Based on the Bondi-Tama border, the MyFlowerMan shopfront sits on the corner of a buzzing street, alive with coffee-sipping locals, puppies, and flower lovers waiting to get their weekly bunch. We spoke to the couple behind the business, Georgia Martin & Kieran Birchall, about their concept space, partnering with local brands and sustainable floristry practices.
Kieran wears the Standard Jean in Washed Black with the Basic Crew Pullover in Grey Marle.
Hi Kieran & Georgia! Tell us a little about yourselves—what led you to floristry?
Hey! We are a couple who own a florist in Tamarama called MyFlowerMan. Kieran started the business five years ago as a side hobby while he had a corporate gig. He was introduced to the Sydney flower markers by a friend and started going regularly on a Friday morning. Friends and family were the first to request flowers from him but it quickly grew. We have always worked on the business together but it wasn’t until two years ago that I (Georgia) started working exclusively with MFM. We certainly both fell into floristry and running our own business but love that it allows us to be creative, work on our own terms, and while an unconventional start in the industry it has given us a real community here in Sydney as we are both aren’t originally from here.
What inspired you to explore a shop front and cafe and how was the space conceptualised?
We have wanted to expand into a shopfront for a while and combine the flowers with a coffee concept so when we found our new space it just felt right. It’s so nice to be face-to-face with customers. We feel like we have really found our spot or groove in Tamarama to continue to grow our little business.
Known for your classic and neutral-toned bouquets, your minimal aesthetic has earned you a loyal following of over 18k on Instagram. In 5 words or less, how would you describe your approach to floral arrangement?
Relaxed, clean, natural, textured and elegant.
What flowers are in season right now and how are you choosing to incorporate them into your bouquets?
We are coming into blossom season which we love using on every scale of our flowers. From bouquets to home vases or larger scale installations. We love how they change and last well over a few weeks making them ideal for our restaurant installations or just to add a little drama to a bouquet. Magnolia is also a great option this time of year.
Others in season that we love are Anomies, Jonquils, Camellia and Tulips.
Kieran wears the Standard Jean in Washed Black with the Basic Crew Pullover in Grey Marle.
Adorning your shelves, are a selection of local ceramics and homewares from the likes of Leif and Clae Studio. Tell us about the process of curating your retail edit.
They are brands we love and have in our home. It’s a very personal selection process with a keen focus on local and Australian brands. The smaller the better, we did a ceramic workshop with Brit from Clae studios earlier this year, and having those relationships and championing and supporting other small businesses and creatives is why we do what we do.
Other amazing brands we stock are Gretel Corrie a Sydney based Ceramicist, we also have custom ceramic keep cups from Tama local Love Ryan. The AYU recently joined our shelves and their oils, incense and candles are amazing and hand mixed. Lumira is another favourite Sydney based candle/scent brand we have and Ms Brown and Leif have been very popular at the moment with all the hand washing that’s been going on ;) We use and have them all at home. The shelves are an expansion of what we use, gift, and love.
As part of your expansion, you decided to avoid purchasing any plastic-wrapped flowers at the growers’ markets and switched your wet packaging to a material made from recycled limestone-quarry waste. Can you tell us more about the ethical & sustainable practices employed at MFM?
Yes, we try really hard to avoid plastic and unnecessary packaging when sourcing our flowers or any products. Unfortunately, it can’t always be done but it’s a conscious effort we make every day. We just want to ensure we are doing our bit and be part of those conversations with our growers and suppliers.
All our packaging and gift wrapping is completely recyclable and where possible created using recycled materials. Everything from our wet wrapping to our cards is plastic-free and eco-conscious. We believe even as a small business it’s important to do what we can to improve and be responsible for our environmental contributions. We are always looking for ways to do more.
Describe an average day as a florist
Days start with a 4 am wake up, markets by 5 am, the store opens at 7 am and we have a coffee bar in the store as well as the florist so the mornings are pretty busy with our locals coming in for coffee and flowers as well as getting our online orders ready to be sent out.
At the moment, events, wedding and our corporate arrangements have mostly been put on pause but they are normally scattered throughout the days and weeks. They often require meetings, site visits, and always lots of emails so the days go very quickly. They are big and exhausting but we always have moments of fun and you do feel productive and fulfilled. Having our store means our days are also now very social rather than working from a studio or home as we did before - we are loving our Tamarama community and our growing team.
When it comes to workwear, what are your everyday essentials?
We get dirty no matter what and our work is quite a physical so lots of robust and easy pieces like tees, jumpers, jeans, and sneakers. Lots of neutrals and things that can all just work together no matter what you need to do that day. Comfort is key and also getting dressed at 4 am can be interesting so simple basics always work.
Georgia wears the Myla Knit in Natural.
What do you love about Bondi, and where are your favourite places to eat and shop?
Our store is in Tama/Bondi and we also live in North Bondi so we are always in the area, lots of walks with our dog and Kieran is an avid surfer. We started MyFlowerMan in our warehouse in Chippendale, then moved to our studio in La Porte Space, Rosebery so Bondi is a coastal change for us and we are very much enjoying being in the bubble. We love eating at Peppes, getting wine from Native Drops, La Piadina is one of our regular T/A or bagels from Lox In A Box during the weekend and if we aren’t at our store we get coffee from Skittle Lane or Porch and Parlour.
What’s next for MFM?
We want to keep growing our offering and continue to expand and grow organically. It’s an interesting time for any business and we have certainly taken this time to refocus and reconsider what we want to do with the business moving forward. The store will turn one in October so we are looking forward to that milestone and continuing to grow our team.
Follow MyFlowerMan
myflowerman.com.au
@myflowerman