Just bloomed
There’s a (gorgeous) new flower shop in town and it’s shaking up the floristry and events space.
Parkhurst in Johannesburg has seen a throng of new store openings lately, and one of them literally stopped us in our tracks. Walking past the storefront at the upper end of 4th Avenue (close to Hannah Lavery and Bloom), you’d be hard pressed not to bask in the splendorous scene that is The Gorgeous Shop’s window display. The door to what used to be Polly Potter’s Toy Store is now enveloped in striking floral displays, delicate dried twigs and hanging moss that trail the façade – a gorgeous welcome, which will change depending on the season.
Peer through the glass and you’ll find feathery dried pampas and bunches of carefully selected and utterly beautiful flowers that show off the skills of this newcomer team. It’s eye-catching and artistically innovative among the less-inspired storefronts that make up Joburg’s shopping culture, two things that owner Bence Tallian has a knack for.
From the floristry side, the focus is on bringing in the best quality blooms and foliage, but with accessibility front and centre. “We are here for everyone,” explains Bence. That means that everything is offered as a single stem purchase, rather than as bunches and even that one stem gets the royal treatment with thoughtful wrapping and a silk ribbon. And, if you do buy (or order) a bunch, you can expect the unexpected; their pairings are novel and their selection elegant and on point.
The Gorgeous Shop uses a special floral treatment liquid solution and custom designed water tank to keep their flowers fresher for longer and it’s working, because their clients are gushing about the longevity of their purchases.
Gorgeous Everlastings is a range Bence has created to tap into the rising demand for high quality dried florals and will soon be available to shop from their Dry Floral Bar. Keep an eye out for their festive season offering (and their much-anticipated new window display going up any day now) which will include unique everlasting wreaths and handmade dried tree decorations.
The shop, though small, is intended to be dynamic and has already played host to one of their Gorgeous Dinners (more about that later) and encompasses their gallery space. The Gorgeous Shop gallery, in partnership with Art It Is Gallery, is currently showing works by Lindi Badenhorst and Wihl van Der Merwe, with more to follow and makes for a natural union with the floristry business.
The aforementioned Gorgeous Dinner is bound to be a hit in the lethal wake of the post-COVID events space. For an all-in fee you get to host the (intimate) dinner of your wildest imaginings, either right there in the shop, or at a separate venue. Bence cleverly designed their tiled floristry plinth to double up as a generous dining table and the timber frame that hangs above it gets transformed into an elaborate suspended decoration for dinners.
The base dinner offering is nothing to sneeze at, a sumptuous and spectacularly creative affair, it includes event coordination by Approach Creative, an inspired menu by Ginger Grape, bar service and cocktail theatre by Thirst, wines by Steenberg Farm and professional photographs by Elzie Cooper. Extended menus, live performances, a flower menu (that’s on-site arrangements for your guests), elaborate handmade Gorgeous Headpieces and more can be added to the experience.
Their first Gorgeous Dinner, hosted by social media influencer Sarah Langa, for her friends and family inside the store, was a luminous affair and has set the tone for a pioneering event series that balances luxury and intimacy.
Find them at 34, 4th Ave, Parkhurst, or call them on 082 885 0418 to place an order.
www.thegorgeousshopza.com | @gorgeous_shop_za
