A Life in the day of a florist
Ashok, a florist
| Photo Credit:
B. VELANKANNI RAJ
Meet Ashok, a florist hailing from Purasawalkam, who runs his shop at the City Centre Plaza.
His shop specializes in exotic flower bouquets and decorative floral arrangements for weddings and other functions. “I consider this business as form of art, as it requires a creative mind to mix and match the flowers and create designs,” says Mr. Ashok.
His day usually starts around 6:30 a.m. His first task in the morning is to check the quality of flowers that he has sourced from various parts of the country. His daytime routine varies depending on the workload, but he typically tries to wrap up around 8:30 p.m.
Speaking about his journey, Mr. Ashok says that he followed in his father’s footsteps. Back in the day they had a small garland shop, but when Ashok took over the business, he wanted to expand it. He did not want the shop to limit itself to making only garlands with easily accessible flowers. He began sourcing exotic flowers from various parts of the country including Bangalore, Ooty and even sometimes from the northern part of the country. His shop even delivers bouquets 24×7 inside the city limits. Having been in the business for almost 33 years, Ashok has done hundreds of events for all kinds of budgets.
When discussing his method of working, Ashok explains that he usually plans according to the client’s budgets, as they need to source flowers from various locations. Some clients specifically request tulips and sunflowers, so he begins sourcing the flowers a week in advance. The team arrives at the venue a day before the event to start the decoration process which can take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours, he says.
“I come from a middle-class family and have always been determined to succeed in life despite not being academically strong. My fascination with flowers inspired me to explore another aspect of floral business beyond just garland making. This city has given me so many things and there is no other city like Chennai,” he says.
Read Comments
- Copy link
- Telegram
READ LATER
Remove
SEE ALL
PRINT