“Buying flowers is an emotive purchase,” says Susan Sottile of Astra Florists. “You’re dealing with occasions that are very personal to the client, and the flowers really need to reflect their sentiments. We like helping clients pick their flowers and word their messages to best express their feelings.”
While the shop opened in 1947, Susan and her business partner, Sandra Kaiser, have been at Astra Florists since the early 80s. Sandra started working at the store in her spare time when she was just 12 years old.
The high level of experience and customer service they offer can be summed up in a story from one of their customers. “We did a woman’s flowers for her wedding years ago,” recalls Sandra. “She had her third child baptised recently and was unhappy with the florists she dealt with so she tracked us down. She went through her wedding book until she found our number.”