Taupō florist Sally Coxhead brings special approach to every occasion

Bloomin' Flowers owner Sally Coxhead wins the Taupō Good Sort of the month Award. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

After 31 years of making people smile, Taupō florist Sally Coxhead got her own surprise this week.

Sally and her business Bloomin’ Flowers have been through a few challenges over the past three decades, including an arson attack on her shop 18 years ago that saw her move the whole business to her home. There was also no immunity for those in the florist business when Covid-19 struck in 2020.

But she does it for the love and on Monday this week, that love was returned when she was named as Taupō's Good Sort of the Month, much to Sally’s surprise.

“Our family are big givers. My brother does Make-A-Wish and I thought this was for him today because he gives so much to the community as well. We all do.”

But it’s not just about flowers for Sally - she genuinely cares about the people in her community.

In fact, she cares so much she supplies the flowers each month for the Good Sort award.

“When we go to a house to deliver it is not just ‘here is some flowers’. It could be an elderly person who’s had a stroke, so we take them in and make her a cup of tea. Not to intrude but it is that this woman needs help. If a family needs food, we will give food parcels, or if we know someone who has had a family member pass away we will take food as well and give our support for them.”

The award is sponsored by Harcourts Taupō and business owner Mary-Louise Johns said for someone to be successful in business for 31 years, they must have more than flowers behind them.

“This family that Sally is a part of is love first up and that crosses over to all their flower deliveries so if you have a new baby or a wedding celebration, to the sadder parts of our community where we have lost people in the community, Sally’s family is more than just flowers, they turn up with all the compassion and love at all of those moments. Those are the people who knit a community together.”

After 31 years, Sally reckons she knows just about everyone in town and has made a lot of friends.

“Randomly, it could be once a week or every day, if I have little scraps ... I will make little posies and someone who is deserving of them we will just give them away. Just little random acts of kindness. It’s a really tough world and a little tiny gesture can make a person’s whole week or day, you know.”

She said there was something special about flowers.

“It’s joy, it’s nature, it just brings a smile and so much joy to people’s faces because people don’t just go and buy themselves flowers, they are given for a special reason.”

She said her favourite thing to do, is to deliver flowers at funerals.

“It is the last nice thing I can do, it is a privilege.”

She was tempted to give it all up during Covid-19 when gatherings were banned and deliveries were hampered.

“It was a big struggle and you think, ‘oh, I have done it for so long I might as well just give up’, but no, I just love my job too much and once you start not loving your job, you shouldn’t be there.”

She lost her shop in a random arson attack 18 years ago and ever since then she has worked from a studio under her home.

“I’ve worked really hard to get where I am, really hard. I have a great rapport with the community.”