrangement from the pictures that were shown to me. I didn't even care how much it cost. I'm not an idiot and I know that two stems of hydrangeas and a bunch of green leaves don't cost $75! The arrangement I had picked from the pictures wasn't anything too crazy. It was pretty and had 3 or 4 roses plus a couple of different types of flowers. This one however was literally 2 stems of hydrangeas.
If I was angry for no reason, they would have never tried to send another arrangement to make up for it...
We were then quoted $500 for the same thing and later sent an email that the actual quote was $900. The quote also detailed a list of things we didn't ask for.
My name is Sara Jameson, and I am the owner of the Sweetpea's. I have looked into your situation, and am sorry that things did not go smoothly. I will be speaking with the wedding team in greater depth, specifically with your quote and why there were problems in getting accurate details to you.
Balancing a couple's expectations with their budget can be a fine line, but one we normally can handle with grace and efficiency. I will be emailing you shortly to find out what happened so we can better improve our service in the future.
Thank you for your feedback.
Sara
My name is Sara Jameson, I am the owner of Sweetpea's.
We are sorry to hear there were issues with the arrangement. I know during that time, we had a new florist who, despite our best efforts, had some issues with balancing budget vs. expectations. They are no longer with the shop and we have done what we can to rectify things from our end.
Normally when we receive a concern in relation to an order, our Senior Florist will take over and ensure a replacement is sent promptly, often above the original value. In your case, I will be checking to see why you were not informed of a replacement being sent, or forwarded a photo, as it is also a standard service we provide.
If you ever have an issue, please don't hesitate to contact us. We want to ensure the experience of giving, and receiving flowers is a enjoyable one. I hope you will reconsider trying our services again. If so, please specifically ask for myself, or Kristi, our Senior Designer. We will ensure you are happy with your order.
Thank you for your feedback,
Sara
My name is Sara Jameson, I am the owner of Sweetpea's.
We are sorry to hear there were issues with the arrangement. I know during that time, we had a new florist who, despite our best efforts, had some issues with balancing budget vs. expectations. They are no longer with the shop and we have done what we can to rectify things from our end.
Normally when we receive a concern in relation to an order, our Senior Florist will take over and ensure a replacement is sent promptly, often above the original value. In your case, I will be checking to see why you were not informed of a replacement being sent, or forwarded a photo, as it is also a standard service we provide.
If you ever have an issue, please don't hesitate to contact us. We want to ensure the experience of giving, and receiving flowers is a enjoyable one. I hope you will reconsider trying our services again. If so, please specifically ask for myself, or Kristi, our Senior Designer. We will ensure you are happy with your order.
Thank you for your feedback,
Sara
Thank you so much for your kind words, and the added info in regards to how flowers are priced when made into an arrangement vs. purchasing from a 'bucket shop' or grocer. We take great pride in our work and the quality of the flowers we send out. Working with a perishable product is always a challenge because we can't simply exchange it when something goes array. That said, it always helps to hear what our customers' concerns are so we can learn for the future and improve our service.
When customers call to place an order with us, we often find ourselves immersed in a conversation, which tells us more about them, the situation and the person they are sending to. These conversations are always something we look forward to as it helps the designer put something truly unique together for the recipient. I am sure if you have a shop, you experience the same thing.
Good luck with your revamp and flattered that you would use us for inspiration.
Have a great day!
Sara
Thanks for the reply. I will be contacting you soon to discuss my wedding flowers.
Thanks :)