Shop of the Week: The Rose Shed

“I’ve always loved flowers,” says Rachel Husband, sipping a cup of tea in the lofty white-painted space that her florist shop occupies in Paintworks, just off the Bath Road. “I worked in flower shops as a Saturday job when I was growing up in Somerset, and then worked in Clifton when I moved in Bristol eight years ago.”

The Rose Shed is her six-year-old business venture, specialising in bought-to-order wedding flowers and occasion bouquets, and she’s now been in this shop for a little over 18 months. “I love weddings,” Rachel grins. “It’s hard to have a full time shop and focus on weddings, so I’ve decided to do it this way. What I like most is hearing the stories about why people are buying flowers – most of the time it’s for happy reasons, so it’s nice to be part of that, and part of those occasions.”

Inside Rachel’s shop. Image by Evoke Photography

Clients come into her bright space to chat through their ideas, working out the style they are going for (white and blush pink are popular at the moment, she confides) and the flowers are then assembled by Rachel on the large wooden countertops towards the back of the shop.

“Some brides book me two years ahead of their weddings and want to be really involved,” Rachel says. “Some just book because they know you’ll do a good job. I make everything here two or three days before the wedding, and then go and set everything up on the morning. That’s the fun bit when you see it all come together – it’s exciting. There are happy tears sometimes!”

One of Rachel’s beautiful bouquets

While floristry seems an idyllic profession, there are early mornings and long hours involved for Rachel. At 4.30am trade florist Flowervision opens in St Phillip’s, just across the river – “I’m the closest florist to it, which is really lucky!” Rachel says – and she’ll go and pick out the flowers she needs for the day.

“It’s really cool to go there in the morning – you can order online now and pick what you need, but I still go and walk around, and always end up coming away with some extra bits,” Rachel continues. “It’s my favourite thing to pick them and pack them all, seeing them in their raw form before you turn them into something beautiful. Hopefully,” she adds – “no, definitely!”

It’s the artistry of the process that Rachel says is her favourite part of the job. “Something like sculpting takes a long time, but flowers can be more immediate. And there’s always real variety, and different flowers coming through as the seasons change. Sweet peas and peonies are my favourites – although I’m a fickle florist! Every couple of weeks when I’m working with something new, I’m like, ‘This is definitely my favourite’. That’s the beauty of the work: it is always changing.”

The Rose Shed, 214 Paintworks, Bristol, BS4 3AQ
www.theroseshed.co.uk
07812 160 303

Main image by Matt Bowen