‘People spending more than ever’: Adelaide florist grows
Sales are doubling at an Adelaide florist that took root in the suburbs some 75 years ago.
Tardy Kamara and Ellie Gendle bought Carews Florist in 2024, and despite Australia’s current cost of living crisis, say their sales are continually increasing.
“I think people are spending more money now than ever, especially with events. The average spend in our stores has basically doubled since we’ve taken over,” Ellie Gendle, co-owner and florist of Carews Florist and Studio88 tells InDaily.
When the couple bought Carews Florists, they focused on changing the Salisbury retail space from a gift shop back to being a florist, and expanded with the opening of Studio88 in Hindmarsh, a higher end florist which focuses on weddings and events.
Founded by the Carews Family in 1950, and run for 10 years by Moni and Justin Mazzeo before being bought by Kamara and Gendle, the couple say the business has always taken pride in being a family run, community-based establishment.
“The business has survived for so long because it’s very community focused. Before we took over, the previous owners donated a lot to charity. They did a lot of community work, and we do the same thing,” co-owner Tardy Kamara said.
“Building that trust and the relationships within the community is a big part of why the business continues to grow.”
Last year, to give back to the community, the business gifted 50 bouquets to emergency workers around Adelaide, and they have another incentive planned next month.
“We’re going to give another 50 bouquets to educators because they look after our kids. So we’re always finding ways of giving back. We don’t have to do it, but we choose to give back to the community,” Gendle said.
“It’s not about making money all the time.”
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They claim Carews puts an emphasis on working alongside South Australian flower vendors, for convenience and quality, plus the relationships it creates.
“You need to have good relationships with vendors as well, because there’s been multiple times when we’ve had weddings and events and things go wrong. It always does. But, if you build good relationships with people, you can actually depend on them to help you out when they occur,” Kamara explains.
“Sometimes customers will spend more on delivery than they spend on flowers because they’re choosing us. They like our design or like our modern approach, or they come in and they love our staff, so they choose to come back. We just build that community trust,” Gendle adds.
With hopes of further growth, Kamara and Gendle want to keep the traditional family-run quality of the business.
Kamara explains “I’m not looking at the business for me now. I’m looking at how our kids can grow into the business that we have and sustain it for another 100 years after we go on.”
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