Shops / florist
‘Hidden gem’ florist’s shop with unlikely origins
When the French-born Vanina Shoemark came to England some 30 years ago to study English, little did she realise that she would settle here, let alone open a florist’s shop.
Yet Les Fleurs is now celebrating 18 years in business. But it has been no bed of roses.
During the pandemic, when many small businesses were hit hard, Vanina found herself asking a difficult question: is it worth carrying on? She decided it was.
Looking back, she is glad she decided to carry on, even as small businesses continue to face challenges.
Les Fleurs was founded by the French-born Vanina Shoemark
Bristol24/7 recently caught up with her as she was about to close down for the day.
Her shop on Colston Street sits almost “hidden in plain sight”, just a few metres from The Christmas Steps and Bristol Beacon.
It is not immediately visible from Upper Maudlin Street or St Michael’s Hill, but its location has proved a blessing, especially during graduation season at Bristol Beacon, when trade picks up.
View this post on Instagram
“We are very lucky with the location of our shop,” she said.
“It’s close to the city centre and almost next door to Bristol Beacon, so we are probably the closest florist in that radius.”
Vanina’s route into floristry was far from straightforward.
She arrived in London at 21, planning to stay for six months to improve her English, with little more than a backpack, a CD player and £100.
The florist boasts a range of products ranging from bespoke bouquets to potted plants
She said: “I was born in France but came to London to improve my English for six months when I was 21 and never went back,” she said. “It’s funny when I look back. And my dad wasn’t impressed.”
After completing an international PGCE in Nottingham, she moved to Bristol for a “last-minute” supply teaching role.
She worked across Bristol, Swindon and Weston-super-Mare, including a six-month stint covering for a French teacher in Trowbridge, but soon realised teaching was not for her.
“It was all over Bristol, Swindon, Weston-super-Mare through an agency, and then I did six months covering for a French teacher on maternity leave in Trowbridge, but it just wasn’t for me,” she said.
“It was a bit traumatic as I was so young and didn’t have much classroom management,” she added with a laugh.
A move into IT recruitment with Reed followed, where she spent four and a half years gaining experience, but still searching for something more fulfilling.
A selection of Vanina’s arrangements inside Les Fleurs
It was only after having her first daughter that things changed. A neighbour invited her to an evening floristry class, an experience she describes as a “revelation” and the start of a new path. She found her metier in floristry.
Even finding the shop was a coincidence. While walking up Colston Street on her way to the Bristol Royal Infirmary, she spotted a “To Let” sign. With a little help from friends she pressed ahead.
“And that was it,” she said.
Former teaching assistant found her metier in floristry
Now, with the wedding season approaching, business is busy. Working with a small team, she creates personalised bouquets, sourcing most of her flowers from local farms, “just common sense,” she says.
After nearly two decades, Vanina has no plans of slowing down. As long as the passion remains, so will Les Fleurs.
Les Fleurs has been a mainstay on Colston Street for nearly 20 years
All photos: Milan Perera
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
