It feels like I’ve walked into a whimsical, Grecian wonderland. There are pops of vibrancy and blooms exploding from every corner. I’m hit by the smells of eucalyptus and lilies, which bring me back to my aunt’s house in Melbourne/Naarm. I spy a pink dahlia displayed on a plinth, reminding me to call my mum tonight. “Welcome to Spill The Blooms!” The positive energy of florist Tianna Sabb matches the oasis I’ve entered.

Spill The Blooms is a new florist located in Sydney/Warrane, owned by 26-year-old entrepreneur, Tianna. Tianna creates floral designs – that don’t break the bank – for events and occasions of all sizes, from weddings, birthdays and anniversaries, to sympathy, apologies and ‘just because’. Tianna builds her bouquets in store with her customers, allowing them to pick flowers they fancy and add their own flare and colour to the arrangement.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Spill The Blooms (@spilltheblooms)

Tianna built Spill The Blooms during Covid, starting online, from the confines of a small shed in her backyard. “I was doing weddings in my shed every weekend. It felt like I was a big flower company – not this 20-something-year-old who had just started,” she says. Business has since blossomed, and Tianna opened her own storefront earlier this year in Rosebery, New South Wales.

Flowers have always fascinated Tianna. She remembers noticing their intricacies in her nan’s garden. “Every petal had different veins, unique textures, even the imperfections in their colour impressed me,” she says. Tianna eventually decided to study floristry at TAFE, but struggled to stick to the conventions. “I would fail classes because I didn’t stick to the traditional recipe,” she says. “I was inspired by the material and once I had learnt the mechanics, I needed to break the rules; I had to find my own style of floristry.”

Sticking to the rules isn’t the only challenge Tianna has faced. “I knew owning a small business would come with sacrifices and challenges, but things like imposter syndrome and unsolicited comments from strangers wavered my confidence at times,” she says. Tianna recalls telling a client who commented on her youth that yes, she might be in her 20s, but competence coupled with passion and drive outweigh age. “Experience isn’t enough. Customers come back not because of your time in the vocation but for the quality of product and the joy they feel taking home their bouquets.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Spill The Blooms (@spilltheblooms)

The biggest misconception that people have about florists is that they are just “playing with flowers every day”, according to Tianna. “They don’t see the 4am wakeups to get to the market, or the 1am bump-outs after a wedding. Every single flower that comes into this store is handpicked, conditioned and looked after by me,” she says.

“There isn’t a factory of workers stripping the roses, snipping their stems and refreshing their water. I have one casual employee. It’s 24/7. I’m filtering through emails late into the evening. Ten per cent of what I do is working with flowers.”

When asked why people should bother buying flowers when they die after a week or so, Tianna chuckles. This is a question she gets often from boyfriends who have been gently persuaded by their partner to buy them flowers. “The beauty of flowers is that they don’t last. Like a good meal or a beautiful sunset, they’re made to be enjoyed for a short time. They keep us present and to remind us that we are loved, thought of and that our efforts are appreciated,” she says.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Spill The Blooms (@spilltheblooms)

Spill The Blooms has become known by locals for its floristry 101 workshops. Tianna transforms the storefront into a space for creative souls who are eager to learn how to build their own bouquet, and spills the tea on proper floristry techniques and tricks of the trade – including how to grab your own flowers from the Flemington markets.

Her advice to young entrepreneurs who crave creativity, but have anxiety around getting started? Mistakes are inevitable – and necessary. “You must be a beginner to become good at anything,” she says. “Throw yourself into the deep end and don’t be scared. You’re going to do so well.”

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