WHAT started as a dream to bring back a local flower market to Newcastle has bloomed into a floristry and events empire approaching its ninth year in business.
Newcastle Food and Flower Markets was the brainchild, or in this case perhaps a seedling, of Jess Eckford-Aguilera, a self-professed girl boss who says she is in the business of "flower therapy".
The first version of the flower market launched at the beginning of 2017 when Mrs Eckford-Aguilera negotiated with the Newcastle City Markets at Sandgate, which sold wholesale fruit and vegetables, to add blooms to the mix. Soon it came time for the business to move into its own home and branch out serving coffee, food, selling plants and of course flowers. But Sandgate was not an easy location to launch a business with no foot traffic or neighbourhood centre nearby, the team had to figure out ways of getting their name out to the local community. In the end it was an unexpected yet very viral moment on social media that would be the spark the business needed.
"We came in on the first day and the building and our van had all been covered in graffiti, tagged, I was so upset," she said of the incident in 2018.
"I thought how can I turn this into a positive?" She decided to appeal to people of social media, but instead of wanting to identify the offender and hand him over to the police, she decided she would offer the guy a job.
"The police warned me against it, but I just wanted to give him a chance," she said.
The post gained traction and within hours she had the name of the culprit. She also had national television networks, radio and Newcastle Herald knocking on the door to cover the story. The business' social following tripled and the brand had its launchpad. While the offender never took up the offer of employment, Mrs Eckford-Aguilera said "still to this day I would give him a job".
With a team of 20 there is always plenty to do at the Sandgate site. November saw the flower business take record wedding bookings, catering to 42 couples. The popular Christmas workshops will welcome 600 people through the doors to learn the art of wreath making. And just this month the sold-out Mexican Fiesta saw 120 people enjoy a night of sangria and a degustation dinner, all to the tune of a mariachi band.
"Now more than ever we want to provide something cost effective where people can still go out, because people still want a gathering with a community feel," she said.
"Something relaxed where they can let their hair down." While events have become the cornerstone of this busy business, it is the floristry school that is the jewel in the flower crown.
"I had a look around at what was offered locally, and I wanted to create something that was more about modern techniques," she said.
"It is all hands-on. I just love it. I love how flowers make you feel. I call it flower therapy."
The 12-week course has more than 60 graduates now, many using it as a launchpad for their own creative small business endeavours, something Mrs Eckford-Aguilera could not be more proud of.
