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A day at the flower shop  

'Nook Flowers’, as its name suggests, is a sliver of a shop, tucked away and off the beaten commercial track. So, Nook - as I like to call it - is certainly something to be discovered.

As its proprietor (I do dislike using that designation and in rebellion I’ve coined the much more convivial designation of ‘florista’; this term I use liberally), in the day-to-day running of the store, there are moments that I look forward to. I call them my secret stash of feel good moments. Top of the list, and I never have to wait long for this, is the particular look that comes on first timers to Nook - a look that says, “Hey, this is different”. This is followed by a half smile that indicates, “I like this place” and often ends with a quick glance across the shelves, counters and flowers. I can almost read their minds as they think, ‘Yeah, it may be small but it’s a floral haven’. From my spot behind the counter or if I happen to be sitting at the bench where I take my cuppa, I know that it is then my turn to smile and say, “Welcome to Nook”.

When one is a neighbourhood florist, it’s only a matter of time before the neighbourhood embraces and accepts you as one of their own. Nook is now 15 months old. In our early days in Bangsar South, the shop lot was referred to as, ‘The flower shop around the corner,’ and I was called, ‘The girl at the flower shop’. As time passed both things changed - the shop and the girl are now referred to by name.

Then, it got better. The neighbourhood started to open up. On their way home from work, folks who stopped for a pint at Sid’s Pub next door, would drop in “Just to say hello”. Grandparents on their evening walks would wave from the pavement and shout out, “Jenny just had a baby girl” or “We’ll be away dear, we’re spending the holidays at Mark’s place in Penang”. It didn’t matter that I had not met Jenny or Mark.

There were situations where flustered young men would literally fly through the door for a single stalk of rose (red preferred, of course; although, in certain situations, pink would be acceptable) or a full bouquet of a dozen roses. Which option they chose depended on the severity of the wrong-doing. More often than not, I wouldn’t know what transpired, but as they get ready to rush out the door, I always call out and say, “Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be okay”. Like a panacea, these 9 words brought an almost immediate relief to their anxious faces.

This is my neighbourhood, these are my neighbours, my customers and I am their flower shop girl. Let’s see what the next couple of days being about. Rest assured, no two days are ever alike at Nook.