This gorgeous shop, bakery and café that is inspired by a sunny wheat field has a view of the in-house flour mill. Flourist’s chemical-free, unbleached flours and dry goods are the heroes at this shop. The flours are milled to order, traceable back to the farm and farmer, and presented in beautifully branded brown paper packages. Dry goods in neatly labeled jars line the shelves of this pretty Shaker-inspired space. Also on offer are delicious baked goods, groceries, pantry items and kitchen tools.

What year was Flourist established?  

We established our company in 2014, and got our start as a wholesale supplier to Vancouver’s best restaurants. We set up our milling operation in 2017 and after several years of selling flour and baking at pop-ups, opened our Commercial Street space in the summer of 2019.  

What makes Flourist so unique.  

We were very intentional about the design and creation of our space, which is a unique combination of cafe, flour mill, and retail. Everything from the millwork to the color palette is meant to transport our guests to a sunny wheat field. The palette is very “stick of butter” which compliments our assortment of sourdough breads perfectly!  

"If the pandemic taught us anything it’s that people will always crave in person connection. They will always come back to that. There’s no match for real interactions between people who share aligned values and have something to offer each other. Plus, retail is such a beautiful experience when it’s done well. No online store can come close!"

Is there a story behind the shop name?

 When we originally founded the company, we went with a much more basic name which gained traction for its simplicity (the first brand was GRAIN). We soon realized that in order to have a hope of trademarking our company name, in planning for future growth, we would need to be more creative and create a word ourselves.   Flourist felt like a wonderful interplay on flour and the freshness implied by imagining a beautiful, freshly stocked flower shop. We knew the minute it fell out, that it was the name we needed.  

What are your best-selling or “must-have” products?  

Our best selling item at the shop is our Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie. It uses Sifted Red Fife Flour and 70% dark chocolate and just the right amount of salt to bring out the flavour in both. Other must haves are our Olive Loaf featuring Castelvetrano and Kalamata Olives and our best selling flour is Sifted Red Spring – perfect for sourdough baking at home! 

Who

Friends and business partners, food industry professional, Shira McDermott and former clothing designer, Janna Bishop .

Who inspired you to open your shop?  

Our customers inspired us to open our shop! They loved the ingredients we provided but kept telling us they wanted to eat the food made by us. Our menu has always been a mixture of recipes created by our team, but also a representation of the inspiration and recipes we share with our customers in our newsletters and online.  

What do you love about being shopkeepers?

All of the flour we use in our bakery is milled right in house, on a large stone mill that sits behind glass, so everyone in the space can see it happening. We really try to share an assortment of hard to find items that are made with the care and attention our customers have come to expect from our products. We don’t take shortcuts and we like to think it shows.  

What did you do before having your own shop?  

Janna comes from a background in apparel design and worked for Canada’s leading outdoor retailer as a designer prior to becoming an entrepreneur. Shira has spent her career in the specialty food retail and coffee businesses, with experience in merchandising, produce / floral buying, marketing and sales.  

What do you love most about shop life?  

We are both inherently creative people who get a lot of satisfaction from working in the business and on more macro, big picture planning too. We’re very DIY and put a lot of ourselves into the shop (we have a smaller second location as well as our flagship bakery) and into our online presence. Our customers ultimately are the reason we do this, and connecting with them never gets old! We just get so much energy back from the community we serve, it makes what we do feel really special.  

What are your favorite shops or markets?  

Shira : My happy place is the Saturday Market in Beaune, which is my favourite small town in France. I love any French market and also love the Sunday Market in L’isle Sur Le Sorgue in Provence. It’s an insane mixture of antiques along with fresh produce and amazing food producers.  Janna : Two of my favourite shopping experiences are the flagship Hay store in Copenhagen and Manufactum in Munich. Both are large format stores that fully immerse you in their retail point of view. I have spent hours browsing in both and given the opportunity would happily do so again. 

“We need more of it! We love brands that are successfully merging a strong online presence with in person retail. No matter how much we move to online shopping as a way of life, we see a place for the magic of old fashioned retail as a way to preserve and create community. There’s no match for beautiful spaces and passionate people who care about what they are putting out into the world. We hope that folks will continue to see the value in retail and support small independent shops. This is why we love what Shopkeepers does! It’s so wonderful.”