Hello Petals
Open Doors, Open Hearts: Why Shopping Local Matters
At Hello Petals in Wangaratta, the doors are always open. For owner Mandie that detail mattered when she chose her shopfront. She wanted a space people would not hesitate to enter, a space were all community is welcome.
Mandie’s journey to floristry wasn’t straightforward. After 12 years of nursing, she found herself drained during the pandemic, watching families unable to visit their loved ones in aged care. “I just wasn’t finding happiness in it anymore,” she says. Taking leave, she worked in a florist shop, discovered a new skill, and realised an old passion. “As a kid, I always wanted to be a shopkeeper. I used to imagine sweeping the shopfront and keeping it beautiful.”
Flowers, she admits, are a luxury, but they can also be meaningful. A bouquet marks a new baby’s arrival, a birthday, or the difficult farewell of a funeral. For her, the privilege of creating those tributes feels like a continuation of the care she once gave as a nurse.
On the counter during our chat sat a striking floral arrangement threaded with a Collingwood scarf. She explained it was for her father’s best friend, who had been a cleaner at the local secondary school. He was, she said, a no-fuss kind of man, and the scarf was a tribute to his lifelong support of Collingwood. In gestures like these, flowers become stories of people and community.
Supplying flowers locally is the majority of Mandie’s business and many of her arrangements are made with natives and foliage grown here in the North East. “We’ve got a lady who grows the most beautiful zinnias and ranunculus around Christmas, and they fly out the door,” she says with a smile. Varieties of gum and other greenery often come from local gardens, brought in by people who want to support the shop. “We never turn growers away. If they’ve taken the time to pick something, I’ll buy it. It’s locals supporting locals.”
While it might be easier to grab a bunch at the supermarket or online, she says it’s not quite the same as a face-to-face purchase. When asked what makes the difference, she talks about people that are connected to the shop. A young artist who sees her cards for sale on the shelf, a grower who drops off gum leaves from their garden, or kids pooling their coins to buy something special.
For her, those connections are what keep small towns alive. And when asked what locals can do to help, her answer is simple: “Every time someone buys here, it means we can employ local women, support community events, and keep our doors open. Without locals, we wouldn’t be here.”
Local Tips from Mandie
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Eat Local: For coffee, I can’t go past TJ’s, Bread & Butter, or Clyde’s. Each has its own vibe and they all do it so well.
