Us 13 May 2023

BEHIND THE SCENES OF AGNES B. FLOWERS

Valentin and Karma are the duos of fanatics who make Agnes B. Florist for the past eight years. He tells the story of this adventure.

His office faces dozens of papyrus of all sizes. “Descendants of the papyrus of the first boutique rue du Jour,” explains Valentin. (See the video of François Pain shot in 1977.) It’s here, at the floor of another address of the same street, that he oversees with his colleague Karma the life of the flowers sold by Agnes b. Since 2015. 

How did you get into agnès b.?
It was something of a happenstance. For my end of study internship, I got in agnès b. New Work. I spent 6 months there, it was a beautify structure, I felt I got a hands on everywhere. I supported the boutique’s head, the head of communication, even deliveries. A few months after I got back, Agnès asked me to coordinate a new offer, flowers. That was back in 2015. The project barely evolved in its initial form, which was to collaborate with floral artist Christian Tortu. It just so happened that the corner of the Vieux Colombier boutique (in Paris 6th arrondissement) was a knocker from the get go, and Agnès decided it would be the privileged location for selling flowers. I personally take care of the agnès b. flowers with my colleague Karma, and have been for seven years. 

How did Karma get here? 
Karma worked as a seller for agnès b. for a little over 15 years. As soon as the project started, she joined my crew to sell flowers. We’re a perfect team. She’s so creative, she loves to design bouquets, meet florists, find inspiration. She was trained by Christian Tortu in various techniques. Otherwise, we learn in a self-taught way. In addition to know flowers and techniques, she knows by heart the Agnes b. Brand and her team. She knows the spirit, and she knows the clients. From Thursday to Saturday she’s there, interacting with them. 

What’s the heart of the agnès b. floral sale? 
It’s à ‘ready to drop’ offer, small bouquets, or made to order bigger ones. It can even be earthed pots in randomly found pots. We focus on seasonal flowers, and we’ve got roughly 80 per cent local flowers, always cultivated with reasonable conditions. I think it’s very cool to speak to the producer themselves, in Rungis or visiting their fields. Usually it’s in the 77 or 91 departments of France, rarely more than 20 kilometres away. Price wise, a bouquet will sell between 10 to 25 euros, including the vase. As for the bouquet on a grander scale, we always have plants worth 200 to 300 euros. But the usual are small plants, ready to drop at home, for 20, 30, or 40 euros. Just a beautiful ornament. 

Who buys agnès b. flowers? 
To start with, part, it used to be a bonus purchase with some of our products. But then we started having weekly customers. Out small format are favoured by professionals, restaurants managers, our boutique owners. We also do special orders for exceptional events. 

What’s a week like for the two for you?
We’re very independent. We’re lucky to have Agnès’s trust. Twice a week, we got to Rungis together, around 4:30 in the morning. We pick our flowers according to what we find, and sometime there’s something exceptional that can last for up to three weeks. After Rungis we go back to Paris and make our own compositions. Once everything is ready, we load the truck and drop everything in the 6th arrondissement. I personally am on the first floor of the rue du Jour boutique, I take care of the sale, all the administrative stuff, while the creative and merchandising, it’s Karma who handles that in the boutique Vieux Colombier. Of course it changes with the seasons, there’s a lot of work from February to March, when the flowers bloom again. We need to water and nurture the plant. Once in a while, on short periods, we sell flowers in other boutiques. There’re usually warmer places, with glass houses, backyards, that call to the plants. We learn everyday, about flowers, ecology, how to better handle our stocks, throw away the least possible amount. I genuinely can’t see how a florist can’t also be a proponent of ecology.