Trader Profiles
Mont Albert Florist, still blooming after 30 years!
Thirty years ago, Nell Rose-Byrne returned home to Alice Springs from London and found herself at a crossroads. She knew she wanted to do something creative, something that would allow her to work with her hands and bring a little beauty into people’s lives. She had always loved flowers, so floristry seemed like the natural path for her.
At age 30 Nell decided to take the plunge and began a three-year floristry apprenticeship in Adelaide, eventually completing her training in Melbourne. She completed her Certificate III at Hilton Florist (Kellee Flowers), where she learnt the foundations of the trade and developed skills that would shape her career.
An opportunity came along to purchase Mont Albert Florist. “I had already been working here part-time, so I knew the business, the customers and how everything worked,” she said. “That was 18 years ago. Thankfully I’m still here, still learning and still blossoming!”
“I’ve watched the industry change. When I first started, floristry was a thriving profession and only florist shops did flowers. These days flowers are sold at lots of outlets. Bricks and mortar shops are also competing with online florists that don’t have a shop front.
“Floristry looks beautiful from the outside - and it certainly is - but it’s also a tough gig.“We work with perishables, which means there’s no putting something on a shelf and selling it six months later. You need to sell it while it’s fresh, if not sold it is money in the bin. Every day brings a balancing act of ordering the right stock, anticipating what customers will want and trying not to waste precious product.”
Nell said her customers come from all walks of life.“Every person is different. Everyone has their own taste, personality, budget and idea of what the perfect flowers should look like,” she said.“ One customer might want something soft and romantic, another something bright and colourful. I actually get customers wanting flowers with no or little fragrance!“ That’s one of the things I love about floristry.
No two days are ever the same. “There are always new trends emerging, new flowers coming into season, new styles and individual customer requests that challenge you to think outside the box. “You might think that after 30 years of working with flowers, I’d have a house full of them.“ But I actually don’t take flowers home!
Taking flowers home is like taking work home!“ But give me a busy morning in the shop, a delivery of beautiful fresh flowers and a customer who is genuinely excited about what we’ve created for them, and I still get that feeling that made me choose floristry all those years ago.”
Nell said her favourite flower is gardenia. “The fragrance is divine,” she said.Mont Albert Florist offers beautifully crafted flower arrangements for all occasions, bouquets, a large range of giftware, hampers, cards and plants.“ After 18 years at Mont Albert Florist, I’m still here, ordering flowers, creating designs, helping customers and navigating whatever the day throws at me,” Nell stated.
“It’s not always easy. It can be exhausting, unpredictable and, at times, incredibly challenging.“ I’m not quite ready to put the secateurs down yet!”
Mont Albert Florist is located at 1 Hamilton Street. Customers can book online at www.montalbertflorist.com.au or phone 9890 1122.
A free flower delivery service is available to Mont Albert, Box Hill Hospital, Epworth Hospital and Le Pine Funerals, Box Hill.
Sips, stories and lots more
From northern India to Surrey Hills, the journey of Garv and his family, who conduct the quaintly named Sips and Stories, a coffee shop and eatery in Union Road, has been one of grit and passion.The family migrated to Melbourne during COVID in 2021 and established the business two years later on the site of a former café.
“I started working in cafes and the hospitality business when we first came to Australia. Doing daytime work and making coffee and food and the customer interaction got me motivated,” Garv said.
Garv’s father Binni, who owned a couple of fuel stations in India, his mother Vomica and brother Mehul are all invested in Sips and Stories. Ava, a family friend who also grew up in northern India, helps out while studying psychology at Swinburne University.“Ava has been working here from day one. She’s part of the family,” Garv said.
Sips and Stories offers the complete range of premium coffee, tea, hot chocolates and chai as well as smoothies, fruit juice, shakes and cold drinks.Their all day breakfast and lunch menu options include classic favourites and popular picks such as omelettes, burgers, French toast, avocado, barramundi and chips, breakfast salsa, eggs benedict, granola bowl, chicken, pumpkin feta, veggie breakfast, fruit platters and a range of salads along with bakery items such as cakes, slices and croissants.
Sips and Stories also has a kid’s menu including scrambled eggs and bacon on toast, mini brioche French toast and tenderloins and chips.Since starting up the business in 2023, Garv and his family have embraced the environment in Surrey Hills.
“We come across so many people from all age groups and all walks of life every day. We get to hear a hundred different stories every day,” he said.“It’s such a beautiful community, so loving and so supporting.
”The family also conduct businesses in Malvern and Ferntree Gully. Outside his busy working life, Garv enjoys catching up with friends on weekends and going out for dinner and playing badminton and pickleball.
Sips and Stories is located at 111-113 Union Road, Surrey Hills. It is open on weekdays from 6am to 3pm, Saturday from 7am to 2pm and Sunday from 8am to 2pm.
The café has seating for 40 people indoor and alfresco. There is ample parking at the front and back of the shop. For more information visit the website sipsandstories.com.au
Hooked on fish and chippery
Teresa and Sean, the owners of Mont Albert Fish & Chips in Hamilton Street, describe working in their business as a labour of love.“We really love our work. We know all the names of the locals and their families,” the energetic Teresa said.
Sean established the business in 2008 after working in a fish and chippery in Kew for a number of years. Before they married in 2016 Teresa served in a takeaway chicken shop at Campbellfield for four years.
The couple between them have more than 30 years’ experience in the hospitality business.Their sister-in-law Grace helps out during the busy periods.“We employ teenagers from Year 9 level to work on the cash register and in the kitchen on an hourly basis,” Teresa stated.
The menu at Mont Albert Fish & Chips features an impressive selection of fresh gummy flake, blue grenadier, flathead, snapper, barramundi and red emperor and golden, crispy chips, available in generous portions.
Other speciality seafood items include scallops, tiger prawns, scallops, crab sticks, calamari rings and mussels. “We make our potato cakes from the whole potato. Most shops are selling frozen potato cakes,” Teresa said.
The menu also includes grilled wraps, burgers, steak sandwiches and egg and bacon rolls. “We think our seafood basket at $36 is great value for two people.”
Mont Albert Fish & Chips has a commitment to serving only fresh quality fish and local ingredients, friendly service and a clean and safe environment.“We keep the shop clean, we use only fresh fish, we keep the quality and maintain the reputation,” Teresa said.
A committee member of the Mont Albert Traders Association, Teresa has a genuine feel for the shopping village and her customers. “We would like to stay in the same shop doing the same job every day and seeing the same people,” she said.
Mont Albert Fish & Chips have an affordable catering service for schools, sporting clubs, birthday parties, events and functions.
The shop is open for takeaway from 11am to 8pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11am to 9pm on Friday and from 4.30pm to 8pm on weekends. A delivery service is available on phone 0412 716 333 or 0421 136 777.