Fleuriste Gala d'Outremont (Royal) Si occupé appelez

A born green thumb, Teresa Wieckowska entered the flower trade via architecture. In 1990, the architectural firm she worked for closed its doors. That's when she decided to seize the moment and open her own boutique. “I had always dreamed of having a nice big garden, and I found living among apartment buildings to be depressing,” she recalls. "With this business, I can at least lay claim to part of that dream when I spend my days working with flowers. I would have never thought that my passion would come to life in this way.”

Through flowers, Teresa can dabble in some of the same themes that drew her to her former career, but instead of making art with buildings, she creates it with bouquets. “In architecture as with flowers, there are shapes, colours, proportions,” she explains. “The difference is that flowers are living matter and that is something I particularly appreciate.”

The creativity and quality of Teresa's designs are what have given Fleuriste Gala d’Outremont a solid reputation among Van Horne Avenue denizens. Teresa is glad to be able to make a living out of her passion, but also to handle the managerial side of the business. “I feel like I’ve made the right choice,” she says, “because I have total freedom.” Her freedom also came with a lot of responsibility and hard work that she knew she had to be dedicated to. “There was a time when I was up at four in the morning,” she recalls, “planning my purchasing and getting everything in the shop ready for the day.”