What was once a fish shop has been transformed into Miraflores, a beautifully decorated flower shop on Church Street.

The shop, which belongs to experienced florist Gemma Changty-Young, offers an array of interesting flower arrangments for all occasions and tastes.

Painted in lilac and white, Miraflores has now become a major attraction on Church Street and is very popular among businesses seeking flowers for their offices.

Miraflores even supplies big hotels situated as far as Intendance, like the Banyan Tree Resort.

For Mrs Changty-Young, who has been doing flower arrangment as a leisure activity all her life, working with flowers is an art which requires a special touch, patience and creativity.

Her skill, she said, was "a treasured gift from God," adding that she got tremendous satisfiaction knowing that her clients were pleased with her work.

"It is not about the money, but knowing that I have a satisfied client makes me happy and it encourages me to continue," she said.

Mrs Changty-Young works with a variety of fresh flowers such as roses, orchirds, alpinia, anturiums, babies' breath, ferns and also wild plants which she uses to add the touch of green to her arrangment.

Miraflores also sells dried flowers and potted plants. Besides arranging flowers for weddings, anniversaries, religious celebrations, funerals and other special occasions, she can also provide the appropriate decore.

The florist has on several occasions been called upon to assist with wedding preparations where not only had she provided the flowers, but the extra touch to render the occasion more special.

Mrs Chanty-Young, who has been a regular participant of the annual Agricultural and Horticultural show, said clients, who were unsure of what they wanted, could benefit from her knowledge and advice.

At Miraflores, clients can also access the florist's catalogues of arrangments done over the years.

Miraflores charges R50 for an arrangment, but prices vary depending on the clients' need. The flower shop also makes delivery upon request, but this carries an additional fee of R25 if the client is in the vicinity of Victoria and R50 for those living farther.

The shop offers a variety of flower arrangments in all shapes and sizes, such as wreaths, ikbana which is derived from a special Japanese art, among others as well as hampers of fruits and flowers for birthdays and greeting cards with pictures of various flowers produced by the company itself.

Fifty cents on each of the card sold is given as charity to the Bible Society of Seychelles with another 50 cents going to the Cancer Concern Association. The cards, which contain verses from the Bible, are being sold at R15 each.

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